; and when he had succeeded in calling the
attention of the darkey who was attending to the horses, he went on to
say: "Tell Merrick's boy that he mustn't go off the place to-night. The
patrols are picking up everybody who shows his nose on the road after
dark, white as well as black, and Price's men burned two houses last
night not more'n five miles from here."

"Is that a fact?" inquired Tom, who for the first time since Rodney met
him began to show signs of uneasiness.

"It's the gospel truth, more's the pity, and we in this settlement don't
know how soon we may be called upon to defend our lives and property.
There are not many of us and we are not organized; but we're tolerable
active and know how to shoot. Now let's go in."

As Rodney Gray afterward remarked, Mrs. Truman "seemed to know without
any telling just how the thing stood," for the welcome she gave them was
very cordial and friendly.

"We can give you plenty to eat," she said, extending a hand to each,
"but I am not sure that you would be safe in accepting lodging if we
were to offer it to you. Mr. Truman has no doubt told you that Price's
men were quite close to us last night. We saw the fires they lighted
shining upon the clouds, and wondered how long it would be before some
of our friends would stand and watch our burning houses."

Mrs. Truman continued to talk in this strain while the supper was being
made ready, and Tom Percival now and then glanced at his companion as if
to ask him if he thought Mr. Merrick's Secession wife was the only brave
woman there was in Missouri. The calmness with which she spoke of the
troublous times she saw coming upon the people of the nation, was in
direct contrast to the behavior of her excitable husband, who more than
once flew into a rage and paced up and down the floor shaking his fists
in the air. Rodney had often seen Confederates lash themselves into a
fury while denouncing the "Northern mudsills," but he had never before
seen a Union man act so while proclaiming against the demagogues who
were bent on destroying the government. It showed that one could be as
savage and vindictive as the other, and gave him a deeper insight into
the nature of the coming struggle than he had ever had before. Good
Confederate that he was, he began asking himself if it wouldn't be money
in the pockets of the Southern people if they would rise in a body and
hang Jefferson Davis and his advisers before they had time to do any
mor