Beardsley will be forced to leave the
country and so will Colonel Shelby; but they will go straight to
Williamston or some other place that is in the hands of the
Confederates, and send first one scouting party and then another into
the settlement to trouble us Union people."

That was what Marcy thought, and it was what he told his mother when he
reached home the next morning; and knowing that the Federal colonel had
not yet had time to "capture or scatter" the Home Guards, he did not
remain long in the house, but ate a hasty breakfast and set out for the
camp of the refugees, walking under cover of all the fences, and making
use of every bush and inequality of the ground to conceal him from the
view of any one who might chance to be passing along the road. It was
well that these precautions were adopted; for when he and Julius were
safe in the woods they looked back and saw about twenty mounted men
enter the yard and surround the house. They were the Home Guards, and
had been sent there by Beardsley and Shelby, who knew that Marcy would
be sure to visit his mother on his return from Plymouth. They were in
the house half an hour or more, but went away as empty-handed as they
came.

"That means the loss of more property for you, Captain Beardsley," said
Marcy to himself: and when the other refugees heard of it they said the
same thing, and vowed to make their words good that very night; but,
about one o'clock that afternoon, one of the paroled prisoners came into
camp with the information that he had barely escaped falling into the
hands of a squad of Federal cavalry who were raiding the settlement, and
that Beardsley and Shelby were being punished already for the rows they
had kicked up in the neighborhood.

"I was hid in my corn-crib when the Yankees went by my house," said the
soldier, "and the feller in command of 'em was the same chap I seed with
'em once before. They had scooped in as many as a dozen of the meanest
of the Home Guards, Beardsley and Shelby amongst 'em, and were taking
'em off Plymouth way. My old hat riz on my head when I heard Beardsley
tell the Yankee cap'n that if he'd go into my house he'd ketch a rebel
soldier in there, but that there Yankee cap'n 'lowed that he knowed what
he was doing, and that he wasn't hunting no paroled prisoners. Now, who
do you reckon told him that a paroled prisoner lived in my house?"

"I did," replied Marcy. "I said a good word for you while I was in
Plymouth, an