s their disgust. These two, as we have said, spent all their
waking hours riding about the settlement comparing notes, and going
first to one man, and then to another, in the hope of hearing something
encouraging; but they passed the most of their time with Beardsley, who
seemed to be the best-informed man for miles around. Of course they did
not place a great deal of faith in what the captain told them; but he
was always ready to talk, and that was more than other people seemed
willing to do. Since Ben Hawkins denounced him in the post-office,
Beardsley did not ride around as much as he used to do. He thought he
had better stay at home until the effect produced by the rebel soldier's
speech had had time to wear away.

On the morning of the 11th of March Tom Allison stood on the front porch
of his father's house, thrashing his boots with his riding-whip, and
waiting for his horse, which he had ordered brought to the door, when he
saw Mark Goodwin coming up the road at a furious gallop. The two
generally met at the crossroads, a mile away, and Tom knew in a moment
that something unusual had happened to bring Mark to the house;
consequently, he was not much surprised when he saw that the visitor's
face was as white as a sheet.

"What's broke loose now?" exclaimed Tom, when his friend dashed into the
yard and drew up in front of the porch. "You look as though you were
frightened half to death."

"Frightened! I am so elated that I can't stay on my horse a moment
longer," replied Mark; and suiting the action to the word he rolled out
of his saddle, pulled the reins over his horse's head, so that he could
hold fast to them, and sat down on the lowest step. "Why don't you whoop
and holler and dance and--we've licked them off the face of the earth.
Have they been here yet?"

"They? Who?" cried Tom. "What do you mean, any way?"

"I mean that you had better hide your hunting outfit and be quick about
it," answered Mark. "They took mine away from me just now, and I came
here on purpose to warn you. You see it was this way," added Mark, as
Tom came down the steps and seated himself by his friend's side. "The
stories that have been spread abroad about her being no good, and so
heavy that her engines could not move her from the dock where she was
built, were all lies that were got up on purpose to fool the Yanks; but
three days ago, that was on the 8th----"

"Look here, Mark, you've got two stories mixed up," exclaimed Tom.