th scorn to sacrifice such a man to public clamor.
At the White House reception the night before he had heard Jennie Barton
stoutly defending him against his accusers who demanded the head of
General Johnston.

He had passed her later in the evening, pressed her hand and whispered:

"If our men were only as loyal! Ask anything you will of me--to the half
of my kingdom."

Jennie wished to put this impulsive promise to the test. She would see
that Socola secured his appointment. This brilliant young recruit for
the South was her gift to her country and she was proud of him. It had
all come about too quickly for her to analyze her feelings. She only
realized that she felt a sense of tender proprietary interest in him.
That he could render valuable service she did not doubt for a moment.

She had told him to meet her at the statue of Washington in the Capitol
Square. They would wait there for the appearance of the President and
follow him. His habits were simple and democratic. He walked daily from
the Confederate White House to the Capitol grounds, crossed the Square
and at the foot of the hill entered his office in the Custom House on
Main Street, unaccompanied by an escort of any kind.

Anybody on earth could approach and speak to him. The humbler the man or
woman, the easier the approach was always made.

Socola was waiting at the big group of statuary contemplating the lines
of its fine workmanship with curious interest.

Jennie startled him from a reverie:

"You like him?"

The white teeth gleamed in pleasant surprise.

"The father of his country?--Yes--I like him. It's going to be my
country, too, you know."

They strolled through the grounds and watched the squirrels leap from
the limbs of a great tree to the swaying boughs of the next.

A tall awkward trooper on whose hat was the sign of a North Carolina
regiment toiled painfully up the hill slightly under the influence of
whisky. Socola saw that he was navigating the steep with difficulty and
turned into a by-path to give him a free passage. It was never pleasant
to meet a man under the influence of liquor in the presence of ladies.

They had taken but a few steps along the little path when the quick firm
military tread of the President was heard.

They turned just in time to see him encounter the toiling trooper from
North Carolina.

The soldier's jaw suddenly dropped and his eyes kindled with joy. He
stood squarely in the President's way and la