She was right.  Later he came to us to recuperate, and was the most exacting and profane man we ever waited on.  He conceived a special grudge against Georgia, whom he had caught slyly laughing when she first observed the change in his appearance.  Yet months previous, he had laid the foundation for her mirth.

[Illustration:  MRS. BRUNNER, GEORGIA AND ELIZA DONNER]

[Illustration:  S.O.  HOUGHTON, Member of Col.  J.D.  Stevenson’s First Regiment of N.Y.  Volunteers]

[Illustration:  ELIZA P. DONNER]

He was then a handsome, rugged fellow, and particularly proud of the shape of his nose.  Frequently had he twitted my sensitive sister about her little nose, and had once made her very angry in the presence of others, by offering to tell her a story, then continuing:  “God and the devil take turns in shaping noses.  Now, look at mine, large and finely shaped.  This is God’s work; but when yours was growing, it was the devil’s turn, and he shaped that little dab on your face and called it a nose.”

Georgia fled, and cried in anger over this indignity, declaring that she hated Castle and would not be sorry if something should happen to spoil his fine nose.  So when he came to us from the sick-room, soured and crestfallen because disease had deeply pitted and seamed that feature which had formerly been his pride, she laughingly whispered, “Well, I don’t care, my nose could never look like his, even if I had the smallpox, for there is not so much of it to spoil.”

Our dislike of the man became intense; and later, when we discovered that he was to be bartender at grandpa’s bar, and board at our house, we held an indignation meeting in the back yard.  This was more satisfaction to Georgia than to me, for she had the pleasure of declaring that if grandma took that man to board, she would be a Schweitzer child no longer, she would stop speaking German, make her clothes like American children’s; and that she knew her friend Mrs. Bergwald would give her a home, if grandma should send her away.

Here the meeting was suddenly interrupted by the discovery that grandma was standing behind us.  We did not know how long she had been there nor how much she had overheard, nor which she meant to strike with the switch she had in her hand.  However, we were sitting close together and my left arm felt the sting, and it aroused in me the spirit of rebellion.  I felt that I had outgrown such correction, nor had I deserved it; and I told her that she should never, never strike me again.  Then I walked to the house alone.

A few moments later Georgia came up to our room, and found me dressing myself with greatest care.  In amazement she asked, “Eliza, where are you going?” and was dumbfounded when I answered, “To find another home for us.”

In the lower hall I encountered grandma, whose anger had cooled, and she asked the question Georgia had.  I raised my sleeve, showed the welt on my arm, and replied, “I am going to see if I can’t find a home where they will treat me kindly.”