nd now," spoke Fairfax Johnson, as Thomas Ashley declared that there
was no further danger of fire, "now I am going to see what hath become
of my mother."

"And I'll go with you, nevvy. You must not think me hard and
unfeeling, boy, but just now, when men are so scarce, we cannot afford
to lose one unnecessarily. To have gone out to those men would have
been certain death for you, and your mother did the best thing that
could have been done. To be a patriot demands a great deal of us. To
die is a small matter, but how we die is much. Your work is not
finished. Until it is, nevvy, your life is not yours to lose
needlessly. It belongs to the country. Even though Hannah be captured,
it would not follow that aught of harm would come to her. She is a
woman. But come!"

"Peggy," whispered Sally, "Friend Ashley reminds me of Brutus."

"Yes," answered Peggy gazing after Fairfax with misty eyes. "Duty to
country is first, of course; but sometimes when the heart is torn with
anguish over the sacrifice of a loved one it doth seem that duty asks
too much of us. Oh, Sally! Sally! will peace ever come? Will the
country ever be aught but torn and disrupted by warfare? I cannot bear
it."

"Don't, Peggy," came from Sally sharply.

Mrs. Ashley, who was moving about the fire preparing breakfast, came
to them quickly. She gave each girl a gentle kiss, and a soft pat,
saying:

"Now, now, 'twill not do. After being such brave, helpful girls all
night, are ye going to give way now? 'Twill never do, sweetings. For
the boy's sake, ye must be brave. See! I have nice, hot coffee all
ready. Run after them, and tell them that I want them to take a cup
before going far."

"And we were going to be so brave," reminded Sally wiping her eyes.

"'Tis all my fault," said Peggy, "but 'twas the thought of----"

"Now be quick, or they will be gone too far," interrupted Mistress
Ashley.

The two men were entering the confines of the forest when Peggy called
to them:

"Mistress Ashley wishes that ye would take a cup of coffee before
going, friends. She hath it already prepared."

Fairfax shook his head.

"Mother first," he said. "I could not take anything."

The tears came again to Peggy's eyes.

"Yes, yes," she said chokingly. "Make sure of Friend Nurse's
whereabouts first. How brave she was! How----"

"Did I hear something said anent coffee, Peggy?" came Nurse Johnson's
voice, and from among the trees she came toward them. She was smili