ome, and that is what got him into this difficulty. He came back by the
way of Pilot Knob, where he has a Union uncle living; but that's where I
and my friends live, too."

"And was it there he stole the horse?" asked Rodney.

"Well, between you and me and the gatepost, he never stole a horse,"
replied Mr. Westall slowly, as if he were reluctant to make the
admission.

Rodney Gray crossed his legs, clasped his hands around one knee and
settled back on his nail keg with an air that said, almost as plainly as
words:

"I knew it all the time."

"No, he never stole a horse or anything else that we know of," repeated
Mr. Westall. "But he rides a critter that is so near like one that was
stolen from a Confederate by a Union man of the name of Morehouse a few
days ago, that you could hardly tell them apart."

"And I don't much blame Morehouse for stealing that horse, either," said
one of the Emergency men, who had not spoken before. "He had to get out
of the country, he couldn't do it without a horse to carry him, and so
he took the one that came first to his hand."

"I don't know as I blame him, either," assented Mr. Westall. "But I do
blame him for holding the opinions he does."

"Well, if another man stole the horse why do you lay it on to Percival?"
inquired Rodney, who could hardly keep from showing how angry he was.

"You see the matter is just this way," replied the Emergency man, as if
he scarcely knew how to explain the situation! "If young Percival had
called upon his uncle for a visit, and gone away again without taking so
much interest in the affairs of the settlement, we wouldn't have done
any more than to give him warning that he wasn't wanted there; but when
we saw him and his uncle with their heads together, and learned from
some of our spies that Union men had been caught going to and from old
Percival's house at all hours of the day and night, we made up our minds
that there was something wrong about this young fellow; so we
telegraphed to Springfield, and found out that he was an officer in a
company of Home Guards who had offered their services to Lyon. Well, you
bet we were surprised to find that he was the son of the only man in his
county who dared to vote for Abe Lincoln, and it made us afraid of him.
too."

"A whole settlement afraid of one boy?" exclaimed Rodney.

"Exactly. We didn't know which way to turn for the Union men are in the
majority in our county, as they are all through the no