CHAPTER III. SECESSION IDEAS OF NEUTRALITY.
For some days it was rumored in Dubuque that the Iowa troops would soon be ordered to march into the neighboring state of Missouri.
There was great excitement when, on the morning of the eleventh of May, the particulars of occurrences of the day before in St. Louis were published. Jack read about it in the morning paper and then hurried to Harry's house as fast as his young feet could carry him.
“This means business,” said Jack, as he quickly narrated to Harry what he had read.
“So it does,” was the response; “we 'll surely be off before many days. Let's go to camp.”
Away they went, and found, as they expected, that everybody expected to move to the front very shortly.
“We are pretty nearly ready for orders,” said the quartermaster, “and you'd better come here twice a day, if not oftener, to make sure that you don't get left. Watch the newspapers and see what happens in Missouri for the next few days, as it will have a good deal to do with our movements.”
The boys did as they were directed, and, what was more, they went to a tailor and bought suits resembling those worn by the soldiers. They were not entitled to receive uniforms from the quartermaster, as they had not been enlisted or regularly employed, and, therefore, their outfits were paid for out of their own pockets. But the clothes they wanted were not costly, and therefore their outfits did not cost them much.
There was more news of importance the next day, and if the excitement was great in Dubuque, it was nothing to that in St. Louis.