ght, and that if the North will not give her the
freedom she demands, she ought to fight for it, and I'll do all I can to
help her; but I don't believe, as I did once, in abusing everybody who
differs from me in opinion. So let's part friends."

"We've always been friends to you," said Dick, in rather a husky voice.
"But your abominable ideas--dog-gone State rights anyhow! Good-by."

"Why, Dick, you are on our side," said Rodney.

"If Missouri is, I am; if she isn't, I aint. That's me."

The parting was a good deal harder than the boys thought it was going to
be; but it was over at last; the carriages rolled out of the gate, the
sentry presenting arms as they passed, and the boys who remained turned
sorrowfully away to take up the drudgery of school routine. After that
there were no more loud, angry discussions, no shaking of fists in one
another's faces, and the orderlies who raised the flag at morning and
hauled it down at night, handled it tenderly out of respect to the
feelings of their Union schoolmates. They could not bear to think that
there might come a time when they would be called upon to face some of
their comrades with deadly weapons in their hands. Every one, from the
colonel commanding down to the youngest boy in the academy, seemed
resolved to do what he could to make their few remaining school days as
pleasant as possible.

That afternoon the guard-runners were out in greater numbers than usual.
Nearly all the students were anxious to go to Barrington, for there were
several things they wanted to have cleared up. What had become of the
Union men who had been burned out of house and home, and what did that
Committee of Safety intend to do next? Marcy Gray did not go. He was too
dispirited to do anything but lounge about and read, and long for a
letter from his mother telling him to come home. He missed his cousin
Rodney, and wondered if fate would ever bring them together again and
under different flags. He sat under the trees and tried to read while
awaiting the return of Graham and Dixon, who, for a wonder, had asked
for passes. The first item of information they gave him, when they came
back with his mail, was one that did not much surprise him, although he
did not expect to hear it so soon.

"That old darkey parson has lost his money," said Dick.

"There now," exclaimed Marcy, "I told him he would if he did not put it
where it would be safe. Who's got it?"

"I didn't hear, and don't know that