enthusiasm. "His defence at Fayal against such overwhelming numbers was
wonderful. And so was Jackson's at New Orleans. England was a great and
powerful nation while ours was but small and weak, but we were in the
right--fighting against dreadful wrongs done to our sailors--and God
helped us to drive away our haughty, powerful foe, and deliver our brave
tars from her unendurable oppression."

"Yes, dear; and to Him let us ever give all the glory and the praise. Oh,
may our nation always serve God and trust in him! then no foe shall ever
prevail against her."

"I hope we do, grandma," said little Elsie, "for on a quarter papa gave me
the other day, I saw the words, 'In God we trust.'"

"Oh!" cried Ned at that moment, "the folks are coming! I see them there on
the Peristyle--papa and mamma, Grandpa and Grandma Dinsmore, Lu and the
others."

"Yes, and the boat is waiting for them," added Elsie "and see, they are
getting in."

"Oh, I am so glad," said Grace, "though they are earlier than usual."

"Yes," said Grandma Elsie, "I suppose because it is Saturday evening and
we are all so tired with going and sight-seeing that we need to get early
to bed and rest that we may not be too weary to enjoy the coming Sabbath
day."

"I 'spect so," said Ned, and running forward as his father and the others
stepped upon the deck, "Papa," he asked, "did you come home soon to get
ready to keep Sunday?"

"Yes," was the reply; "we all need a good rest that we may be able to
enjoy God's holy day and spend it in his service."

"Where have you been since we left you, Lu?" asked Grace, as her sister
took a seat by her side.

"Papa took us to look at the Krupp gun," was the reply. "It is a wonderful
one; weighs two hundred and forty-eight thousand pounds; just think! one
hundred and twenty-four tons! It was certainly a great undertaking to
bring it all the way from Essen, Germany, to Chicago. They told us that at
Hamburg and at Baltimore great cranes were used, one of which could lift a
sixty-five ton locomotive, to lift the gun to the trucks that were to
carry it on the railroad; they had to put eight trucks under it, fastening
two together, then the two pair together, and so on till they had the
eight all well fastened to each other, when they laid the gun on them and
started it off.

"And only think, Gracie, it takes half a ton of powder and costs one
thousand two hundred and fifty dollars to fire that great gun once. We
saw the