mbstones
in the yard is the touching inscription in memory of two
children,--"Blessed little lambs, and _art thou_ gathered into the fold
of the only true shepherd? Sweet _lillies_ of the valley, and _art thou_
removed to a more congenial soil?" The floor of the church is of stone,
the pews of polished oak. It has an organ, which is not so entirely out
of tune as are the pianos on the island. One of the ladies played, while
the gentlemen sang,--old-fashioned New-England church-music, which it
was pleasant to hear, but it did not thrill us as the singing of the
people had done.

During the week we moved to Oaklands, our future home. The house was of
one story, with a low-roofed piazza running the whole length. The
interior had been thoroughly scrubbed and whitewashed; the exterior was
guiltless of whitewash or paint. There were five rooms, all quite small,
and several dark little entries, in one of which we found shelves lined
with old medicine-bottles. These were a part of the possessions of the
former owner, a Rebel physician, Dr. Sams by name. Some of them were
still filled with his nostrums. Our furniture consisted of a bedstead,
two bureaus, three small pine tables, and two chairs, one of which had a
broken back. These were lent to us by the people. The masters, in their
hasty flight from the islands, left nearly all their furniture; but much
of it was destroyed or taken by the soldiers who came first, and what
they left was removed by the people to their own houses. Certainly, they
have the best right to it. We had made up our minds to dispense with all
luxuries and even many conveniences; but it was rather distressing to
have no fire, and nothing to eat. Mr. H. had already appropriated a room
for the store which he was going to open for the benefit of the freed
people, and was superintending the removal of his goods. So L. and I
were left to our own resources. But Cupid the elder came to the
rescue,--Cupid, who, we were told, was to be our right-hand man, and who
very graciously informed us that he would take care of us; which he at
once proceeded to do by bringing in some wood, and busying himself in
making a fire in the open fireplace. While he is thus engaged, I will
try to describe him. A small, wiry figure, stockingless, shoeless, out
at the knees and elbows, and wearing the remnant of an old straw hat,
which looked as if it might have done good service in scaring the crows
from a cornfield. The face nearly b