his hands. The less reserved tongues of his daughters told plainly
enough where the family stood on the great question of the day. But
while they recounted to some of the junior officers who were always on
the alert in making female acquaintances, their long lists of famous
relatives, they had all the eagerness of the Yankee, so much despised in
the Richmond prints, in disposing of half-starved chickens and heavy
hoe-cakes at extortionate prices. With their dickering propensities
there was an amount of dirt on their persons and about the premises, and
roughness in their manners, that did great discredit to the memory of
Pocahontas.

"You have the old horse tied up close," casually remarked a spruce young
Sergeant who, in obedience to orders from Division Head-quarters, had
just stationed a guard in the yard of the premises, alluding to an old,
worn-out specimen of horseflesh tied up so closely to the house that his
head and neck were almost a straight line.

"Yon's no hoss, sir. It's a mare," quickly retorted one of those
black-eyed beauties.

The polite Sergeant, who had dressed himself with more than usual care,
in the expectation of meeting the ladies, colored somewhat, but the
young lady, in a matter-of-course strain, went on to say,

"She's the only one left us, too. Preston and Moncure took the rest with
them, and they say they've nearly used 'em up chasing you Yanks."

Her unlady-like demeanor and exulting allusion to the Rebel cavalry
tested to the utmost the Sergeant's qualities as a gentleman. A dicker
for a pair of chickens, accomplished by his substituting a little ground
coffee for a great sum in greenbacks, soon brought about a better
understanding, however, on the part of the damsel.

A few hours later saw the Adjutant and our poetical Lieutenant snugly
seated on split-bottomed chairs in a dirty kitchen. Random conversation,
in which the women let slip no opportunity of reminding their visitors
of the soldierly qualities of the Rebels, interrupted by the occasional
bleating of sheep and bawling of calves in the cellar, made the
evening's entertainment novel and interesting. So much so that at a late
hour the Lieutenant, who had invested closely the younger of the two,
said, half sighing, as he gave her a fond look,

"With thee conversing, I forget all time,
All----"

"Wall, I reckon I don't," broke in the matter-of-fact young lady. "Sal,
just kick yon door around." As Sal di