mother died, and even Jeph was sad and subdued.

Since that sad day when the good mother had blessed them for the last
time, there had been little time for anything. Patience had to be the
busy little housewife, and what she would have done without Steadfast
she could not tell. Jeph would never put a hand to what he called maids'
work, but Stead would sweep, or beat the butter, or draw the water,
or chop wood, or hold the baby, and was always ready to help her, even
though it hindered him from ever going out to fish, or play at base
ball, or any of the other sports the village boys loved.

His quiet, thoughtful ways had earned his father's trust, though he was
much slower of speech and less ready than his elder brother, and looked
heavy both in countenance and figure beside Jeph, who was tall, slim,
and full of activity and animation. He had often made his mother uneasy
by wild talk about going to sea, and by consorting with the sailors at
Bristol, which was their nearest town, though on the other side of the
Avon, and in a different county.

It was there that the Elmwood people did their marketing, often leaving
their donkeys hobbled on their own side of the river, being ferried over
and carrying the goods themselves the latter part of the way.

CHAPTER III. KIRK RAPINE.

"When impious men held sway and wasted Church and shrine."
LORD SELBORNE.

Patience, in her tight little white cap, sat spinning by the door,
rocking the cradle with her foot, while Rusha sometimes built what she
called houses with stones, sometimes trotted to look down the lane to
see whether father and the lads were coming home from market.

Presently she brought word, "Stead is coming. He is leading Whitefoot,
but I don't see father and Jeph."

Patience jumped up to put her wheel out of the way, and soon she saw
that it was only Steadfast leading the old mare with the large crooks or
panniers on either side. She ran to meet him, and saw he looked rather
pale and dazed.

"What is it, Stead? Where's daddy?"

"Gone up to Elmwood! They told us in town that some of the soldiers and
the folk of that sort were gone out to rabble cur church and our parson,
and father is Churchwarden, you know. So he said he must go to see what
was doing. And he bade me take Whitefoot home and give you the money,"
said Steadfast, producing a bag which Patience took to keep for her
father.

She watche