Altogether, It Is A
Dreary Place, Such As Might Break A Man's Heart Should He Find That
Inexorable Fate Required Him There To Pitch His Tent.
On my return I went down into the bar-room of the steamer, put my
feet upon the counter, lit my cigar, and struck into the debate
then proceeding on the subject of the war.
I was getting West, and
General Fremont was the hero of the hour. "He's a frontier man,
and that's what we want. I guess he'll about go through. Yes,
sir." "As for relieving General Fre-mont," (with the accent always
strongly on the "mont,") "I guess you may as well talk of relieving
the whole West. They won't meddle with Fre-mont. They are
beginning to know in Washington what stuff he's made of." "Why,
sir, there are 50,000 men in these States who will follow Fre-mont,
who would not stir a foot after any other man." From which, and
the like of it in many other places, I began to understand how
difficult was the task which the statesmen in Washington had in
hand.
I received no pecuniary advantage whatever from that law as to the
steamboat meals which my new friend had revealed to me. For my one
supper of course I paid, looking forward to any amount of
subsequent gratuitous provisions. But in the course of the night
the ship sailed, and we found ourselves at Milwaukee in time for
breakfast on the following morning.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 207 of 538
Words from 55075 to 55325
of 143277
