"I don't know what you mean."

"You can come with us if you like, and then you will know all about it,"
added John, mysteriously.

"But what are you going to do?"

"We are going to make him hoist the American flag on his house, or hang it
out of his window."

"Well, suppose he won't."

"Then we'll hang him where the flag ought to be. We'll pull the house down
over his head."

"I'm with you, Jack," replied Thomas, with enthusiasm.

"We won't have a traitor in Pinchbrook. If we can't cure him, we'll ride
him on a rail out of the town."

"I don't know as you and I ought to get into this scrape," added Thomas,
thoughtfully.

"Why not?"

"You know the squire has a mortgage on our house, and he may get ugly."

"Let him, if he likes. I'm not going to tolerate a traitor because he has
a mortgage on my father's house. Besides, that is a fair business
transaction; the squire gets his interest."