She looked so pitifully tired, the very heart choked in my throat.
The rest of us found a small stock of provisions, and Elsie, with Tim to aid her, built a fire and prepared breakfast.

A half-filled bottle of whisky discovered in the cupboard, helped to revive all of us slightly, and gave Asa sufficient courage to seek outside for a spring.
Tim, comparatively unwearied himself, and restless, located a trapdoor in the floor, rather ingeniously concealed, which disclosed the existence of a small cellar below.

Candle in hand he explored this, returning with two guns, together with a quantity of powder and ball, and information that there remained a half-keg of the explosive hidden below.
"Must a bin aiming ter blow up stumps, I reckon," he commented, exhibiting a sample.

"Coarsest I ever saw; cudn't hardly use thet in no gun, but it's powder all right," and he crumbled the particles between his fingers, flinging the stuff into the fire.
To remove the debris out of our way, I was gathering up the straw tick and slit blankets, and piled them all together back on the bed.
Clinging to one of the blankets, caught and held by its pin, was a peculiar emblem, and I stood for a moment with it in my hand, curiously examining the odd design.

Eloise unclosed her eyes, and started to her feet.
"What is that you have ?" she asked, "A pin of some kind--a rather strange design; I just found it here, entangled in this blanket." She took it from my hand, her eyes opening wide as she, stared at the trinket.
"Why," she exclaimed in surprise, "I have seen one exactly like it before--Kirby wore it in his tie.".