cture with large rooms, was built by
Tench Ringgold, who was U.S. Marshal of the District of Columbia longer
than any of his predecessors. He occupied this position during the whole
of President Monroe's administration, and I have heard it related in the
Gouverneur family that, when Monroe was retiring from office, he asked
his successor, John Quincy Adams, on personal grounds, to retain Mr.
Ringgold. This request was granted and Mr. Monroe made the same appeal
to Andrew Jackson shortly after the latter's inauguration, and received
the cordial response, "Don't mention it, don't mention it." On the
strength of this interview, Ringgold naturally assumed he was safe for
another term, but, to the surprise of many, he was succeeded two years
later by Henry Ashton, who retained the office for about three years.
"Old Hickory," as everybody knows, had a mind of his own.

It was often very pleasant in my new surroundings to welcome to
Washington some of my early New York friends; and among these none were
more gladly received than Frances and Julia Kellogg of Troy. My
intimacy with these sisters goes back as far as my school days at Madame
Chegaray's, where Frances Kellogg was a boarding pupil and in a class
higher than mine when I was a day-scholar. It was the habit of these
sisters to spend their winters in Washington and their summers at West
Point; and it was during their sojourn at the latter place that Frances
became engaged to George H. Thomas of the Army who, although a Virginian
by birth, rendered such distinguished services during our Civil War as
Commander of the Army of the Cumberland. Many years after General
Thomas's death, his widow built a house on I Street, where she and Miss
Kellogg presided during the remainder of their lives. During one of our
many conversations, Mrs. Thomas told me that when her husband was
informed that a house was about to be presented to him by admiring
friends, in recognition of his conspicuous services during the Civil
War, he at once declined the offer, saying that he had been sufficiently
remunerated, and requested that the money raised for the purpose should
be given in charity. A distinguished Union General, who had already
accepted a house, remonstrated with him and said: "Thomas, if you refuse
to accept that house it will make it awkward for us." General Thomas's
characteristic response was: "You may take as many houses as you please,
but I shall accept none."

At this time the h