r to a question, that he
had been in it. 'On which side, Captain?' asked someone. 'Sir!' with
some surprise in his voice. 'On which side?' 'On our side, sir, of
course.' We decided to go over the field, and after breakfast we did.

"The Captain walked with us over the ground and showed us the lines of
attack and defence; pointed out where the heaviest fighting was done,
and gave a graphic account of the whole campaign. It was the only
battle-field I had ever been over, and I was so much interested that
when I got home I read up the campaign, and that set me to reading up on
the whole subject of the war. We walked back over the hills, and I never
enjoyed a walk more. I felt as if I had got new strength from the cold
air. The old fellow stopped at a little house on our way back, and
went in whilst we waited. When he came out he had a little bouquet of
geranium leaves and lemon verbena which he had got. I had noticed them
in the window as we went by, and when I saw the way the sick lady looked
when he gave them to her, I wished I had brought them instead of him.
Some one intent on knowledge asked him how much he paid for them?

"He said, 'Paid for them! Nothing.'

"'Did you know them before?' he asked.

"'No, sir.' That was all.

"A little while afterwards I saw him asleep in a seat, but when the
train started he got up.

"The old Captain by this time owned the car. He was not only an
official, he was a host, and he did the honors as if he were in his own
house and we were his guests; all was done so quietly and unobtrusively,
too; he pulled up a blind here, and drew one down there, just a few
inches, 'to give you a little more light on your book, sir';--'to shut
out a little of the glare, madam--reading on the cars is a little more
trying to the eyes than one is apt to fancy.' He stopped to lean over
and tell you that if you looked out of your window you would see what he
thought one of the prettiest views in the world; or to mention the
fact that on the right was one of the most celebrated old places in the
State, a plantation which had once belonged to Colonel So-and-So, 'one
of the most remarkable men of his day, sir.'

"His porter, Nicholas, was his admirable second; not a porter at all,
but a body-servant; as different from the ordinary Pullman-car porter
as light from darkness. In fact, it turned out that he had been an old
servant of the Captain's. I happened to speak of him to the Captain, and
he said: 'Ye