thing happened to excite
the suspicions of the hot-headed Confederates who had him completely in
their power.

"If they do anything to me and Tom finds it out, he will make some of
them suffer if he ever gets the chance," thought the Barrington boy, as
he closed the door of the stable and walked back to the wood pile. "But
what good will that do me when I am dead and gone? I declare I begin to
feel as Dick Graham did: Dog-gone State Rights anyhow."

It was with no slight feelings of anxiety that Rodney Gray joined the
group of men around the wood yard; but fortunately there was no light in
the cabin other than that given out by the blaze in the fire-place, and
if his face bore any trace of excitement, as he was certain it did,
nobody noticed it. The steamer did not stop at the landing, and when she
passed on up the river, the wood-cutters and their guests went into the
cabin and closed the door. Then Rodney opened his trunk and brought out
his blankets, taking care to spread them as far from the door as he
could, so that when Tom's escape was discovered, no one could reasonably
suspect him of having slipped out during the night and set him free.

"Good-night, everybody," said he cheerfully, as he laid himself upon his
hard couch. "I have made two mistakes--two big mistakes," he added, as
he drew his head under the blankets. "I forgot to warn Tom to look out
for the dogs (but being a Southerner he ought to know enough for that
without being told), and I ought not to have said so much in his favor
to Mr. Westall. Now that I think of it, that was a fearful blunder, and
it may be the means of bringing trouble to me. Well, I can't help it. I
detest Tom's principles and would be glad to see them thrashed out of
him; but when it comes to hanging him for something he didn't do--that's
carrying things just a little too far. There's not a wink of sleep for
me this night."

But, contrary to his expectations, Rodney fell asleep in less than half
an hour and slumbered soundly until he was awakened by one of the
Emergency men, who made considerable noise in punching up the fire. Mr.
Westall was also aroused. Raising himself on his elbow he said,
drowsily:

"That you, Harvey? Have you been out to look at that friend of ours in
the corn-crib?"

"I have, and found him all right."

"Did you simply speak to him, or did you go in where he was?"

"I took a piece of fat wood from this fire and went in where he was,"
replied Harvey.