own to read those acts of the Confederate Congress calling for
one hundred thousand volunteers, and ordering all who sympathized with
the North to leave the limits of the Confederacy within ten days. His
secession paper told him all about them, the editor enlarged upon and
applauded them, and Dick was forced to the conclusion that things were
getting serious; how serious, he little dreamed until four weeks more
had passed away.

Dick spent half an hour over his paper and letters, and then Rodney Gray
appeared. He had found a stick somewhere and fastened his flag to it.
Although these two boys had had some sharp verbal contests during the
last three months, they kept up an appearance of friendship, which was
real so far as Dick Graham was concerned. The latter could not "swallow
Rodney's disunion doctrines," as he often declared, but for all that he
had a sincere regard for him, and always spoke of him as one of the
finest fellows in school. Perhaps we shall see whether or not Rodney
paid him back in kind.

"Give it a cheer, why don't you?" said Rodney, waving his flag over
Dick's head. "Where in the world have you been?"

"Right here, waiting for you."

"Well, come up the road a piece. There's a squad there, and we have been
counting noses."

"How many noses do you want, and what do you want them for?" inquired
Dick, putting his paper into his pocket and getting upon his feet. "What
new nonsense are you up to?"

"There's no nonsense about this, I tell you. It's business. We want as
many noses as we can get, and the boys behind them must be true blue.
The fellows said I would be wasting time if I came after you, but I want
to hear you say so with your own lips before I shall believe it. You
have said more than once that if Missouri goes out and joins the
Confederacy, you will go with her, haven't you?"

"You bet, and I say so yet. My State, or any State, has the right to go
out of the Union as she came into it--of her own free will; and if those
fellows up North are going to fight to keep her in, I shall fight to
help her out. That's me; but you see Missouri hasn't yet--"

"I have heard that until I am tired of it," interrupted Rodney.
"Missouri hasn't gone out yet, but she's going; and in the meantime,
what about that flag at the academy? Are you in favor of letting it stay
there?"

"That depends entirely upon the colonel," answered Dick. "If he says
haul her down, down she comes. If he says let her stay up,