"Father's been at work too," put in Flora, leaning up affectionately against him; "and so have I, and we've got most everything fixed now."
"Yes, you look quite settled already," Mrs. Lamar remarked, glancing round the room.
"It needn't take long for that when you've but one room and next to nothing to put in it," whined Mrs. Barbour. "But perhaps it's just as well not to have much, or it might be stolen from you; for I dare say those camp-women and soldiers are thievish; and I don't suppose there's any sort of government here yet, to protect property."
"I've never heard of anything being stolen here," said Mrs. Lamar; "though to be sure the town is not a year old yet."
"Well, there was a suspicious looking woman prowling about here last night; she came in making an excuse that she wanted to light her pipe at the fire, and stared round as if she was taking note where things were, in case she should get a chance to help herself."
"Pooh! only idle curiosity," said Mr. Barbour. "You're always meeting trouble more than half way, Nancy."
"We're out shopping," remarked Nell, willing to change the subject of conversation.
"Shopping!" echoed Mrs. Barbour with a derisive laugh.
"Yes," said Mrs. Lamar, rising; "and that reminds me, Nell, that we should be attending to it at once."
It was no very arduous undertaking; in the first store they entered they were promptly supplied with the darning needle and skein of thread they were in search of. Change was made in a novel way; literally made by cutting a silver dollar into halves, quarters and eighths.