ng on now in good
earnest. The Americans had taken Fort Brown, crossed to the Rio Grande
and driven the Mexicans from Matamoras. A plan had been laid to attack
Mexico on the Pacific side, and to invade both Old and New Mexico. Santa
Anna had escaped from his exile in Cuba, and was longing to reconquer
Texas. The whole question seemed in great confusion; but there was a
great deal of enthusiasm among some of the younger men, who thought war
a rather heroic thing, and they were hurrying off to the scene of
action. There was a spirit of adventure and curiosity about the
wonderful western coast.

George Horton used to talk all these matters over with Ben, when he came
down on his occasional visits. He was a fine big fellow now, but he was
getting tired of farming. It was quite lonely. Uncle Faid read the
county paper, but was not specially interested in the questions of the
day; and Retty and her husband never went beyond stock, and the crops,
and the baby. Ben kept his brother supplied with books that opened a
wider outlook for him, and made him a little discontented with the
humdrum round.

"I wouldn't mind it if you were all there," he would say. "After all the
city is the only real live place! I've half a mind to come down and
learn a trade. Only I _do_ like the wide out of doors. I couldn't stand
being cooped up."

"And I'm going round the world some day," returned Ben.

"I'd like to go out with Fremont. The other side of our country seems so
curious to me, I want to see what it is like. The other side of the
Rocky Mountains! It's almost like saying the Desert of Sahara," and the
young fellow laughed.

There was the usual spring and summer dress-making for the ladies. Even
Miss Cynthia, looking sharply at Hanny, said:--

"I don't see what's the matter with that child! I supposed she'd have
everything outgrown, and some of her last summer's skirts won't need any
letting down. They're wearing them shorter now; and you know, Cousin
Underhill, you would have them made rather long last summer."

The little girl sometimes felt quite sore on the point. The Deans were
getting to be tall girls, and even Daisy Jasper had taken to growing.
And her lovely curls were quite long again. She certainly was very
pretty.

But when Hanny took this trouble to her father, he only laughed and
squeezed her in his arms, and sometimes rubbed her soft cheeks with his
beard, his old trick, as he said:--

"But I want to keep you my lit