each other in a deadly and unnatural strife. She
often heard from both her soldier boys, and their inquiries after the
welfare of each other were full of tenderness. Harry, as is usual with
younger brothers, fairly worshiped both of them. He was no less troubled
than his mother when they went away to fight on opposite sides. Their
contrary action left him in doubt as to which side he should take. Every
boy of his acquaintance was ardent in espousing one side or the other.
But what could he do, since he had a brother in each army? Should he
become a rebel, Thomas might be displeased; and he loved Tom too well to
willfully incur his displeasure. Should he decide to remain loyal to the
Union, John might resent it; and he could not think of offending one
whom he held in such high esteem. "What shall I do?" he asked himself a
great many times a day. The war spirit in him was becoming rampant, and
must have scope. He at length took the perplexing question to his
mother. She promptly advised him to remain neutral. But somehow Harry
got it into his head that neutrality was something very different from
manliness. So he made up his mind to be one thing or the other,
or--happy thought!--why not be both? And, after puzzling over the
question a long time, he settled on the novel idea of making himself
half "Rebel" and half "Yankee." In pursuance of this plan, he persuaded
his mother to make him a uniform, half of which should be blue, and the
other half gray. She made it of a Federal and a Confederate overcoat;
and Harry was a queer-looking little fellow as he went about the
country, clad in his blue-gray uniform, the U. S. A. buttons on one
side, and the C. S. A. on the other. The boys called him a "mongrel";
and neither the Federal nor Confederate commands of boy soldiery would
allow him in their ranks. This was a source of great mortification to
Harry; but he was seriously in earnest, and fully resolved to carry out
his campaign of impartial affection. His being cut by the other boys,
who could afford to take a decided stand because they did not have a
brother on each side, reduced him to the necessity of playing "war"
(about the only game indulged in by Southern boys at this time) alone.
When he put up his lines of corn-stalk soldiers, to play battle, it was
observed, by his mother, that both sides always won an equal number of
victories. Harry was not sure that the war could ever end at this rate
of even fighting; but arrayed as