oot of the enemy on our soil, but if we pour away the
life-blood of the nation little by little, why, a day will come when the
blood will be exhausted, and the enemy, grown to fearful strength, will
come ravaging over the border. Do not fold your hands in fancied
security and say of that day: 'It is far off.' When it comes, you will
say, as you _now_ say of the past year, that there was time lost and sad
negligence. A year ago we 'progressives' cried aloud in bitter
earnestness for one great, overwhelming effort, for decisive measures,
and after debating, and delaying, and plucking all the feathers from our
bird, they threw him, half-starved, at Bull Run, and then cried: There
is your victory! A year ago we urged expediency and boldness; but
'Democracy' quibbled at every thing, hindered everything, and then laid
the fault on us--as its friend Jeff Davis does when accusing the Federal
Government of waging barbarous warfare--so as to excuse his own
iniquities. But now we have come to the bitter need, and the country
must choose between bold measures and measureless disgrace.

Lo! the country is responding heart and soul. From every township comes
the cry of Union or death! What was the waking of Sumter, compared to
this of the summer and autumn of eighteen hundred and sixty-two? At last
the truth has gone home--we _must_ conquer. Conquer or be conquered, it
is, O friends! but if you _will_ it, you _shall_ have victory. You have
the strength: in God's name put forth your hand and grasp the golden
crown.

TOM WINTERS' STORY.

I was taking an early walk on the morning after my arrival at the city
of C----, in the spring of 186-, in order to sharpen my appetite for
breakfast, when I observed a tall and stoutly-built man on the opposite
sidewalk proceeding in the same direction with myself. There was
something in his gait and his manner of swinging his right arm (he had a
common market-basket on his left) that seemed not unfamiliar to me; and
I hastened my pace to keep up with him while I observed him further. It
was no easy matter; for he had a stride that, if hurried to its beat,
would have put me to a run to save being distanced; but I succeeded in
heading him off after a rapid walk of several squares, which brought us
to the market-place, and I soon had the satisfaction of hearing his
voice as he inquired the price of some of the marketing exposed for
sale. This decided me, and I immediately threw myself in his w