confectionery store and asked to see some candies. The jars were taken
down and he tasted first one then another. Selecting one and asking the
price, he was told that it was $25 per pound. It was of the long,
red-striped variety just mentioned, worth in times of peace about 10
cents per pound. He had a pound of it wrapped up, and handed the
proprietor a $50 Confederate note. Twenty dollars was handed back in
change. Mr. Rector said, "I understood you to say the price was $25."
"That is true," said the affable confectioner, "but you ate $5 worth."
The joke was well worth $5 to Mr. Rector, and he got more pleasure out
of it than he did out of the pound of candy.

There were four commodities with which the South was plentifully
supplied, viz., tobacco, cotton, money and horses. We raised the two
former in the territory not harassed by marching armies. The third was
supplied by printing presses, and the horses were captured from our
enemy. Of course, bridles, saddles, harness and wagons came with the
horses.

I have omitted a great many little entertaining incidents partly for the
sake of brevity and partly because they escaped my memory at the time
they should have been narrated. One that I just now recall, and one
which the children always used to make me tell whenever war stories were
called for, regardless of how often it had been repeated, I will insert
here:

One cold, windy night in the winter of '62 I was on picket on the
turnpike between Upperville and Middleburg. Pickets in the Confederate
army always stood alone, as two or more would likely be absorbed in
conversation and forget their duty. We were also admonished not to
dismount. I was a little reckless that night, and dismounting stood
leaning against my horse to break the bleak wind and absorb as much heat
from his body as possible. He became restless, and I noticed that he was
looking intently down the pike and throwing his head up and down as
horses will do when excited. I listened, but could hear no sound, and
told my steed to keep still, but his keen eyes or ears saw or heard
something that worried him, and he kept his ears pointed down in the
direction from which the enemy would probably come if they came at all.
I said to myself, "You had better mount your horse." But I delayed. I
then recalled the fact that news had reached the camp that day that a
body of cavalry had left the vicinity of Washington and was moving
northeast, and we were admonished