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made him say, “ If I am here that will not be.
What was gained by the war, will not be changed
in my time.”

The messenger coming back with the finished
orders, I was leaving when the President suggested
that Ihad best step into the Navy Department and
say a word of thanks there. “ They would like the
attention,” he said, and with Judge Dent as escort
Idid so. Another mark of the completeness of
his attention to what was being done; and of proper
consideration for the usages and rights of officials.
My midshipman was a happy and a grateful man
when that long white envelope reached him.

The other young man — he was but eighteen, but
they like to be always called men — had tried fora
cadetship to West Point and was refused at the
War Department. His personal qualifications and
the letters recommending him were both of the high-
est, but the hard fact remained that his father, a
Northern man and a West Point officer, had taken
the Southern side. On the mother’s side he was
Southern and of a distinguished name in the War
of Independence.

He was but five when the family left the
South for England and the boy had grown up away
from the war in a dispassionate atmosphere. In
Dresden he had been great friends with a young
son of mine— they had studied and skated and
had long walks and talks together, and now I
shared my son’s disappointment for his friend.

Each life must answer for itself, and our country
intends every man to have a full chance. We have
no law of entail for property, and the law of in-
herited enmity is confined to Corsica and savage
peoples.

I knew the President could see all sides of a
case and remembering what he had said to me of
young people I wrote to him of this young man.

I told him I felt the weight the lad had to carry
in his father’s war record but I asked was it just,
was it logical, to punish the children for the acts of
the fathers when the fathers were to have no pun-
ishment? If good feeling was to be restored let
the children who had done nothing have full
rights, especially to education.

I told him how bravely this boy had fought the
hard battle with poverty when reversescameto them
and had proved qualities of self-control and courage
andendurance. And, knowing him well, I knew
he was from intelligent conviction for the Union.

GENERAL GRANT.

Guy had nearly lost hope, but not persistence in
effort,

He went to Long Branch and sent his letter in to
the President. “The President was at supper, but
would see him when he was through;” the man
returned with a new military work with maps and
plans, “the President sends this for you to look
over while you are waiting.”

Soon he came in, half smiled as he looked up at
the six-foot lad and shook hands with him, making
him sit by him at the library table “and looking
into me” as Guy reported to me.

General Grant had the good manners to be dis-
tinct and make no delay; he told the boy that all
his appointments, ten, were already filled, that he
had an equal number of substitutes and had filled
four of these.

“The best I can do now is to put you number
five on the substitute list. If no chance opens that
way, I will give you an appointment on next year’s
list. But try your chance.”

He made a note, with his pencil, of the name,
age, etc., etc., for use in having the substitute ap-
pointment made out.

Guy offered his other letters — from a senator, a
governor, anda millionnaire, saying their names —
to which General Grant listened, but told him
never mind those, he should keep them for future
use, “but Mrs, Frémont’s letter is all I need.”

Happy Guy took his leave; turning back to ask
the President to give him the cedar pencil he had
been using for, he said,“ with your pencil I shall feel
I carry the baton of the marshal in my empty sack.””*

Five of the President’s appointments failed
to pass their examinations. “Substitute No. 5”
passed his handsomely; made his four years’
course with increasing credit, and is at’ this
present pursuing Apaches in Arizona.

Just before the accident that lamed him —
Christmas of ’83 — General Grant was at a mar-
riage inmy family. He surprised many by his ani-
mated pleasant manner; I had never seen him to
such happy advantage. We were all in such pleas-
ant frame of mind that painful memories had no
place and for the moment I did not think what
might be in the minds of two among my Southern
relations present when I asked if they knew Gen-

*This was a saying of the great Napoleon ‘‘ Every French soldier
feels he carries the baton of a marshal in his haversack.’? Before their

revolution only nobles could be officers, Since, the soldier can rise te
any rank.