rthern and eastern
parts of Missouri, and we didn't dare do anything openly for fear of
being bushwhacked. As good luck would have it we succeeded in scaring
Morehouse out of the country about that time, and when he went, he took
one of the best horses in the settlement with him. That gave us
something to work on, and we made it up among ourselves that we would
lay the theft on to young Percival, take him out of his bed that night
and serve him as the law directs."

"Does that mean that you would have hung him?" asked Rodney, with a
shudder.

"That's generally the way we do with horse-thieves up here," replied Mr.
Westall. "How do you serve them in your part of the country?"

"We put them in jail when they have been proved guilty," answered
Rodney. "But you have said, in so many words, that this boy didn't steal
the horse--that he was stolen by a man who ran away with him."

Before replying the Emergency man paused to relight his pipe which he
had allowed to go out.

CHAPTER VIII.

RODNEY PROVES HIS FRIENDSHIP.

It seemed to take Mr. Westall a long time to get his pipe going to his
satisfaction, and when at last he spoke, it was easy to see that he was
angry at Rodney for inquiring so particularly into matters that did not
in any way concern him.

"It is very strange that you fail to understand me after I have taken
such_ pains to go into details," said he, impatiently. "The fact that
young Percival didn't steal the horse doesn't matter. We were bound to
get rid of him before he could have time to raise and drill a company of
Home Guards in our settlement, and the only way we could do it was to
charge him with some crime that would make everybody, Union and
Confederate, mad at him. See? But somehow he got wind of our plans (that
shows how impossible it is to trust anybody these times), and dug out."

"On his own horse?" asked Rodney.

"Of course. We put after him, taking care to cut him off from the old
post-road which he would have to follow to reach Springfield, and making
him stay in the river counties among people who would do all in their
power to help us catch him. He's a sharp one, and there aint no better
critter than the one that has kept him ahead of us for nearly ten days.
He has ridden that one horse all the time, while we have had to change
now and then. He spent one night with Jeff in this cabin--"

"And the way he did pull the wool over ou