n with his letters, some
fifty in number, looking haggard and worn. It was, indeed, a vast
number. But with one of his humorous smiles, he said they were short. He
asked me to look over them, and I found them mainly appropriate
responses to the letters marked for answer, and pretty closely in
accordance with the Secretary's dictation. In one or two instances,
however, he had been unable to decipher the Secretary's most difficult
chirography--for he had no idea of punctuation. In these instances he
had wholly misconceived the meaning, and the replies were exactly the
reverse of what they were intended to be. These he tore up, and wrote
others before submitting any to the Secretary.

I had only written some thirty letters; but mine were longer--longer
than there was any necessity for. I told the colonel that the Secretary
had a partiality for "full" letters, especially when addressing any of
his friends; and that Major Tyler, who had returned, and was then
sitting with the Secretary, rarely dismissed one from his pen under less
than three pages. The colonel smiled, and said when there was nothing
further to say, it was economy to say nothing. He then carried his
letters into the Secretary's office, clearing his throat according to
custom on passing a door. I trembled for him; for I knew Mr. Walker had
an aversion to signing his name to letters of merely two or three lines.
He returned again immediately, saying the Secretary was busy. He left
the letters, however.

Presently Major Tyler came out of the Secretary's room with several
voluminous letters in his own handwriting, duly signed. The major
greeted the colonel most cordially; and in truth his manners of a
gentleman are so innate that I believe it would be utterly impossible
for him to be clownish or rude in his address, if he were to make a
serious effort to be so.

The major soon left us and re-entered the Secretary's office; but
returned immediately bearing the colonel's fifty letters, which he
placed before him and then retired. The very first one the colonel's eye
rested upon, brought the color to his face. Every line in it had been
effaced, and quite a different answer substituted in pencil marks
between the lines! "I wrote that," said the colonel, "according to his
own dictation." And as every letter carried in its fold the one to which
it was a reply, he exhibited the Secretary's words in pencil marks. The
colonel was right. The Secretary had omitted the li