ng, now and
then, the wonderful conversation that fell from his eloquent lips."

General Toombs was a liberal provider for his family, and his
grandchildren and connections were constant objects of his bounty. Large
sums were spent in charity. No church or benevolent institution appealed
to him in vain. His house was open, and his hospitality was princely and
proverbial. No one was more genial at home. Few prominent persons ever
visited Washington without being entertained by Toombs. His regular
dinners to the bar of the circuit, as, twice a year, the lawyers came to
Washington to court, are remembered by scores of Georgians to-day. On
one occasion when the townspeople were discussing the need of a hotel,
General Toombs indignantly replied that there was no need for any such
place. "If a respectable man comes to town," said he, "he can stay at
my house. If he isn't respectable, we don't want him here at all."

No religious conference could meet in Washington that the Toombs house
was not full of guests. Many Northern people visited the place to hear
the statesman talk. Newspaper correspondents sought him out to listen to
his fine conversation. These people were always sure of the most
courteous treatment, and were prepared for the most candid expression.
General Toombs was not solely a _raconteur_. He did not draw upon his
memory for his wit. The cream of his conversation was his bold and
original comment. His wit flashed all along the line. His speech at
times was droll and full of quaint provincialisms. He treated subjects
spontaneously, in a style all his own. Strangers, who sat near him in a
railroad car, have been enchanted by his sage and spirited conversation,
as his leonine features lighted up, and his irresistible smile and
kindly eye forced good-humor, even where his sentiments might have
challenged dissent. He was the finest talker of his day. A close friend,
who used to visit him frequently at his home, declares that Toombs'
powers did not wait upon the occasion. He did not require an emergency
to bring him out. All his faculties were alert, and in a morning's chat
he would pour out the riches of memory, humor, eloquence, and logic
until the listener would be enthralled by his brilliancy and power. He
delighted to talk with intellectual men and women. He was impatient with
triflers or dolts. He criticised unsparingly, and arraigned men and
measures summarily, but he was a seeker after truth, and even when
s