A Prairie-Schooner Princess

sky. In the yard beneath his window he could hear the sound of voices, footsteps going to and fro. Inside there was th

as coming! The Day! The day he had been dreami

l yip of joy and pulled the bedcl

up! It's to-morrow-I mean it's

illows, blinked once or twice, rubbe

. Couldn't, I was too excited. Oh, golly, this is to-morrow, isn't it? No, it's

de the bed where Joe was hastily getting into the new gingham shirt, the

d fro. There was the sound of rumbling wheels, the regular strokes of a hamm

howed faint streaks of pink and mauve, and the fragrance of the apple and peach and plum and cherry blossoms in the old orchard came up to them, mingled with the scent of wet grass and clover, the lowing

d on the dash-board of one of them was fastening in place the white canvas cover, st

rts of the boys as they leaned

irie Sc

re to embark that day on the most w

e coming of this day for many months. Now it seemed alm

in a great hurry and bustle of preparation, going to and fro between the barn and the house and the wagons ca

oading of the wagons. Bill Hale, the "hired man," was there, and Uncle Charles, and Friend Robinson, and neighbor Hines, and many more. A queer sort of a sinkin

old Quaker homestead where his mother was born and had grown to womanhood, and nearer the woo

h of a branch for five summers. She was sitting now. The young birds would be out in a few days. J

kly and turned around to see his mother standing in the doorway. She was all dressed and ready for the journey, in a dark grey worsted

ady. Elijah, did thee put on the new stockings I laid out for thee? Tie thy necktie neatly, Joseph. And hurry, now, the da

e but she smiled at them b

vas covers of the wagons were now in place, making a domed shelter for the interior of the wagons, and most of the hous

had thought of nothing but the wonderful journey across the plains, the romance, the adventure, the strange, novel, and inter

willows; the nest of young kittens under the barn; the sunfish and croppies in the stream. He thought of his playmates

old willow-tree in which he could see the platform of their playhouse-all that was left of it-

breakfast interrupted them. He hurried into the big sunny kitche

nd upon it was spread the breakfast, with odds and ends of dishes and crockery that were to be left behind. A

sat beside her with baby Abigail on her knee, and Joe noticed with a queer constriction in his breast that her face was very pale and her white lips pressed together as if to keep them from trembling. Aunt Sue

Benjamin, while pretending to be very busy passing around trays of coffee, occasionally found time in a corner to mop their eyes with their handkerchie

thick dark hair just tinged with grey. His eyes were dark, with a keen yet very gentle expression, and the almost womanish beauty of his mouth and the s

his eyes were red, and the hand that he

eniman with a heavy sigh. "I tell thee it is a pretty serious business, friend Joshua, to break up a home like

eir lives, their mother, sisters, brothers and all the friends of a lifetime to go away into a wild and unknown country to encounter the dangers and hardships of the life of a pioneer. But sh

sion. It is a great undertaking, a great responsibility thou art laying on thyself. Think of Hannah-think of the children

e face, "what it will mean to myself. But I feel that it must be done. It is a duty we owe our little family. It is a duty I owe to my religion and my God. Thee knows the condition of the country, Henry. Thee knows that war is inevitable between the North and South. It will be a terrible war, a war of

nse, Joshua, thy boys

l me, brothers, at the rate things are going in this country now

and South hain't got no further than shootin' off their mouths, an' so long's they confine

e should be a draft. My boys are Quakers. How could they go? And how could they avoid going if they were drafted? Even should there be no real fighting for years to come still those boys would be brought

on the farm they would not come in touch with the political controversy to any great e

bitter enemies for myself by my connection with the underground railway. I have run off runaway slaves, and I will run them off again every chance I get; for I believe it to be a wicked and iniquitous business. No man has a right to own and control another human being. I

ows that I would not hurt any one! It is only that it is fu

he papers are full of it, and people talk of little else. I tell thee, friends, war is inevitable, and I will not have my young lads filled with the spirit of it. Hannah thinks as I do, and long before the red carni

r spiritual good, brother Joshua," argued Charles. "Thee knows that out there in

e opportunity for development, and that we will find in the new country. If we go west now, while the children and the country are both young they will have great opportunities. I will take up a homestead and make them a good home, and

ght of seeing his brother and his young family set forth for that strange, f

s also had a good education. There is nothing to prevent us from conducting a little school of our own fo

e's sister-in-law's cousin went out west onct, an' he never come back. The Injuns got him. Like's not they made soup of him.

laugh that followed Bill's remark. He glanc

growing late, the sun is up, and we shou

e hand. Her sister Jenny followed with Mary, and Ruth and Sara walked on either side of their

sorrel team, Kit and Billy, hitched to the lighter wagon, which it had been decided that Joe should d

e, checking them up. "We must

otten the baby, cou

ge bundle tied up in a napkin in one hand, and in the o

r some things t' take on your journey, an' she never got here until jist now.

ge tied up in the n

e squawking fowls in his hand, "but hearin' that the Friends had cooked up s' much fer ye she figgered sh

aughed, and even M

n't you, Bill? But I declare I don't see how we are going to take thos

"It would never do to send them back when she was

uch in it, Father," said Joe; "we could t

they get to be a bother, you know,

, and who would have fed and mothered

ook at them, Father, aren't they perfect darlings? Let's

s, and with Bill Hale's help soon had the struggling fowls s

wagon to watch the operation. "We'll call this one Dicky, and this one Mo

dy there?" call

bellow, as if she knew that she was leaving her old home forever; Spotty, the collie do

es of a lifetime crowded close about the wagons to bid them good-bye. There were sobs and tears, close embraces

, the word of command spoken, and the prairie schooners dro