ening the door of her brother's room.

"What o'clock is it?"

"After twelve. Thomas never stayed out so late in his life before. What do
you suppose has become of him?"

"Law sake! I haven't the leastest idea," answered the old man. "Thomas is
a smart boy, and knows enough to keep out of trouble."

"That's what I say," added John, who had unlimited confidence in his
brother's ability to take care of himself.

"I'll tell you what _I_ think, John," said Mrs. Somers, throwing herself
into her chair with an air of desperation.

But she did not tell John what she thought: on the contrary, she sat
rocking herself in silence, as though her thought was too big and too
momentous for utterance.

"Well, what do you think, mother?" asked John, when he had waited a
reasonable time for her to express her opinion on the exciting topic.

Mrs. Somers rocked herself more violently than before, and made no reply.

"What were you going to say?"

"I think the boy has gone off to Boston, and gone into the army," replied
she, desperately, as though she had fully made up her mind to commit
herself to this belief.

"Do you think so, mother?"

"I feel almost sure of it."

"I don't think so, mother. Tom wouldn't have gone off without saying
something to me about it."

"If he wouldn't say it to me, he wouldn't be likely to say it to you,
John. It don't look a bit like Thomas to go off and leave his mother in
this way," moaned the poor woman, wiping away a deluge of tears that now
poured from her eyes.

"I don't believe he has done any such thing, mother," protested John.

"I feel almost certain about it, now. If the boy wanted to go, and
couldn't stay at home, he ought to have told me so."

"He did say he wanted to go."

"I didn't think he really meant it. I want my boys to love their country,
and be ready to fight for it. Much as I should hate to part with them, if
they are needed, they may go; but I don't like to have them run away and
leave me in this mean way. I shouldn't feel half so bad if I knew Thomas
was in the army now, as I do to think he ran away from home, just as
though he had done some mean thing. I am willing he should go, and he
wouldn't be a son of mine if he wasn't ready to go and fight for his
country, and die for her too, if there was any need of it. I didn't think
Thomas would serve me in this way."

"I don't believe he has."

"I know he's gone. I like his spunk, but if he had only come to me and
sai