" Gazing about her
with wildly-distended eyes, the frightened girl beheld, reclining in
an easy-chair by the bedside, her dear papa, but, oh, so pale, so
changed. A small table drawn closely to his side so as to project over
the arm of the chair held a large pillow covered with oil-cloth, upon
this lay one arm, which, with the shoulder, was entirely bare; just
under the collar-bone appeared a frightful wound, over which Mrs. Grey
was preparing to lay a linen cloth wet with cool water. Nelly gasped
for breath and turned very white, but when her papa held out his well
hand towards her with the old sweet smile she so well remembered, she
ran to his side and nestled there, still trembling and sobbing, for
she had been frightened, first by the rough treatment of her grandma,
and yet more by the changed appearance of the dearly-loved father,
who, as it seemed to her, must be dying. As further concealment was
useless, Nelly was taken into the confidence of the ladies, who,
however, seemed almost in despair lest the child in some thoughtless
manner should betray the _secret so anxiously guarded_.
A short time before the visit to the farm a dreadful battle had been
fought in Virginia, not many miles from the State-line, near which
stood the house of Nelly's grandma.
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