Among these Mrs. Keith and her aunt found several pleasant, congenial companions; and with two or three the acquaintance soon ripened into a close intimacy, a warm, enduring friendship. Mildred also soon had more than one young girl crony whom she found as worthy of regard as those she had left behind. Back of the yellow house was a grove of saplings which became a favorite haunt of the children in their hours of recreation. They would bend down the smaller trees and ride them, climb up into the larger and sit among the branches; or build baby-houses and play housekeeping underneath, where the shade was thickest. It was here they spent the warm, sunny days while the older members of the family busied themselves in making the dwelling habitable and the yard neat and orderly. On the morning after their arrival Rupert spread a buffalo robe on the ground in the shadiest part of the grove, whereon Zillah and Ada seated themselves with their baby sister who had been entrusted to their care. There were many lovely wild flowers springing up here and there, and Cyril, Don and Fan ran hither and thither gathering them, prattling merrily to each other the while, and now and then uttering a joyous shout as they came upon some new floral treasure. "Be careful not to go too far away, children," Zillah called to them. "No, we won't go far," they answered, Cyril adding, "And I'll take care of Fan." In a little while they came running back with full hands. "See, see!" they said, "so many and such pretty ones--blue, and white, and purple, and yellow. There, you take these and we'll pick some more for ourselves. And for mother and Aunt Wealthy; we'll make a big bunch for each of them," and away they ran again. "Oh, aren't they pretty?" cried Ada. "Let's make a bouquet for mother out of these." "She won't want two," said Zillah, "'specially just now when she's no place to put them. Let's make wreaths for Annis and Fan." "Oh yes!" and they began sorting the flowers with eager interest, little Annis pulling at them too, crowing and chattering in sweet baby fashion. Suddenly Zillah gave a start and laid a trembling hand on Ada's arm. Her face had grown very pale and there was a look of terror in her large blue eyes. Ada turned quickly to see what had caused it, and was quite as much alarmed on beholding a tall Indian, with rifle in hand, tomahawk and scalping knife in his belt, standing within a few feet of them, evidently regarding them with curiosity. He wore moccasins and leggins, and had a blanket about his shoulders; feathers on his head, too; but no war paint on his face. Behind him was a squaw with a great bark basket full of wild berries, slung to her back. The little girls were too terribly frightened to cry out or speak, they sat there as if turned to stone, while the Indian drew nearer and nearer still closely followed by his squaw.