ovens, forage and boats in his
neighborhood." "Nor were less pains taken to deceive our own army," and
even "the highest military as well as civil officers" were deceived at
this time, not merely that the secret should not leak out, but also "for
the important purpose of inducing the eastern and middle states to make
greater exertions."

When travelling through the South in 1791, Washington entered in his
diary, "Having suffered very much by the dust yesterday--and finding that
parties of Horse, & a number of other Gentlemen were intending to attend
me part of the way to-day, I caused their enquiries respecting the time of
my setting out, to be answered that, I should endeavor to do it before
eight o'clock; but I did it a little after five, by which means I avoided
the inconveniences above mentioned."

Weld, in his "Travels in America," published that "General Washington told
me that he never was so much annoyed by the mosquitos in any part of
America as in Skenesborough, for that they used to bite through the
thickest boot." When this anecdote appeared in print, good old Dr. Dwight,
shocked at the taradiddle, and fearing its evil influence on Washington's
fame, spoiled the joke by explaining in a book that "a gentleman of
great respectability, who was present when General Washington made the
observation referred to, told me that he said, when describing those
mosquitoes to Mr. Weld, that they 'bit through his stockings above the
boots.'" Whoever invented the explanation should also have evolved a type
of boots other than those worn by Washington, for unfortunately for the
story Washington's military boots went above his "small clothes," giving
not even an inch of stocking for either mosquito or explanation. In 1786,
Washington declared that "I do not recollect that in the course of my
life, I ever forfeited my word, or broke a promise made to any one," and
at another time he wrote, "I never say any thing of a Man that I have the
smallest scruple of saying _to him_."

From 1749 till 1784, and from 1789 till 1797, or a period of forty years,
Washington filled offices of one kind or another, and when he died he
still held a commission. Thus, excluding his boyhood, there were but seven
years of his life in which he was not engaged in the public service. Even
after his retirement from the Presidency he served on a grand jury, and
before this he had several times acted as petit juror. In another way he
was a good citizen,