ust
pities my ignorance and lets it go at that. He never condescends to my
level----"

She stopped suddenly and waved her hand toward the group of excited men
who had gathered around Senator Winter.

A smile of recognition lighted the sombre Puritan face, as he pushed his
friends aside and rapidly approached.

"How's my little girl?" he cried tenderly. "Enjoy the show?"

"Yes, dear, immensely--you know Mr. John Vaughan, Father, don't you?"

The old man smiled grimly as he extended his hand:

"I know who he is--though I haven't had the honor of an introduction.
I'm glad to see you, Mr. Vaughan--though I don't agree with many of your
editorials."

"We'll hope for better things in the future, Senator," John laughed.

"What's your impression of the Inaugural, Senator?" Ned asked, with a
twinkle of mischief in his eye.

"You are asking me that as a reporter, young man, or as a friend of my
daughter?"

"Both, sir."

"Then I'll give you two answers. One for the public and one for you.
I've an idea you're going to be a rebel, sir----"

"We hope not, Senator," John protested.

"I've my suspicions from an interview we had once. But you're a good
reporter, sir. I trust your ability and honesty however deeply I suspect
your patriotism. As a Republican Senator I say to you for publication:
The President couldn't well have said less. It might have been unwise to
say more. To you, as a budding young rebel and a friend of my daughter,
I say, with the utmost frankness, that I have no power to express my
contempt for that address. From the lips of the man we elected to
strangle Slavery fell the cowardly words:

"'I have no purpose directly or indirectly to interfere with the
institution of Slavery in the States where it exists'----"

The grim blue-grey eyes flashed with rage, he paused for breath and
then, livid with suppressed emotion, continued:

"For fifty years every man who has stood on this platform to take the
oath as President has turned his face to the South and bowed the knee to
Baal. We hoped for better things to-day----" He paused a moment and his
eyes filled with angry tears:

"How long, O Lord! How long!"

"But you mustn't forget, Senator, that he didn't run and we didn't win
on an Abolition platform. We only raised the issue of the extension of
Slavery into the new territories----"

"Yes!" the old man sneered. "But you didn't fool the South! They are
past masters in the art of politics. The South i