y for something, they let
Tammany obtain control.

Governor Dix doesn't say anything; but Governor Wilson says
enough for both. It remains to be seen whether or not the latter
has not bitten off more than he can masticate.

In the course of my life I have been shocked more than once,
mostly, while living in North Carolina. For instance, in 1876,
when it was supposed that Tilden had been elected, the young men
of Odell's store thought it a good joke and decorated my fence
with black calico. Our colored cook, thinking it would hurt our
feelings, stripped it all off early in the morning before we got
a sight of it, much to our regret. But Madam was equal to the
emergency and had the girl gather up the black stuff and take it
to Odell's store to sell for paper-rags! The cook was received
with shouts of applause, showing that Odell's young men fully
appreciated the humor of the occasion.

Odell had a big store, but all the black calico in stock must
have been cleaned out on that occasion. As I understand at the
time, the fences of Judge Dick, Postmaster White, Col. Keogh,
Judge Settle and Judge Tourgee were all decorated. The last
named, characteristically, sought to make capital out of the
episode, which was only a joke.

When I went to bed very late the night before (or rather in the
morning) I thought Tilden had really been elected and I did not
enjoy the sensation. Nevertheless I did not feel as I did six
years before, in the Ku Klux times. We lived then in the little
cottage opposite the jail. The election was in August. Madam had
gone North to visit her home-folks. I was alone in the house.
Diagonally across the street was a disreputable bar-room, where
all the "roughs" assembled every night; and for no less than
three weeks after the "Conservative" victory these fellows kept
up a shouting and howling, which was far from agreeable to me.

Those were the Kuklux days and the times were very uncomfortable,
especially for a carpet-bagger, whose party had been
overwhelmingly defeated. But I did not know anything about the
Kuklux and was simple-minded enough not to fully credit their
existence.

I had become a citizen of North Carolina in November, 1868; but
being unaccustomed to the ways and prejudices of the people, I
was n