noon
They drooped and drooped , and those who saw them said , `` The white children will die , and lie down with Winona . '' The Indian mother gazed on their pallid faces , and wept ; she loved them , and could not bear to part with them ; but she saw they would die , and calling her husband , she bade him convey them to the home of their father . Many were the tears she shed at parting with them ; and when they disappeared among the thick trees , she threw herself , in an agony of grief , upon the mats within the wigwam . It was Sabbath noon when the children arrived in sight of their father 's house ; here the Indian left them , and plunged again into the depths of the forest . They could gain no admittance into the house , and they hastened to the meeting-house , where they hoped to find their parents . They reached the church ; the congregation was singing ; silently , and unobserved , they entered , and seated themselves at the remotest part of the building . The singing ceased ; there was a momentary pause , and their father rose before them .