ce upon
a time, but which he had not seen before since his return from
Barrington), and when he entered the room where his mother was sitting,
he found that those carriages had brought to the house a party of ladies
who had kept aloof from Mrs. Gray ever since she failed to celebrate
South Carolina's secession by displaying a "nullification" badge. These
ladies were as friendly and sociable as they had ever been, and a
stranger would not for a moment have suspected that they had thought it
advisable to drop Marcy's mother from their list of acquaintances. They
fairly "gushed" over the boy when they told him how delighted they were
to learn that he had enlisted under the banner of the Confederacy.

"But I haven't enlisted, and what's more I don't intend to," answered
Marcy, who was resolved that there should be no misunderstanding on that
point. "I've got to stay at home and look out for mother."

"But you and your brave comrades can run out once in a while and annoy
the enemy's commerce, and that will be the same as though you were
fighting in the army. Now is the time for every true son of the South to
show his colors."

"Then it's high time some of _their_ sons were showing their colors,"
said Marcy, after supper had been served, and the ladies had gone away
and he was alone with his mother. "There were four women in that party
who have sons older than I am. I saw them in town to-day; and although
they showed themselves to be blatant rebels, and talked loudly about the
good times we are going to have whipping the Yankees, they never said a
word about going into the army. Why don't those women preach their
doctrines at home instead of coming here to bother us with them?"

Then he told his mother what had passed between himself and Wat Gifford,
and said he hoped Wat would visit him as he promised, for he was anxious
to know what else his friend had to tell him. He had warned him against
two secret enemies, and Marcy was sure he would feel safer if he knew
who the others were. But it was a long time before he saw Wat Gifford
again. The latter rode up the very next day, but the boy he wanted to
see was on his way to Newbern in the privateer, to take on board the two
howitzers which Beardsley fondly hoped would be the means of bringing
him so much prize-money that he would not be obliged to do another
stroke of work the longest day he lived. Even while Marcy was talking to
his mother Captain Beardsley galloped into the