l, hand in hand with a colored woman, were two little boys
of about eight or nine years, one white, the other black. As they neared
the opposite corner, the white lad drew back and struck the black boy a
heavy blow with his foot. The ebony juvenile doubled up his fist, and,
planting it behind the other's ear, felled him to the sidewalk. But the
white lad was on his feet again in an instant, and showering on the
black a perfect storm of kicks and blows. The latter parried the assault
coolly, and, watching his opportunity, planted another blow behind the
white boy's ear, which sent him reeling to the ground again. Meanwhile
the colored nurse stood by, enjoying the scene, and a score or more of
negroes of all ages and sizes gathered around, urging the young ebony on
with cheers and other expressions of encouragement. I watched the combat
till the white lad had gone down a third time, when a rap came at the
door, and Judge Ould entered.

"Good evening," he said.

"Good evening," we replied.

"Well, Gentlemen, if you are ready, we'll walk round to the Libby," he
added, with a hardness of tone I had not observed in his voice before.

My worst fears were realized! We were prisoners! A cold tremor passed
over me, and my tongue refused its office. A drooping plant turns to the
sun; so, being just then a drooping plant, I turned to the Colonel. He
stood, drawn up to his full height, looking at Ould. Not a feature of
his fine face moved, but his large gray eye was beaming with a sort of
triumph. I have met brave men,--men who have faced death a hundred times
without quailing; but I never met a man who had the moral grandeur of
that man. His look inspired me, for I turned to Ould, and, with a
coolness that amazed myself, said,--

"Very well. We are ready. But here is an instructive spectacle"; and I
pointed to the conflict going on in the street. "That is what you are
coming to. Fight us another year, and that scene will be enacted, by
larger children, all over the South."

"To prevent that is why we are fighting you at all," he replied, dryly.

We shook Javins by the hand, and took up our portmanteaus to go. Then
our hotel-bill occurred to me, and I said to Ould,--

"You cautioned us against offering greenbacks. We have nothing else.
Will you give us some Confederate money in exchange?"

"Certainly. But what do you want of money?" he asked, resuming the free
and easy manner he had shown in our previous intercourse.

"To