What can it be?
It was so that day a week agone, when news was brought in that some poor settlers had been murdered by Indians, and the Assembly would do nothing but wrangle with the Governor instead of sending out troops to defend our people.

Do you think something can have happened again ?" The mother's face turned a little pale.
"Heaven send it be not so!" she exclaimed.

"I am always in fear when I hear of such things--in fear for my old father, and for my brothers.

You know they live away there on the border.

I pray Heaven no trouble will fall upon them." Susanna's eyes dilated with interest, as they always did when her mother talked to her of these unknown relations, away beyond the region of safety and civilization.
To be correct, it should be explained that Susanna was not the real daughter of the woman whom she called mother; for Benjamin Ashley had been twice married, and Susanna had been five years old before Hannah Angell had taken the mother's place.