She had heard that the troops of the west and northwest were coming down the Ohio and Mississippi in great numbers, and people expected hard fighting to occur very soon in western and southern Kentucky.

It was all very dreadful, and a madness seemed to have come over the land, but she hoped that Providence would continue to watch over her dear son.
Warner and the sergeant knew that the letter was from Dick's mother, but they had too much delicacy to ask him questions.

The boy folded the sheets carefully and returned them to their place in the inside pocket of his coat.

Then he looked for a while thoughtfully into the blaze and the great bed of coals that had formed beneath.

As far as one could see to right and left like fires burned, but the night remained dark with promise of rain, and the chill wind out of the northwest increased in vigor.