True To His Colors

corridor. Noisy political discussions were of too common occurrence to attract the attention of Marcy and his friends, the most of whom were sitting

ces were not needed. The combatants were all secessionists. There were a few "neutrals" among them-Dixon for one-who were trying to rest

d cast his ballot against secession with one hand, while holding a cocked r

aid Marcy. "Let's follow them an

nd Dick Graham was left free to carry out his part of the programme. Then they went back to their dormitories fully satisfied that if Rodney had hoped to gain anything

ing here, you re

ck on your State and I don't. But what is the use of this

claimed Marcy, when his visitor

nel's bureau and took i

i

id you

st

as the o

it, and will be as surprised as anybody when he finds that t

? W

to tell you who held the lad

agine what it was got up for. If we had seen or heard anything to set u

s I do that it was bound to come down sooner or later, and perhaps it would have been lowered by some one who would not have been as careful of it as I have been. Imagine

oom and then faced his visito

ou," he said, at length. "Which side are

me and again that I'm

ee Mis

cy. "There can't be such a thing as a neutral in times like these. You are opposed to the flag, and yet you do

dy who stands up for it," answered Dick, thoug

" said Marcy. "I shall be glad to have

aid Dick, getti

aid or done to send you

o-morrow morning?"

belong, and stand by to see that the

entially, "I am not exactly hand and glove with Rodney and his crowd, but I come pretty near to believing as they do, and that was one reason I offered to

re it would,"

put the fighting off as long as we can. I haven't anything a

interposed. "Tell me why you

t," answered Dick. "It will be something to be proud of one of these days,

it, why do you favor se

ill all be gone, our homes will be in ruins, our fields grown up to briers, and we'll be as poor as church mice. You'll see. I say that the Southern States ought to stay in the Un

o?" said Marcy. "Some of the teachers might come in

d. "I must have your promise first. You must say, in so many words, that you will not attempt to hoist it in the morni

ousin," inte

day, in my presence, that if he had the pluck she had given

b Cole," s

lled under it for almost four years, and shouldn't like to hear that it been abused in any way; but if you and I live to see the end of the terrible times that

ever go up to the top of the academy staff again if I can help it, and while I remain in this schoo

d promise was given. Almost without knowing it he handed Marcy the

hen he found his tongu

e until I can think of some good h

think you would be so very willing to make the prom

time these colors float it will be in a breeze that is untainted by any secession rag, I bet you. Then, whether you are living or dead, I shall

have to fight against it someday; but I didn't want to see Rodney and his crowd trample it under their feet before they

here did Rodney get the secession flag he has been

I don't know. You ought to have heard the fellows

at he is going to run it up on the t

by me," was Dick's r

Your face and your actions said plainly enough that that is what Rodney means to do; but I'll bet yo

his absence. Then he drew a chair to the table, turned up the lamp, and devoted himself to another reading of the letters and papers he had that day received from home. While he was thus engaged some things were happening a few miles away that eventually came very near raising a "sure-enough fight"

as handed a letter addressed to himself. An ordinary observer would have seen at a glance that the writing on the envelope was disguised, but Bud Goble, who seldom saw writing of any sort, did not notice it. He straightened up as if he h

think of speaking to nobody but you about it who are one o

his correspondent referred was so very "private and particular," it would never do, he thought, to read the letter there in the post-office, while there were so many men standing a

k for a livin'; but I'm to the top of the heap now, an' what's more, I'll let some of 'em know it before I am many hours older. I wisht I knew what's into this letter, kase it's mighty hard work for me to read it. If it's anything about them babolitionists an' the doctering they're preachin' up among our nig

e many thousands of them who went into the Confederate Army knew what they were fighting for. To save his life Bud Goble could not have told what all this excitement was about. He had a dim notion that somebody wanted to free the slaves, and the idea of such a thing made him furious; although

ed of being on the side of the Union, but went further and became their deadly enemy. Mr. Riley and the other members of the Committee of Safety knew all this, and yet they employed him, the most vindictive and unreliable man in the neighborhood, to keep them posted in reg

ld care to go to at night, for it was the most cheerless place in the country for miles around. Even the humblest cabin in Mr. Riley's negro quarter, half a mile away, was a more inviting spot. And

front of the fire with her elbows resting on her knees and a dingy cob pipe between her tee

r to you?" queried the woman,

tionists that our gover'ment has ordered to get outen here, I reckon. But

ired Mrs. Goble. "I told you plain as I could speak it that there wasn't a drop of anything

oney to pay for it? Our committee didn't give me no money to-day kase I didn't have nothing to tell 'em. 'Pears like all the traitor

plied his wife impatiently. "If I was a man an' had t

ere wasn't nothing to

hem babolitionists an' the free niggers used to talk, about

es now. They've kept mighty still ton

an' the talk that would have hung 'em then, if our folks hadn't been jest the peaceab

stories all over agin i

Go

't do not

they happene

t there committee of yourn won't give you none

ble, gazing admiringly at his wife. "I

t you won't listen to what I tell you. I don't reckon you see how you could make money two ways outen the job you've got now, do you? You might go to all the Union folks, niggers an'

But I'll tell 'em I want money for keepi

' see if you oughtn't to be ashamed of yourself for swillin' so much apple-jack. Get the grub, I tell you, an' give some on 'em a hint that you want an order on the store keeper to get me a new dress I've been needin' for the last six m

d stories wo

mittee wants, an' you're plumb

and went out into the darkness without telling his wife where he was going or what he intended to do. But that did not trouble Mrs. Goble. She administered a hearty shake to

tch to the negro quarter a double row of whitewashed cabins in which the field-hands lived. A few minutes later, after making free use of a club with which he had taken the precaution to arm himself, and fighting his way through a battalion of coon d

ng in front of the fire resting after the labors of the day. "Why didn't you come out and shoo off them dogs of your'n? You'd best be mighty careful how you

ion of no little uneasiness and perplexity to Mr. Riley. By some hocus-pocus Toby had learned to read his Bible. There was nothing wrong in that, of course, but a darkey who could read his Bible would be likely to read papers as well; and from them, especially if they chanced to be Northern papers, he might imbibe some ideas that no slave had any business to entertain. It was said, and Bud Goble believed it, that Toby had a great deal to do with the "underground railroad" that had carried so many runaway negroes to freedom. You will be surprised when you hear that Bud was ignorant enough to take this expression literally. He really thought th

e fire-place and catching up the article that had caught his eye. "Looked to me like one of them 'sendiary papers, an' it is too. What bu

Gobble,"

it? You can't read or spell alongside of me, but you know too much to be of any more use around here. Me and Mr. Riley b'long to

es plenty to eat and wear and never overworked them; but he believed as most of his class did, and it wasn't likely that he would deal leniently with one of his chattels who would bring a paper like the Tribune on the plantation, and afterward spread discontent among his fel