Randolph set to watch me," he whispered to
his father. "I hope he will follow us up to the clerk's office and stand
around within earshot while I buy my ticket."

His wish was gratified, for that was just what the young operator had
been sent there for--to find out whether or not Rodney secured passage
to St. Louis. When the latter had seen his horse and forage disposed of
on the main deck he ascended to the office, and there was the spy,
standing with his hands behind his back and his gaze directed across the
river. He stood close to the rail, but still he could hear every word
that passed between Rodney and the clerk; and when the latter turned
away with his ticket in his hand, the spy ran down the stairs and
started for his office to tell Drummond the Moorville operator that he
had seen Rodney Gray pay his passage to St. Louis.

"Good-by, my boy," said Mr. Gray, when the steamer's bell rang out the
warning that the gang-plank was about to be hauled in.

"Write to us as often as you can, and remember your mother's parting
words. As often as I hear from you I shall expect to hear that you did
your duty. Remember too, that you are fighting in a just cause. The
North has forced this thing upon us, and we would be the veriest cowards
in the world if we did not defend ourselves. Good-by."

A moment later Rodney Gray was standing alone on the boiler deck, waving
his handkerchief to his father, and the _Mollie Able's_ bow was swinging
rapidly away from the landing. Young as he was the boy had traveled a
good deal and was accustomed to being among strangers; but now he was
homesick, and when it was too late he began to wonder at the step he had
so hastily taken, and ask himself how he could possibly endure a whole
year's separation from his father and mother.

"I've played a fool's part," thought he, bitterly, "and now I am going
to reap a fool's reward. Why didn't I stay with the company and share
its fortunes, as I said I was going to do, or why didn't father put his
foot down and tell me I couldn't go to Missouri? Heigh-ho! This is what
comes of being patriotic."

Then Rodney tilted his chair back on its hind legs, placed his feet on
the top of the railing and fell to wondering what had become of the rest
of the boys in his class, and whether or not all the Union fellows had
been as true to their colors as his cousin Marcy Gray had tried to be.
Some of the Barrington students who were strong for the Union were from