ere he saw a man smoking. His melancholy little boy was sitting by his
side. Perceiving that it was only General GRANT, Mr. P. advanced with
his usual grace and suavity of manner.

"Why, Mr. President!" said he, "I thought you would be found at Long
Branch this season."

"Long--thunder!" ejaculated the General, his face as black as the ace of
spades, (which, by the way, is blue.) "I might go to Nova Zembla for a
quiet smoke, and some sneaking politician would crawl out from the ice
with a petition. I went fishing in Pennsylvania, and I found twenty of
those fellows to every trout. However, I don't mind you. Take a seat and
have a cigar."

[Illustration.]

Mr. P. took the seat, (which was nothing to brag of,) and a cigar,
(which would have been a great deal to brag of, if he had succeeded in
smoking it,) and, after a whiff or two, asked his companion how it was
that he came to send such a message to Congress about Cuba.

"What message?" said GRANT, absently.

Mr. P. explained.

"Oh," said GRANT, "that one! Didn't you like it? CALEB CUSHING wrote it
and brought it to me, and I signed it. If you had written one and
brought it to me, I would have signed that. 'Tisn't my fault if the
thing's wrong. What would you expect of a man?"

Mr. P. concluded that in this case it was ridiculous to expect anything
else, and so he changed the subject.

That afternoon Mr. P. bathed.

He went to SLOAN'S and fitted himself out in a bathing suit, and very
lovely he looked in it, when he emerged from the bathing house at
high tide. With a red tunic; green pants; and a very yellow hat, he
resembled a frog-legged Garibaldian, ready for the harvest.

When he hurried to the water's edge, he hesitated for a moment. The
roaring surf was so full of heads, legs, arms, back-hair, hats and feet,
that he feared there was no room for him. However, he espied a vacancy,
and plunged into the briny deep.

How delicious! How cool! How fresh! How salt! How splendid!

He struck out with his legs; he struck out with his arms; he dived with
his whole body. He skimmed beneath the green waters; he floated on the
rolling wave-tips; he trod water; he turned heels over head in the
emerald depths; and thus, gamboling like an Infant Triton, he passed out
beyond the breakers. It was very pleasant there. Being a little tired,
he found the change from the surging waves to the gentle chuck and flop
of the deep water, most delightful. Languidly, to rest himse