s one ballad he sang; "Turkish Lady," "The
Brown Girl," and "The Specter Ship" were others. All the tunes were
queer, minor, and long-drawn-out, and sung in a kind of falsetto; and
between verses there is a very weary period of picking.

The boys all declare they prefer the newer ballads, such as "Blant's
Revengement," and "The Doom of the Mohuns," and that these old ones are
fit only for women-folks; but I noticed they listened absorbed.

_Friday._

Yesterday a wagon came in from the railroad,--a great occasion it is
when one arrives, all of us women flocking out and surrounding it before
the mules can stop, and receiving the packages and boxes destined for us
as if they were the most precious jewels,--indeed, they are valuable
after coming that long and difficult way. I was glad to find that my
cheerful dresses ordered last month had arrived, as well as the wire
corn-poppers and some rolls of wall-paper with great red roses for our
sitting-room.

_Saturday Night._

Cleo and Howard put the lovely red paper on our sitting-room
to-day,--when the boys and I came in from the garden it was all done,
and a shout of delight went up. Of course they have never seen anything
so beautiful.

I had another surprise for them. Prettiest of all my new dresses is a
cardinal crepe de chine, exactly matching the wall-paper. I put it on
for supper to-night, getting to the dining-room a little late. There was
much excitement at our table as I entered, and Jason created a sensation
by calling out, in his shrill voice, "Oh, yander comes my red stick of
candy!" Nucky said not a word; but the pride in his eyes was sufficient.
All during the meal, the boys vied with one another in passing me
things, and in saying "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am"; and I saw them
glancing around at other tables to observe the effect of my grand
costume.

Who, seeing me sit here before our cottage fire this evening, clothed in
the color of life and joy, with my happy and cheerful family close
around, would ever believe me to be the same woman who arrived here
something more than two months ago, with a heart even more dark and
desolate than her garb of woe? Truly, the ways and goodness of God are
past imagining.

_Thursday Night._

That the fraternal affection of the little Salyers is sound at the core
(much evidence to the contrary notwithstanding) was proved beyond doubt
by an occurrence last night. Hen is by nature deliberate, and is