I am in a hurry to know
all about it, Come on; our company is up at the end of the street. We
occupy the post of honor on the right of the line, because we are the
only company in the regiment that is fully uniformed. We'll leave our
horses at the stable line, and Captain Jones will make a State Guard of
you before you know it."

Not to dwell too long upon matters that have little bearing upon our
story, it will be enough to say that Rodney was duly presented to
Captain Jones, who was informed that he had come all the way from
Louisiana to join a partisan company. He was a Barrington boy, well up
in military matters, and desired to be sworn into the State service
without the loss of time. Dick was careful not to say too much for fear
that he should let out some secrets that Rodney had not yet had
opportunity to tell him. Of course the captain was delighted to see the
recruit from Louisiana, shook him by the hand as if he had been a
younger brother, and sent for an officer to take his descriptive list.
He was not required to pass the surgeon, and the oath he took was to the
effect that he would obey Governor Jackson and nobody else. This being
done Dick took him off to introduce him to the members of his mess.

"But before I do that," said Dick, halting just outside the captain's
tent and drawing Rodney off on one side, "I want to know just where you
stand, and whether or not you have had any reason to change your
politics since I last saw you. Are you as good a rebel as you used to
be?"

"I never was a rebel," exclaimed Rodney, with some heat. "I am ready to
fight for my State at any time; but I deny the right of my Governor to
compel me to obey such a man as General Lacey. I didn't want to be sworn
into the Confederate army, and that was what sent me up here."

"That's all right," replied Dick. "I'm glad things turned out that way;
otherwise you wouldn't be in my company now. But you don't seem to be as
red-hot as you used to be. You say you don't believe in burning out
Union men."

"I certainly do not. I believe in fighting the men, but not in abusing
the women and children."

"The Union women are like our own--worse than the men," answered Dick.
"That is what I was trying to get at, and I must warn you to be careful
how you talk to anybody but me; and I, being an officer of the State
Guard, can't stand too much treasonable nonsense," he added, drawing
himself up to his full height and scowling fiercely at his