ember, and the first man I ran across at the Planters' House was
Appleton. '--What are you in town for?' says he. 'To see Fremont,'
I said. You ought to have heard Appleton laugh. 'You don't think
Fremont'll see you, do you?' says he. 'Why not?' 'Well,' says Tom, 'go
'round to his palace at six to-morrow morning and bribe that Hungarian
prince who runs his body-guard to get you a good place in the line of
senators and governors and first citizens, and before nightfall you
may get a sight of him, since you come from Anderson. Not one man in
a hundred,' says Appleton, I not one man in a hundred, reaches his
chief-of-staff.' Next morning," the General continued in a staccato
which was often his habit, "had breakfast before daybreak and went
'round there. Place just swarming with Californians--army contracts."
(The General sniffed.) "Saw Fremont. Went back to hotel. More
Californians, and by gad--old Baron Steinberger with his nose hanging
over the register."

"Fremont was a little difficult to get at, General," said Mr. Brinsmade.
"Things were confused and discouraged when those first contracts were
awarded. Fremont was a good man, and it wasn't his fault that the
inexperience of his quartermasters permitted some of those men to get
rich."

"No," said the General. "His fault! Certainly not. Good man! To be sure
he was--didn't get along with Blair. These court-martials you're having
here now have stirred up the whole country. I guess we'll hear now how
those fortunes were made. To listen to those witnesses lie about each
other on the stand is better than the theatre."

Stephen laughed at the comical and vivid manner in which the General set
this matter forth. He himself had been present one day of the sittings
of the court-martial when one of the witnesses on the prices of mules
was that same seedy man with the straw-colored mustache who had bid for
Virginia's piano against the Judge.

"Come, Stephen," said the General, abruptly, "run and snatch one of
those pretty girls from my officers. They're having more than their
share."

"They deserve more, sir," answered Stephen. Whereupon the General laid
his hand impulsively on the young man's shoulder, divining what Stephen
did not say.

"Nonsense!" said be; "you are doing the work in this war, not we. We
do the damage--you repair it. If it were not for Mr. Brinsmade and you
gentlemen who help him, where would our Western armies be? Don't you
go to the front yet a while,