badly
conducted." I looked up, and saw before me a rather good-looking man
covered with the greatest profusion of gold cloth and buttons, for
which I intuitively despised him. The impulse seized me, so I spoke.
"Were you there?" "No; but near by. I was there with the First
Louisiana for 'most a year." "Do you know George Morgan?" "Know George?
Yes, indeed! You are his sister." This was an assertion; but I bowed
assent, and he went on, "Thought so, from the resemblance. I remember
seeing you ten years ago, when you were a very little girl. I used to
be at your house with the boys; we were schoolmates." I remarked that I
had no recollection of him. "Of course not," he said, but did not
inform me of his name. He talked very familiarly of the boys, and said
he had met them all at Richmond. Next he astounded me by saying he was
a citizen of Baton Rouge, though he had been almost four years in New
York before the war broke out. He was going to town to look after the
"property," hearing his father had gone to France. An inhabitant of
that city, who was so familiar with my brothers and me, and with whom I
was not acquainted! Here was a riddle to solve. Let us see who among
our acquaintances had gone to France. I could think of none. I made up
my mind to find out his name if I had to ask it.

All through supper he talked, and when, in country style, the gentlemen
left us at table, I found the curiosity of the others was even more
excited than mine. I was determined to know who he was, then.

In the parlor, he made some remark about never having been in ladies'
society the whole time he was in Virginia. I expressed my surprise, as
George often wrote of the pleasant young ladies he met everywhere. "Oh,
yes!" said monsieur, "but it is impossible to do your duty as an
officer, and be a lady's man; so I devoted myself to my military
profession exclusively." "Insufferable puppy!" I said to myself. Then
he told me of how his father thought he was dead, and asked if I had
heard of his rallying twenty men at Manassas, and charging a Federal
regiment, which instantly broke? I honestly told him, "No." "Iagoo, the
great boaster," I decided. Abruptly he said there were very few nice
young ladies in Baton Rouge. "Probably so, in _his_ circle," I thought,
while I dryly remarked, "Indeed?" "Oh, yes!" and still more abruptly he
said, "Ain't you the youngest?--Yes! I thought so! I remember you when
you were a wee thing, so high," placing his han