er-cakes, for this ride has famished me."

"Now look below," continued Arthur, "at that swarm of human beings
clustering together like angry bees. As we stand here gazing at the
glorious pageant which nature spreads out before us, one might suppose
that only for some festival of rejoicing or thanksgiving would men
assemble at such an hour and in such a scene. But what are the beauties
of the landscape, bathed in the glories of the setting-sun, to them?
They have met to listen to words of passion and bitterness, to doctrines
of strife, to denunciations and criminations against their fellow-men.
And, doubtless, a similar scene of freemen invoking the spirit of
contention that we behold yonder in that pleasant valley of the Old
Dominion, is being enacted at the North and at the South, at the East
and at the West, all over the length and breadth of our country. The
seeds of discord are being carefully and persistently gathered and
disseminated, and on both sides, these erring mortals will claim to be
acting in the name of patriotism. Beverly, do you surmise nothing
ominous of evil in that gathering?"

"Ten to one, some stirring news from Charleston. We must ride over after
supper, Arthur, and learn the upshot of it."

"And I will be a sybil for the nonce," said Oriana, with a kindling eye,
"and prophecy that Southern cannon have opened upon Sumter."

In the evening, in despite of a threatening sky, Arthur and Beverly
mounted their horses and galloped toward Richmond. As they approached
the city, the rain fell heavily and they sought shelter at a wayside
tavern. Observing the public room to be full, they passed into a private
parlor and ordered some slight refreshment. In the adjoining tap-room
they could hear the voices of excited men, discussing some topic of
absorbing interest. Their anticipations were realized, for they quickly
gathered from the tenor of the disjointed conversation that the
bombardment of Fort Sumter had begun.

"I'll bet my pile," said a rough voice, "that the gridiron bunting won't
float another day in South Carolina."

"I'll go you halves on that, hoss, and you and I won't grow greyer nor
we be, before Old Virginny says 'me too.'"

"Seth Rawbon, you'd better be packing your traps for Massachusetts.
She'll want you afore long."

"Boys," ejaculated the last-mentioned personage, with an oath, "I left
off being a Massachusetts man twelve years ago. I'm with _you_, and you
know it. Let's drink. Bo