him?" said Mrs. Gray,
who had listened with surprise to her son's account of the speech he had
heard Hawkins deliver in the post-office.

"No, I do not. He is very bitter against the Confederacy, as many of his
comrades are; he has had enough of soldiering, and if I were in your
place I think I should look upon him as a friend."

"I thank you for saying so much," replied Marcy. "I am sure we need
friends bad enough."

"And don't forget," said the captain as he rose to go, "that we are not
here for fun. I shall report you to my commander as a staunch Union
family, and if your rebel neighbors prove troublesome and you will let
us know, we will surely punish them for it. I wish you good-day."

"Now there's a friend worth having," said Marcy, when he and his mother
were once more alone. "He brought us bad news, though. He did not want
to say too much against his comrades, but he said enough, and I think we
had better hide your silver and jewelry before some rascal in blue walks
off with them."

"No doubt it would be a wise thing to do," replied Mrs. Gray. "He said
he heard that there were arms and a flag in the house; have you any idea
who told him?"

"Beardsley is the chap," answered Marcy readily. "Two or three times I
was on the point of asking what the captain said to him, but I was
afraid he might not answer me. Beardsley can't get me into trouble with
the Yankees, and he might as well give up trying. Now let's read about
the fight in Hampton Roads."

"What about the Home Guards?" said his mother.

"I will take a ride presently and see if I can learn something about
them. They must have been very sly in getting up their company, for I
don't believe our darkies knew the first thing about it. If they did
they would have told us. I wonder if it wouldn't be a good plan for me
to join it."

"Why, Marcy, they would not accept you!" exclaimed Mrs. Gray.

"That's what I think; but if they refuse it will show me that I had
better be on my guard, won't it?"

"I am glad to know that Hawkins is our friend."

"When I met him in Nashville, and he took the trouble to cross the road
and shake hands with me and say that I did just right while I was on
Captain Benton's gunboat, I knew right where he stood," answered Marcy.
"I can see him as often as I have anything to say to him, for he is
loafing about the settlement all the time."

While Marcy talked he was looking through one of the papers Captain
Burrows had left b