and how long since? The
reason I ask is this, a flying rumor has reached me that two soldiers
wearing the Federal uniform were arrested not far from here and carried to
headquarters as Confederate spies."

"Faith, an' the shoe is on the other foot intirely, madam. It's meself
that's been arristed, or it amounts to about the same thing. Them same
soldiers you ax about have taken possession of my house, driv my wife an'
childers out of doors, and raised the divil ginerilly."

"O! I am so sorry to hear it," answered Mrs. Marsden. Then noticing a sly
twinkle in the man's eyes, utterly out of keeping with his words, the
quick-witted woman instantly caught on to the "cue."

"O! Mr. McGarvy!" she cried, "for you are Mr. McGarvy, ar'n't you? I
might have known you would have helped them to carry out the blind, if
they came anywhere near you; but I thought they were going a different
way."

She added, admiration kindling her features as she looked at him, "I don't
believe there is another man in Kentucky, sharp enough to conceive of such
a blind, or self-sacrificing enough to carry it out, and may God bless
you."

She turned away, her beautiful eyes filled with tears.

At sundown Mr. McGarvy hitched his horse to his cart, lit his pipe, and
jolted slowly homeward. His wife and children were still in the road, and
the soldiers still had possession of the house.

"I would not have believed it, Jim McGarvy," cried his wife, her bosom
panting with rage, "not if the Holy Mither of God had tould me."

"Have they hurt you, Rosy, darlint?"

"Not them, Jim McGarvy. They have been civil spoke enough. It's you that's
hurt me--you that have gone back on the wife of your bosom an' your own
flesh an' blood."

"Whisht, Rosy, darlint, whisht." He got as close to her as circumstances
would allow. "Them soldiers are our own boys, who are trying to make their
way south, I've jis' had them do all that for a blind, jis' for a blind,
the poor fellers. Sure, an' you know, Rosy, darlint, that Jim McGarvy is
a spotted man, an' the very first one in these parts that the inimy would
go for."

Wondrous the transformation.

"Is that thrue?" she cried, with beaming face, forgetting already the
day's worry, "are they raly our own boys? Sure, an' it's a dolt I am, not
to know what the tallest one meant when he whispered to me:

"When the South is free, I am for Jim McGarvy for any office he wants."

"Whisht, Rosy, darlint, birds of the air carr