of perception.

GENERAL STEADMAN CHALLENGED BY A WOMAN.

Riding along to-day with General Steadman, who, in his province as
commander of this brigade, had called at the dwellings on the
road-side, to see about the sick soldiers left in the houses, the
General knocked at a door, and a voice within yelled "Come in."
Obeying the injunction, he opened the door, and inquired how many men
were there, and, also, if they had the requisite attention shown them.
After a few minutes' talk with the soldiers, General Steadman entered
into conversation with Mr. Reynolds, the owner of the property, who,
among other things, asked the General when he thought the war would
end; to which the General replied:

"Not till the rebels lay down their arms, or the Secessionists get
perfectly tired of having their country devastated."

This reply brought in a third party--old Mrs. Reynolds, a regular
spitfire, a she-Secessionist of the most rabid, cantankerous
species--a tiger-cat in petticoats. This she specimen of the "Spirit
of the South," of the demon of desolation, had bottled up her venom
during the conversation of her son, but could hold in no longer; her
_vial_ of wrath "busted," the cork flew out, and the way she came at
the General was a caution to the wayfarers over this road, at any
rate.

"O, yes! and that's all you nasty Yankees come here for, is, to
destroy our property, invade our sile, _deserlatin'_ our homes. This
'ere whole war is nothing but a Yankee speculation, gotten up by the
North, so that they can steal niggers and drive us from our homes."

"Well, madam, as it is not my province to quarrel with a woman, I
shall not talk to you. You get excited, and don't know what you're
talking about."

"O! but I'll talk to _you_ as much as I please. You're all a sneaking
set of thieves. You can just take yourself out of my house, you dirty
pup. You're drunk."

The General very placidly listened to the old termagant, and merely
remarked, "It was too cold to go out of the house just then; he
guessed he'd warm himself first."

"Get out, quick," said she, opening the door. "I'll let you know I'm a
Harney. Yes, I'm a grand-daughter of General Harney, of Revolutionary
fame."

"Well, madam, I have before told you I don't want to quarrel with a
woman, but if you have any of the male Harneys about the house, who
will give me the tenth part of the insolence that I have listened to
from the lips of 'one old enough to know bette