"I,too,sufferwiththatthought;morethanthat,Iammorbidanddepressed。
　　Ifeelasifsomecalamityawaitedushere。Ihaveneverbeensuperstitious,norhaveIhadpresentiments,butoflatetherearestrangefearsinmymind。"
　　AtthisjunctureMr。WellsandHeckeweldercameoutoftheadjoiningcabin。
　　"Ihadwordfromatrustworthyrunnerto—day。GirtyandhiscaptiveshavenotbeenseenintheDelawaretowns,"aidHeckewelder。
　　"Itismostunlikelythathewilltakethemtothetowns,"repliedEdwards。
　　"WhatdoyoumakeofhiscapturingJim？"
　　"ForPipe,perhaps。TheDelawareWolfissnappinghisteeth。PipeisparticularlyopposedtoChristianity,and——what'sthat？"
　　Alowwhistlefromthebushesnearthecreekbankattractedtheattentionofall。Theyoungermengotuptoinvestigate,butHeckewelderdetainedthem。
　　"Wait,"headded。"Thereisnotellingwhatthatsignalmaymean。"
　　Theywaitedwithbreathlessinterest。Presentlythewhistlewasrepeated,andaninstantlaterthetallfigureofamansteppedfrombehindathicket。Hewasawhiteman,butnotrecognizableatthatdistance,evenifafriend。Thestrangerwavedhishandasifaskingthemtobecautious,andcometohim。
　　Theywenttowardthethicket,andwhenwithinafewpacesofthemanMr。Wellsexclaimed:
　　"It'sthemanwhoguidedmypartytothevillage。ItisWetzel！"
　　Theothermissionarieshadneverseenthehunterthough,ofcourse,theywerefamiliarwithhisname,andlookedathimwithgreatcuriosity。Thehunter'sbuckskingarmentswerewet,torn,andcoveredwithburrs。Darkspots,evidentlybloodstains,showedonhishunting—shirt。
　　"Wetzel？"interrogatedHeckewelder。
　　Thehunternodded,andtookastepbehindthebush。Bendingoverheliftedsomethingfromtheground。Itwasagirl。ItwasNell！Shewasverywhite——butalive。Afaint,gladsmilelightedupherfeatures。
　　Notawordwasspoken。WithanexpressionoftendercompassionMr。Wellsreceivedherintohisarms。Thefourmissionariesturnedfearful,questioningeyesuponthehunter,buttheycouldnotspeak。
　　"She'swell,an'unharmed,"saidWetzel,readingtheirthoughts,"onlywornout。I'vecarriedherthesetenmiles。"
　　"Godblessyou,Wetzel！"exclaimedtheoldmissionary。"Nellie,Nellie,canyouspeak？"
　　"Uncledear——I'm——allright,"camethefaintanswer。
　　"Kate？What——ofher？"whisperedGeorgeYoungwithlipsasdryascornhusks。
　　"Ididmybest,"saidthehunterwithasimpledignity。Nothingbuttheagonizedappealintheyoungman'seyescouldhavemadeWetzelspeakofhisachievement。
　　"Tellus,"brokeinHeckewelder,seeingthatfearhadstrickenGeorgedumb。
　　"Wetrailed'eman'gotawaywiththegolden—hairedlass。ThelastIsawofJoehewasbracedupaginarockfightin'likeawildcat。ItriedtocutJimlooseasIwasgoin'by。Is'pectthewustferthebrothersan'theotherlass。"
　　"Canwedonothing？"askedMr。Wells。
　　"Nothin'！"
　　"Wetzel,hasthecapturingofJamesDownsanysignificancetoyou？"inquiredHeckewelder。
　　"Ireckonso。"
　　"What？"
　　"Pipean'hiswhite—redskinalliesareaginChristianity。"
　　"Doyouthinkweareindanger？"
　　"Ireckonso。"
　　"Whatdoyouadvise？"
　　"Packupafewofyourtraps,takethelass,an'comewithme。I'llseeyoubackinFortHenry。"
　　Heckeweldernervouslywalkeduptothetreeandbackagain。YoungandEdwardslookedblanklyatoneanother。TheybothrememberedEdward'spresentiment。Mr。
　　Wellsutteredanangryexclamation。
　　"Youaskustofailinourduty？No,never！TogobacktothewhitesettlementsandacknowledgewewereafraidtocontinueteachingtheGospeltotheIndians！YoucannotunderstandChristianityifyouadvisethat。Youhavenoreligion。YouareakillerofIndians。"
　　Ashadowthatmighthavebeenoneofpainflittedoverthehunter'sface。
　　"No,Iain'taChristian,an'IamakillerofInjuns,"saidWetzel,andhisdeepvoicehadastrangetremor。"Idon'tknownothin'much'ceptthewoodsan'fields,an'ifthere'saGodfermeHe'souttharunderthetreesan'
　　grass。Mr。Wells,you'rethefirstmanasevercalledmeacoward,an'I
　　overlookitbecauseofyourcallin'。IadviseyoutogobacktoFortHenry,becauseifyoudon'tgonowthechancesareaginstyourevergoin'。
　　ChristianityornoChristianity,suchmenasyouhevnobisnessinthesewoods。"
　　"Ithankyouforyouradvice,andblessyouforyourrescueofthischild;butIcannotleavemywork,norcanIunderstandwhyallthisgoodworkwehavedoneshouldbecalleduseless。WehaveconvertedIndians,savedtheirsouls。
　　Isthatnotbeingofsomeuse,ofsomegoodhere？"
　　"It'saccordin'tohowyoulookatit。NowIknowthebarkofanoakisdifferentaccordin'tothesideweseefrom。I'llallow,hatin'InjunsasI
　　do,isnoreasonyououghtn'ttotryan'convert'em。Butyou'rebringin'onawar。TheseInjunswon'tallowthisVillageofPeaceherewithitsbigfieldsofcorn,an'shopsan'workin'redskins。It'sagintheirnature。You'reonlysacrificin'yourChristianInjuns。"
　　"Whatdoyoumean？"askedMr。Wells,startledbyWetzel'swords。
　　"Enough。I'mreadytoguideyoutoFortHenry。"
　　"I'llnevergo。"
　　Wetzellookedattheothermen。Noonewouldhavedoubtedhim。NoonecouldhavefailedtoseeheknewthatsometerribleangerhoveredovertheVillageofPeace。
　　"Ibelieveyou,Wetzel,butIcannotgo,"saidHeckewelder,withwhiteface。
　　"Iwillstay,"saidGeorge,steadily。
　　"AndI,"saidDave。
　　Wetzelnodded,andturnedtodepartwhenGeorgegraspedhisarm。Theyoungmissionary'sfacewasdrawnandhaggard;hefixedanintensegazeuponthehunter。
　　"Wetzel,listen;"hisvoicewaslowandshakenwithdeepfeeling。"IamateacherofGod'sword,andIamasearnestinthatpurposeasyouareinyourlife—work。Ishalldiehere;Ishallfillanunmarkedgrave;butIshallhavedonethebestIcould。Thisisthelifedestinyhasmarkedoutforme,andI
　　willliveitasbestImay;butinthismoment,preacherasIam,IwouldgiveallIhaveorhopetohave,allthelittlegoodImayhavedone,allmylife,tobesuchamanasyou。ForIwouldavengethewomanIloved。Totorture,tokillGirty！Iamonlyapoor,weakfellowwhowouldbelostamilefromthisvillage,andifnot,wouldfallbeforetheyoungestbrave。Butyouwithyourgloriousstrength,yourincomparablewoodcraft,youarethemantokillGirty。
　　Ridthefrontierofthisfiend。Killhim！Wetzel,killhim！Ibeseechyouforthesakeofsomesweetgirlwhoevennowmaybeonherwaytothisterriblecountry,andwhomayfallintoGirty'spower——forhersake,Wetzel,killhim。
　　Trailhimlikeabloodhound,andwhenyoufindhimremembermybrokenheart,rememberNell,remember,oh,God！rememberpoorKate！"
　　Young'svoicebrokeintodrysobs。Hehadcompletelyexhaustedhimself,sothathewasforcedtoleanagainstthetreeforsupport。
　　Wetzelspokeneveraword。Hestretchedouthislong,brawnyarmandgrippedtheyoungmissionary'sshoulder。Hisfingersclaspedhard。Simple,withoutwordsastheactionwas,itcouldnothavebeenmorepotent。Andthen,ashestood,thesofterlookfadedslowlyfromhisface。Arippleseemedtorunoverhisfeatures,whichfroze,asitsubsided,intoacold,stonerigidity。
　　Hisarmdropped;hesteppedpastthetree,and,boundinglightlyasadeer,clearedthecreekanddisappearedinthebushes。
　　Mr。WellscarriedNelltohiscabinwhereshelayforhourswithwanfaceandlistlesslanguor。SheswallowedthenourishingdrinkanoldIndiannurseforcedbetweenherteeth;sheevensmiledweaklywhenthemissionariesspoketoher;butshesaidnothingnorseemedtorallyfromherterribleshock。A
　　darkshadowlayalwaysbeforeher,consciousofnothingpresent,livingoveragainherfrightfulexperience。Againsheseemedsunkindullapathy。
　　"Dave,we'regoingtolooseNell。She'sfadingslowly,"saidGeorge,oneevening,severaldaysafterthegirl'sreturn。"Wetzelsaidshewasunharmed,yetsheseemstohavereceivedahurtmorefatalthanaphysicalone。It'shermind——hermind。Ifwecannotbrightenheruptomakeherforget,she'lldie。"
　　"We'vedoneallwithinourpower。Ifshecouldonlybebroughtoutofthistrance！Sheliestherealldaylongwiththosestaringeyes。Ican'tlookintothem。Theyaretheeyesofachildwhohasseenmurder。"
　　"Wemusttryinsomewaytogetheroutofthisstupor,andIhaveanidea。
　　HaveyounoticedthatMr。Wellshasfailedverymuchinthelastfewweeks？"
　　"IndeedIhave,andI'mafraidhe'sbreakingdown。Hehasgrownsothin,eatsverylittle,anddoesn'tsleep。Heisold,youknow,and,despitehiszeal,thisborderlifeistellingonhim。"
　　"Dave,Ibelieveheknowsit。Poor,earnestoldman！Heneversaysawordabouthimself,yethemustknowheisgoingdownhill。Well,weallbegin,soonerorlater,thatdescentwhichendsinthegrave。IbelievewemightstirNelliebytellingherMr。Wells'healthisbreaking。"
　　"Letustry。"
　　Ahurriedknockonthedoorinterruptedtheirconversation。
　　"Comein,"saidEdwards。
　　Thedooropenedtoadmitaman,whoenteredeagerly。
　　"Jim！Jim！"exclaimedbothmissionaries,throwingthemselvesuponthenewcomer。
　　Itwas,indeed,Jim,butnoansweringsmilelightedhisworn,distressedfacewhilehewrunghisfriends'hands。
　　"You'renothurt？"askedDave。
　　"No,I'muninjured。"
　　"Tellusall。Didyouescape？Didyouseeyourbrother？DidyouknowWetzelrescuedNell？"
　　"Wingenundsetmefreeinspiteofmanydemandsformydeath。HekeptJoeaprisoner,andintendstokillhim,fortheladwasWetzel'scompanion。Isawthehuntercomeintothegladewherewecamped,breakthroughthelineoffightingIndiansandcarryNelloff。"
　　"Kate？"falteredYoung,withashenface。
　　"George,IwishtoGodIcouldtellyousheisdead,"answeredJim,nervouslypacingtheroom。"ButshewaswellwhenIlastsawher。SheenduredthehardjourneybetterthaneitherNellorI。Girtydidnotcarryherintotheencampment,asSilvertipdidJoeandme,buttherenegadeleftusontheoutskirtsoftheDelawaretown。Therewasarockyravinewithdenseundergrowthwherehedisappearedwithhiscaptive。Isupposehehashisdensomewhereinthatravine。"
　　Georgesankdownandburiedhisfaceinhisarms;neithermovementnorsoundbetokenedconsciousness。
　　"HasWetzelcomeinwithNell？Joesaidhehadacavewherehemighthavetakenherincaseofillnessoraccident。"
　　"Yes,hebroughtherback,"answeredEdwards,slowly。
　　"Iwanttoseeher,"saidJim,hishaggardfaceexpressingakeenanxiety。
　　"She'snotwounded？hurt？ill？"
　　"No,nothinglikethat。It'sashockwhichshecan'tgetover,can'tforget。"
　　"Imustseeher,"criedJim,movingtowardthedoor。
　　"Don'tgo,"repliedDave,detaininghim。"Wait。Wemustseewhat'sbesttobedone。WaittillHeckeweldercomes。He'llbeheresoon。Nellthinksyou'redead,andthesurprisemightbebadforher。"
　　Heckeweldercameinatthatmoment,andshookhandswarmlywithJim。
　　"TheDelawarerunnertoldmeyouwerehere。IamoverjoyedthatWingenundfreedyou,"saidthemissionary。"Itisamostfavorablesign。IhaveheardrumorsfromGoshockingandSanduskythathaveworriedme。Thisgoodnewsmorethanoffsetsthebad。Iamsorryaboutyourbrother。Areyouwell？"
　　"Well,butmiserable。IwanttoseeNell。Davetellsmesheisnotexactlyill,butsomethingiswrongwithher。PerhapsIoughtnottoseeherjustyet。"
　　"It'llbeexactlythetonicforher,"repliedHeckewelder。"She'llbesurprisedoutofherself。Sheismorbid,apathetic,and,tryaswemay,wecan'tinteresther。Comeatonce。"
　　HeckewelderhadtakenJim'sarmandstartedforthedoorwhenhecaughtsightofYoung,sittingbowedandmotionless。TurningtoJimhewhispered:
　　"Kate？"
　　"Girtydidnottakeherintotheencampment,"answeredJim,inalowvoice。
　　"Ihopedhewould,becausetheIndiansarekind,buthedidn't。Hetookhertohisden。"
　　JustthenYoungraisedhisface。Thedespairinitwouldhavemeltedaheartofstone。Ithadbecomethefaceofanoldman。
　　"Ifonlyyou'dtoldmeshehaddied,"hesaidtoJim,"I'dhavebeenmanenoughtostandit,but——this——thiskillsme——Ican'tbreathe！"
　　Hestaggeredintotheadjoiningroom,whereheflunghimselfuponabed。
　　"It'shard,andhewon'tbeabletostandupunderit,forhe'snotstrong,"
　　whisperedJim。
　　Heckewelderwasamild,piousman,inwhomnoonewouldeverexpectstrongpassion;butnowdepthswerestirredwithinhisheartthathadeverbeentranquil。Hebecamelivid,andhisfacewasdistortedwithrage。
　　"It'sbadenoughtohavetheserenegadesplottingandworkingagainstourreligion;tohavethemsowdiscontent,spreadlies,maketheIndiansthinkwehaveaxestogrind,toplanttheonlyobstacleinourpath——allthisisbad;
　　buttodoomaninnocentwhitewomantoworsethandeath！WhatcanIcallit！"
　　"Whatcanwedo？"askedJim。
　　"Do？That'stheworstofit。Wecandonothing,nothing。Wedarenotmove。"
　　"IstherenohopeofgettingKateback？"
　　"Hope？None。Thatvillainissurroundedbyhissavages。He'lllielownowforawhile。I'veheardofsuchdeedsmanyatime,butitneverbeforecamesoclosehome。KateWellswasapure,lovingChristianwoman。She'llliveanhour,aday,aweek,perhaps,inthatsnake'sclutches,andthenshe'lldie。
　　ThankGod！"
　　"WetzelhasgoneonGirty'strail。Iknowthatfromhismannerwhenheleftus,"saidEdwards。
　　"Wetzelmayavengeher,buthecanneversaveher。It'stoolate。Hello———"
　　TheexclamationwascalledforthbytheappearanceofYoung,whoenteredwitharifleinhishands。
　　"George,whereareyougoingwiththatgun？"askedEdwards,graspinghisfriendbythearm。
　　"I'mgoingafterher,"answeredGeorgewildly。Hetotteredashespoke,butwrenchedhimselffreefromDave。
　　"Come,George,listen,listentoreason,"interposedHeckewelder,layingholdofYoung。"Youarefranticwithgriefnow。Soareallofus。Butcalmyourself。Why,man,you'reapreacher,notahunter。You'dbelost,you'dstarveinthewoodsbeforegettinghalfwaytotheIndiantown。Thisisterribleenough;don'tmakeitworsebythrowingyourlifeaway。Thinkofus,yourfriends;thinkofyourIndianpupilswhorelysomuchonyou。ThinkoftheVillageofPeace。Wecanpray,butwecan'tpreventthesebordercrimes。
　　Withcivilization,withthespreadofChristianity,theywillpassaway。Bearupunderthisblowforthesakeofyourwork。Rememberwealonecanchecksuchbarbarity。Butwemustnotfight。Wemustsacrificeallthatmenholddear,forthesakeofthefuture。"
　　HetooktherifleawayfromGeorge,andledhimbackintothelittle,darkroom。ClosingthedoorheturnedtoJimandDave。
　　"Heisinabadway,andwemustcarefullywatchhimforafewdays。"
　　"ThinkofGeorgestartingouttokillGirty！"exclaimedDave。"Ineverfiredagun,butyetI'dgotoo。"
　　"Sowouldweall,ifwedidasourheartsdictate,"retortedHeckewelder,turningfiercelyuponDaveasifstung。"Man！wehaveavillagefullofChristianstolookafter。Whatwouldbecomeofthem？Itellyouwe'veallwecandoheretooutwittheseborderruffians。SimonGirtyisplottingourruin。
　　Ihearditto—dayfromtheDelawarerunnerwhoismyfriend。Heisjealousofourinfluence,whenallwedesireistosavethesepoorIndians。And,Jim,Girtyhaskilledourhappiness。CanweeverrecoverfromthemiserybroughtuponusbypoorKate'sfate？"
　　Themissionaryraisedhishandasiftoexhortsomepowerabove。
　　"CursetheGirty's！"heexclaimedinasuddenburstofuncontrollablepassion。
　　"Havingconqueredallotherobstacles,mustwefailbecauseofwickedmenofourownrace？Oh,cursethem！"
　　"Come,"hesaid,presently,inavoicewhichtrembledwiththeefforthemadetobecalm。"We'llgointoNellie。"
　　ThethreemenenteredMr。Wells'cabin。Theoldmissionary,withbowedheadandhandsclaspedbehindhisback,waspacingtoandfro。HegreetedJimwithgladsurprise。
　　"WewantNellietoseehim,"whisperedHeckewelder。"Wethinkthesurprisewilldohergood。"
　　"Itrustitmay,"saidMr。Wells。
　　"Leaveittome。"
　　TheyfollowedHeckewelderintoanadjoiningroom。Atorchflickeredovertherudemantle—shelf,lightinguptheroomwithfitfulflare。Itwasawarmnight,andthesoftbreezecominginthewindowalternatelypaledandbrightenedtheflame。
　　JimsawNelllyingonthebed。Hereyeswereclosed,andherlong,darklashesseemedblackagainstthemarblepalenessofherskin。
　　"Standbehindme,"whisperedHeckeweldertoJim。
　　"Nellie,"hecalledsoftly,butonlyafaintflickeringofherlashesansweredhim。
　　"Nellie,Nellie,"repeatedHeckewelder,hisdeep,strongvoicethrilling。
　　Hereyesopened。TheygazedatMr。Wellsononeside,atEdwardsstandingatthefootofthebed,atHeckewelderleaningoverher,buttherewasnorecognitionorinterestinherlook。
　　"Nellie,canyouunderstandme？"askedHeckewelder,puttingintohisvoiceallthepowerandintensityoffeelingofwhichhewascapable。
　　Analmostimperceptibleshadowofunderstandingshoneinhereyes。
　　"Listen。Youhavehadaterribleshock,andithasaffectedyourmind。Youaremistakeninwhatyouthink,whatyoudreamofallthetime。Doyouunderstand？Youarewrong！"
　　Nell'seyesquickenedwithapuzzled,questioningdoubt。Theminister'smagnetic,penetratingvoicehadpiercedherdulledbrain。
　　"See,IhavebroughtyouJim！"
　　HeckeweldersteppedasideasJimfellonhiskneesbythebed。Hetookhercoldhandsinhisandbentoverher。Forthemomenthisvoicefailed。
　　ThedoubtinNell'seyeschangedtoawondrousgladness。Itwasliketherekindlingofasmolderingfire。
　　"Jim？"shewhispered。
　　"Yes,Nellie,it'sJimaliveandwell。It'sJimcomebacktoyou。"
　　Asoftflushstainedherwhiteface。Sheslippedherarmtenderlyaroundhisneck,andheldhercheekclosetohis。
　　"Jim,"shemurmured。
　　"Nellie,don'tyounowme？"askedMr。Wells,trembling,excited。Thiswasthefirstwordshehadspokeninfourdays。
　　"Uncle！"sheexclaimed,suddenlylooseningherholdonJim,andsittingupinbed,thenshegazedwildlyattheothers。
　　"Wasitallahorribledream？"
　　Mr。Wellstookherhandsoothingly,buthedidnotattempttoanswerherquestion。HelookedhelplesslyatHeckewelder,butthatmissionarywasintentlystudyingtheexpressiononNell'sface。
　　"Partofitwasadream,"heanswered,impressively。
　　"Thenthathorriblemandidtakeusaway？"
　　"Yes。"
　　"Oh—h！butwe'refreenow？Thisismyroom。Oh,tellme？"
　　"Yes,Nellie,you'resafeathomenow。"
　　"Tell——tellme,"shecried,shudderingly,assheleanedclosetoJimandraisedawhite,imploringfacetohis。"WhereisKate？——Oh！Jim——say,sayshewasn'tleftwithGirty？"
　　"Kateisdead,"answeredJim,quickly。Hecouldnotendurethehorrorinhereyes。Hedeliberatelyintendedtolie,ashadHeckewelder。
　　ItwasasifthetensionofNell'snerveswassuddenlyrelaxed。Therelieffromherworstfearwassogreatthathermindtookinonlytheoneimpression。Then,presently,achokingcryescapedher,tobefollowedbyaparoxysmofsobs。
　　ChapterXX。
　　EarlyonthefollowingdayHeckewelder,astridehishorse,appearedatthedoorofEdwards'cabin。
　　"HowisGeorge？"heinquiredofDave,whenthelatterhadopenedthedoor。
　　"Hehadabadnight,butissleepingnow。Ithinkhe'llbeallrightafteratime,"answeredDave。
　　"That'swell。Neverthelesskeepawatchonhimforafewdays。"
　　"I'lldoso。"
　　"Dave,Ileavemattersheretoyourgoodjudgment。I'mofftoGoshockingtojoinZeisberger。Affairstheredemandourimmediateattention,andwemustmakehaste。"
　　"Howlongdoyouintendtobeabsent？"
　　"Afewdays;possiblyaweek。IncaseofanyunusualdisturbanceamongtheIndians,theappearanceofPipeandhistribe,oranyoftheopposingfactions,sendafleetrunneratoncetowarnme。MostofmyfearshavebeenallayedbyWingenund'sattitudetowardus。HisfreeingJiminfaceoftheoppositionofhischiefsisasuresignoffriendliness。MorethanonceIhavesuspectedthathewasinterestedinChristianity。Hisdaughter,WhisperingWinds,exhibitedthesameintensefervorinreligionashasbeenmanifestedbyallourconverts。ItmaybethatwehavenotappealedinvaintoWingenundandhisdaughter;buttheirhighpositionintheDelawaretribemakesitimpoliticforthemtorevealachangeofheart。Ifwecouldwinoverthosetwowe'dhaveeverychancetoconvertthewholetribe。Well,asitiswemustbethankfulforWingenund'sfriendship。Wehavetwopowerfulalliesnow。Tarhe,theWyandotchieftain,remainsneutral,tobesure,butthat'salmostashelpfulashisfriendship。"
　　"I,too,takeahopefulviewofthesituation,"repliedEdwards。
　　"We'lltrustinProvidence,anddoourbest,"saidHeckewelder,asheturnedhishorse。"Good—by。"
　　"Godspeed！"calledEdwards,ashischiefrodeaway。
　　Themissionaryresumedhisworkofgettingbreakfast。Heremainedindoorsallthatday,exceptforthefewmomentswhenheranovertoMr。Wells'cabintoinquireregardingNell'scondition。Hewasrelievedtolearnshewassomuchbetterthatshehaddeclaredherintentionofmovingaboutthehouse。DavekeptaclosewatchonYoung。He,himself,wassufferingfromthesameblowwhichhadprostratedhisfriend,buthisphysicalstrengthandfortitudeweresuchthathedidnotweaken。HewasoverjoyedtoseethatGeorgerallied,andshowednofurtherindicationsofbreakingdown。
　　Trueitwas,perhaps,thatHeckewelder'searnestprayeronbehalfoftheconvertedIndianshadsunkdeeplyintoGeorge'sheartandthuskeptitfrombreaking。Nostrongerpleacouldhavebeenmadethantheallusiontothosegentle,dependentChristians。Noonebutamissionarycouldrealizethesweetness,thesimplicity,thefaith,theeagerhopeforagood,truelifewhichhadbeenimplantedintheheartsoftheseIndians。Tobearitinmind,tothinkofwhathe,asamissionaryandteacher,wastothem,relievedhimofhalfhisburden,andforstrengthtobeartheremainderhewenttoGod。Forallworrythereisasovereigncure,forallsufferingthereisahealingbalm;itisreligiousfaith。Happinesshadsuddenlyflashedwithameteor—likeradianceintoYoung'slifeonlytobesnuffedoutlikeacandleinawindygloom,buthiswork,hisdutyremained。Soinhistrialhelearnedthenecessityofresignation。Hechaffednomoreatthemysterious,seeminglybrutalmethodsofnature;hequestionednomore。HewonderednomoreattheapparentindifferenceofProvidence。Hehadonehope,whichwastobetruetohisfaith,andteachittotheend。
　　Nellmasteredhergriefbyanastonishingreserveofstrength。Undoubtedlyitwasthatmarvelouslymercifulpowerwhichenablesaperson,fortheloveofothers,tobearupunderacross,oreventofightdeathhimself。AsYounghadhisbright—eyedIndianboysandgirls,whohadlearnedChristianityfromhim,andwhosefuturedependedonhim,soNellhadheragedandweakeninguncletocareforandcherish。
　　Jim'sattentionstoherbeforethedeepafflictionhadnotbeenslight,butnowtheyweresomarkedastobeunmistakable。InsomewayJimseemedchangedsincehehadreturnedfromtheDelawareencampment。Althoughhewentbacktotheworkwithhisoldaggressiveness,hewasnotnearlysosuccessfulashehadbeenbefore。Whetherornotthiswashisfault,hetookhisfailuredeeplytoheart。TherewasthatinhistendernesswhichcausedNelltoregardhim,inonesense,asshedidheruncle。Jim,too,leaneduponher,andsheacceptedhisdevotionwhereonceshehadrepelledit。Shehadunconsciouslybetrayedagreatdealwhenshehadturnedsotenderlytohiminthefirstmomentsafterherrecognition,andherememberedit。Hedidnotspeakoflovetoher;heletathousandlittleactsofkindness,aconstantthoughtfulnessofherpleadhiscause。
　　ThedayssucceedingHeckewelder'sdeparturewereremarkableforseveralreasons。Althoughtheweatherwasenticing,thenumberofvisitingIndiansgraduallydecreased。Notarunnerfromanytribecameintothevillage,andfinallythedaydawnedwhennotasingleIndianfromtheoutlyingtownswaspresenttohearthepreaching。
　　Jimspoke,asusual。AfterseveraldayshadpassedandnonebutconvertedIndiansmadeupthecongregation,theyoungmanbegantobeuneasyinmind。
　　YoungandEdwardswereunabletoaccountfortheunusualabsencefromworship,yettheydidnotseeinitanythingtocauseespecialconcern。OftentherehadbeendayswithoutvisitationtotheVillageofPeace。