was for the first time in his
life in a _slave state_.

"These are the fellows that are the cause of this war," said Gray,
indicating the blacks.

"Yes," said Winch, anxious to agree with him, "it's the abolitionists
that have brought the trouble on the country. They insisted on
interfering with the rights of the south, and so the south rebelled."

"We never interfered with slavery in the states where it belonged," said
Frank, warmly. "The north opposed the extension of slavery over new
territory, and took the power of the government out of the hands of the
slaveholders, who had used it for their own purposes so long; and that is
what made them rebel."

"Well, the north is partly to blame," insisted Jack, thinking he had Gray
on his side.

"Yes; to blame for letting the slaveholders have their own way so long,"
said Frank. "And just as much to blame for this rebellion, as my father
would be for my conduct, if he should attempt to enforce discipline at
home, and I should get mad at it and set the house on fire."

"A good comparison," said Gray. "Because we were going to restore the
spirit of the constitution, which is for freedom, and always was, though
it has been obliged to tolerate slavery, the slaveholders, as Frank says,
got mad and set Uncle Sam's house afire."

"He had heard somebody else say so, or he wouldn't have thought of it,"
said Jack, sullenly.

"No matter; it's true!" said Gray. "The south is fighting for
slavery,--the corner-stone of the confederacy, as the rebel
vice-president calls it,--while the north----"

"We are fighting for the Constitution and the Union!" said Jack.

"That's true, too; for the constitution, as I said, means freedom; and
now the Union means, union _without_ slavery, since we have seen that
union with slavery is impossible. We are fighting for the same thing our
forefathers fought for--Liberty!"

"They won liberty for the whites only," said Frank. "Now we are going to
have liberty for all men."

"If I had a brother that was a slaveholder and secessionist, I wouldn't
say any thing," sneered Jack.

Frank felt cut by the taunt; but he said, gayly,--

"I won't spoil a story for relation's sake! Come, boys, politics don't
suit Jack, so let's have a song; the one you copied out of the newspaper,
Gray. It's just the thing for the occasion."

Franks voice was a fine treble; Gray's a mellow bass. Others joined them,
and the party returned to the Academy, singing high and