fair start and begin again, he might do better, for his children's
sake. So, when I got well, I made up my mind that I would ask a little
help from father, and we'd go west.

"I knew I never could go home to stay now. But, when I saw the old
place for the last time, I thought my heart would break. It wasn't much
of a place. There were only a few stony fields of pasture-land, and a
few narrow meadows; but, oh, I thought, if my babies had only been born
when we were in that safe, quiet place, it might have been so different!
And my father was so feeble and old, and helpless-like, I could not
bear to think of going so far away that I could never hope to see him
again.

"But there was no help for it. It would give Stephen another chance;
and so, with the little help my father could give us, we went out west
and settled.

"So we left the old life quite behind, and began again. We had a hard
time, but no harder than people generally have who go to a new country.
Stephen kept up good courage, and stuck to his work; and I helped him
all I could; and if I was sometimes a little discouraged and homesick,
he never guessed it. And I never _was_ much of either; for I was busy
always, and there was my babies--" Dolly's voice broke into a shrill
wail as she spoke the word, and she sat with her face hidden a little
while before she could go on again.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

WAITING FOR NEWS.

"Well, the time went by till our children were two years old--not, to be
sure, without some trouble, but still we got along, and I was never
without the hope that better days were coming. About that time we got
some new neighbours; but it was a dark day for us,--the day that Sam
Healy came and took a place near us. They were kind folks enough, and I
don't think the man began by wishing to do my Stephen harm. He could
drink and stop when he wanted to--at least, so he said; but Stephen
couldn't, and I was never sure of him after the Healys came.

"They came in the fall and a dreary winter followed their coming; but
when spring opened things began to mend with us. I did what I could to
help Stephen, and kept by him in the field. There wasn't much to do
within doors. There was only one room in the house, and a bed and table
and a bench or two was all the furniture we had; but we might have been
well and happy there till now, if we had been let alone.

"So, having but little to do in the house, as I said, I helped what I
could in t