o use to try," exclaimed the captain,
getting upon his feet and buttoning his heavy coat. "Beyond a doubt your
overseer was a Confederate in principle; and if that is so, his
abductors must have been Union men. If Confederates had carried him away
they would not hesitate to say so. Those Unionists must be your near
neighbors, and if I were in your place, I should not show my colors
quite so plainly," added the captain, pointing to the banner on the
wall. "I am surprised to learn that there are so many traitors in my
State, and we shall turn our attention to them as soon as we have beaten
back the Yankee invaders of our soil."

"Do you think there will be any more fighting, captain?" asked Mrs. Gray
anxiously.

"Yes, madam, I do. I am not one of those who believe that the North is
going to be easily whipped. They do not belong to our race, I am glad to
say, but they are a hardy, enduring people, and although they don't know
how to fight they think they do, and they are going to give us a
struggle. We must hold fast to Roanoke Island, for the possession of
that important point would give the enemy a chance to operate in the
rear of Norfolk. We expect to have a brush with them soon, and when it
comes, we intend to make another Bull Run affair of it. I wish we could
remain longer, but our duties call us away. I trust you will have those
negroes down to us to-morrow."

Mrs. Gray replied that they should be sent without loss of time, and
Marcy went out to tell Julius to bring up the horses. When he came back
and followed the officers to the front door, he inquired if they had
heard what Beardsley's reason was for quitting a profitable business and
coming home so unexpectedly.

"Oh, yes; Beardsley told us all about it. He said he was afraid of the
Yankees, and he didn't act as though he was ashamed to confess it. Their
cruisers are getting so thick along the coast that a sailing vessel
stands no chance. I asked him if he was going to enlist and he thought
not. He wants to do his fighting on the water."

"He wants to do his fighting with his mouth," was what Marcy said to
himself. "He will neither enlist nor ship; but he will stay at home and
try by all the mean arts that he is master of to keep mother and me in
trouble." Then aloud he said: "I am glad he came home, for it lets me
out of the service. I have no desire to face any more steam launches
that carry howitzers."

"I suppose not," said the captain, giving Marcy's