" said her father, quite meekly,
as if he had committed some grave offense. He handed the envelope to the
dark-eyed girl. She tore it open, and glanced over the single sheet of
paper inside. Then she gave a sharp cry of surprise, and darted a quick,
penetrating glance at Watson. He felt uneasy, although he could not
explain why he did.

"What's the matter?" asked the minister. "Anything wrong at the Jasons'?"

"Anything wrong at the Jasons'," Miss Cynthia repeated, contemptuously.
"No; there's something wrong, but it isn't over at Jasons'. Listen to
this!" She held out the paper at arm's length, as if she feared it, and
read these lines:

"Pastor Buckley,

"Dear Sir:

"This is to notify you as how I just have had news that a party of
Yankee spies is at large, right in our neighborhood. They stole a
train to-day at Big Shanty, but they were obleeged to jump off only a
few miles from here. So you must keep on the lookout--they are
around--leastwise a boy and grown man have been seen, although most
of the others seem to have gotten away. One of my sons--Esau--caught
sight of this man and boy on the edge of the river late this
afternoon. He says the boy had a dog.

"Yours,
"Charles Jason."

After Miss Cynthia finished the reading of this letter there was a silence
in the room almost tragic in its intensity. Watson sprang to his feet, as
he threw his pipe on the hearth. Waggie woke up with a whine. The Reverend
Mr. Buckley looked at Watson, and then at the sleeping boy in a dazed
way--not angrily, but simply like one who is grievously disappointed. So,
too, did Mrs. Buckley and her blue-eyed daughter.

Finally Miss Cynthia broke the silence.

"So you are Northern spies, are you?" she hissed. "And you come here
telling us a story about your being so fond of the South that you must
travel all the way from Kentucky to fight for her." She threw the letter
on the supper-table, while her eyes flashed.

Watson saw that the time of concealment had passed. His identity was
apparent; he was in the very centre of the enemy's country; his life hung
in the balance. He could not even defend himself save by his hands, for
the pistol which he carried in his hip-pocket had been rendered
temporarily useless by his passage across the river. Even if he had
possessed a whole brace of pistols, he would not ha