"Father!" was the only word Jack could utter, but, oh, how much it meant! Then he caught his parent by both hands, and for a moment there was utter silence. "I was so afraid something had happened to you," went on the colonel. "Oh, Jack! you do not know how glad I am that we have found one another!" "And I am glad, too," replied our hero. "Do you know I was drawn to you from the first time I saw you?" he added. "And I was drawn to you--even though you were a little Confederate," and the colonel smiled. "And you are a Yankee!" cried Jack. "But I don't care what you are, father," he continued hastily. "Blood is thicker than water; isn't it?" "Yes, Jack; and what is more, I trust this cruel war will soon be over, and we will have no North and no South, but just one country." Jack remained with his parent for over an hour, then went off to see what could be done with Dr. Mackey. It was the middle of the forenoon when Marion discovered St. John coming, accompanied by several Confederate soldiers. "He has come to arrest my father," said Jack. "But he shan't do it." "He will be surprised when we show him Dr. Mackey as a prisoner," returned Marion. She went to let her cousin in, and St. John began at once to speak of Colonel Stanton. "He is a spy," said the spendthrift. "You should be ashamed to harbor him in your house. These men will place him under arrest." "I don't think they will," put in Jack, as he came forward. "So you are here to do Dr. Mackey's dirty work, are you," he added. "Eh? What--er--do you mean?" stammered St. John. "You are found out, St. John," said Mrs. Ruthven, coming on the scene. "And let me tell you that hereafter it will be best for you to remain away from this place. You schemed to steal some of my things, but you shall not do it." "Why, Aunt Alice----" he began. "It is true. Do you know that Dr. Mackey is a prisoner?" At these words St. John fell back and grew very pale. "A prisoner, did you say?" he faltered. "Yes. He has plotted against not only Jack and myself, but also against the Federal officer who is under my roof, badly wounded." "You mean Colonel Stanton?" "I do." "He is a spy, aunt." "He is nothing of the sort. He is a brave officer, and as such deserves the best of treatment. St. John, the less you mix up in this affair the better it will be for you." A stormy scene followed, and St. John came out of it considerably frightened, especially when he was told that the colonel was Jack's father and that Dr. Mackey was proved to be a thorough villain. "I--I won't ask for this arrest just now," he said, to the men he had brought along. "We will let the matter drop for the present. The man is too sick to be moved, anyway." And soon after he hurried away, and his companions with him. He never showed himself at his aunt's door again. "And we are well rid of him," said Marion. "He is as cowardly as he is unprincipled."