A Tory slew her little sister with a hatchet; then her husband fell; and then, before her eyes, a blue-eyed Indian pinned her baby to its cradle with a bayonet." I crossed the room to where she stood, offering my hand; and she laid her thin and work-worn fingers listlessly in mine.
"Madam," I said gently, "there are today two thousand widows such as you betwixt Oriska and Schenectady.

And, to our cause, each one of you is worth a regiment of men, your sorrows sacred to us all, strengthening our vows, steeling us to a fierce endeavour.

No innocent death in this long war has been in vain; no mother's agony.

Yet, only God can comfort such as you." She shook her head slowly.
"No God can comfort me," she said, in a voice so lifeless that it sounded flat as the words that sleepers utter, dreaming of trouble.
"Shall we be seated outside on the door-sill ?" whispered Lois.

"The only seat within is on the settle, where she sits." "Is this the only room ?" "Yes--save for the mouse-loft, where I sleep on last year's corn-husks.
Shall we sit outside?
We can speak very low.