tual conditions and limitations of the people with
whom he was to deal; while the younger man, who had served through the
war with distinction, retained a soldier's respect and esteem for his
late antagonists, with a conscientious and thoughtful observation of
their character. Although he had resigned from the army, the fact that
he had previously graduated at West Point with high honors had given
him preferment in this technical appointment, and his knowledge of the
country and its people made him a valuable counselor. And it was a fact
that the country people had preferred this soldier with whom they had
once personally grappled to the capitalist they had never known during
the struggle.

The train rolled slowly through the woods, so slowly that the fragrant
pine smoke from the engine still hung round the windows of the cars.
Gradually the "clearings" became larger; they saw the distant white
wooden colonnades of some planter's house, looking still opulent and
pretentious, although the fence of its inclosure had broken gaps, and
the gate sagged on its single hinge.

Mr. Drummond sniffed at this damning record of neglect and indifference.
"Even if they were ruined, they might still have spent a few cents for
nails and slats to enable them to look decent before folks, and not
parade their poverty before their neighbors," he said.

"But that's just where you misunderstand them, Drummond," said
Courtland, smiling. "They have no reason to keep up an attitude towards
their neighbors, who still know them as 'Squire' so-and-so, 'Colonel'
this and that, and the 'Judge,'--owners of their vast but crippled
estates. They are not ashamed of being poor, which is an accident."

"But they are of working, which is DELIBERATION," interrupted Drummond.
"They are ashamed to mend their fences themselves, now that they have no
slaves to do it for them."

"I doubt very much if some of them know how to drive a nail, for the
matter of that," said Courtland, still good-humoredly, "but that's
the fault of a system older than themselves, which the founders of the
Republic retained. We cannot give them experience in their new condition
in one day, and in fact, Drummond, I am very much afraid that for our
purposes--and I honestly believe for THEIR good--we must help to keep
them for the present as they are."

"Perhaps," said Drummond sarcastically, "you would like to reinstate
slavery?"

"No. But I should like to reinstate the MASTER. And