Bildungsromans; Communities -- Juvenile fiction; First loves -- Juvenile fiction; Pittsburgh (Pa.) -- History -- Juvenile fiction
"Oh!" Then after a long while--"Mother, it is nothing like it was
before. Then I did not doubt myself, now I wonder. He is so wise in
many ways, I feel as if I had to reach up and up and I am a little
afraid. I have seen so many fine girls in the city. And beautiful
women."
"The woman a man chooses is the best to him always."
She did not torment herself with the thought that he was doing this
for her guardian's sake. She felt that he was not the kind of man to
take the mere crumbs of love while some one else feasted on the heart
of love divine. What troubled her was whether she could love enough.
And she hated to think there had been any previous regard. But did he
not say, too, that he had been fascinated by an unworthy liking?
The summer seemed to check the wave of prosperity and men looked at
each other in half affright. For no one knew just how the tide might
turn. When the Indians made their sortie on Fort Recovery word came
that the garrison had been massacred, but Captain Gibson bravely held
it in spite of an all-day attack, and at night the enemy retreated.
General Wayne was in command of all the forces and the Indians made
various feints, hoping to be joined by the British, who were urging
them on, but there was no big regular battle until that of Fallen
Timbers, where a tornado had swept through the woods some time before.
A few miles below was a British fort, the meeting place of the western
fur traders. It was a hard fought field, but the victory for the
Americans was such a signal one that it ended the terror of a frontier
war that had hung over the border so long.
No town rejoiced more than Pittsburg, which lost some men and was
proud of heroes who had come through the conflict unscathed. Among
these was Lieutenant Langdale, whose bravery and foresight gained him
a captaincy.
"He's a brave fellow!" declared grandad, and Daffodil was glad he had
won some of the fame and glory for which he had longed.
"It's fine to be a soldier when you can fight and have nothing happen
to you," declared Felix. "But I wouldn't want to be among the killed.
There's so many splendid things in life. I hope I will live to be a
hundred."
There were many matters to share Daffodil's attention, though she did
miss the bright society and the knowledge branching out on every side.
Yet these girls who had married half a dozen years ago and had grown
common and careless with their little ones about them seemed very
happy. It certainly was an industrious community, but they played as
they worked. There were games that would have been no discredit to
modern scores, there was dancing and merriment and happiness as well.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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