ren, left alone for a moment, frightened and bewildered had run
out the front door, for at the back of the house were the Indians,
yelling and shrieking. Samuel had crawled into a familiar hiding place
under the cinnamon rose bushes, while Betsey and Peggy had hidden beneath
the low branches of the lilac, so completely concealed that they did not
even see their mother come out of the same door a moment later.

Here the children remained until the barns were smouldering ashes, and
the Indians had fled. Samuel was the first to creep from his hiding-place
and dash to the side of his father, whom he saw at the front door. Betsey
and Peggy followed, calling, "Where's mother?"

"Is she not with you?" asked their surprised father, grasping his
children by the hands in his thankfulness to find them alive, for the
Indians had left a desolated spot.

"Here comes Uncle Jack from the garrison house. He will tell us where
mother is," cried Peggy hopefully. They all hastened to meet him, only to
learn that their mother had not been seen since she left home.

"Did the Indians carry her off?" cried little Samuel, choking back a sob.

Betsey relieved that awful thought by exclaiming, "Here comes Captain
Shackford with his soldiers. They will find her."

The little group gathered about the sturdy Captain, who had been summoned
from the Bank, two miles away. With his militia, he had reached the
Plains too late to meet the Indians. Seeing the destruction they had
caused, he inquired in which direction they had fled and started in
pursuit.

"Bring back my mother!" pleaded little Samuel, running after the captain,
who nodded doubtfully.

It was soon learned that four people were missing from this little group
of settlers; several were injured and many had been killed. Nine barns
and five dwellings had been burned.

"We have a house left to us," sighed Peggy, "but what is that without
mother?"

There was no time, however, for even the children to mourn their loss; so
many things were needed from their home for those without homes, that
they were kept busy for several hours carrying pillows, blankets, and
other things of comfort to the injured ones.

Suddenly little Samuel cried, "Here comes Captain Shackford back again,"
for the Captain was then emerging from the woods across the clearing with
his militia carrying kettles, lanterns, blankets, and other things the
Indians had taken as plunder.

"Oh!" cried Betsey with joy, strain