y.

"That means Marcy Gray," said Tom. "I wish I could see a gang of armed
men take him out of the house and carry him off."

"He mustn't be teched," said the woman very decidedly.

"Who mustn't--Marcy?" exclaimed Tom and Mark in a breath. "Who said so?
What's the reason he mustn't be touched? He's a traitor."

"I don't know whether he is or not; but he mustn't be pestered.
Leastwise by folks living around here in the settlement."

Tom looked at Mark, and Mark looked about for a chair and sat down. Then
they both looked at the old woman. This was something mysterious, and
they wanted to have it explained.

"I aint got no more to say on that there p'int," said Mrs. Brown, her
tone and manner showing that the question did not admit of argument.
"He'll be teched fast enough when the time comes, Marcy Gray will, an'
don't you furget to remember what I'm tellin' you. But them as goes for
Marcy will be folks that can't be pestered by the men who toted Hanson
off to the swamp."

"Ah! Now I see daylight," said Tom, with something that sounded like a
sigh of relief. "I thought you meant that Marcy was to be left alone
altogether for the reason that he was believed to be a good Confederate.
And when these friends of ours, whoever they may be, go for him, I
suppose they'll not neglect to look for the money that Mrs. Gray is
known to have in her house?"

"I aint heared that anybody knows for sartin that the money is there,"
said Mrs. Brown. "Leastwise, they don't know it _yit._ There won't be
nothing much done till that there is settled fur a fact."

"Then Marcy will never be molested," declared Tom, throwing a chip
spitefully into the fire. "He can go out to the blockading fleet as
often as he pleases and ship a dozen brothers in the Yankee navy if he
wants to, and nothing will be done to him. If Jack Gray left men behind
to work for him while he is at sea, Marcy must know who they are and
where to find them, and he can set them on to Mark's father or mine
whenever he feels like it. I'll touch him the first good chance I get,
and don't you forget to remember _that._ He is a traitor, and I wouldn't
let him alone if all the Captain Beardsleys in the country should say
so. And how is any one to find out for certain that his mother has money
concealed in her house? She isn't going to publish it to the world, is
she?"

The longer Allison talked the more his anger rose, and when he got
through he was stalking about the narro