She would wait until morning and see the President before the crowd
arrived.
He greeted her with a joyous shout:
"Come right in, Miss Betty!"
With long, quick stride he met her and grasped her hand, a kindly
twinkle in his eye:
"And how's our old grizzly bear, your father, this morning?"
"He's still alive and growling," she laughed.
The President joined heartily:
"I'll bet he is," he said, "and hates me just as cordially as ever?"
Betty nodded.
"But his beautiful daughter?"
"Was never more loyal to her Chief!"
"Good. Then my administration is on a sound basis. You want no office.
You ask no favors. Such clear, pure, young eyes in the morning of life
don't make mistakes. They know."
"But I've come to ask you something this morning----"
The smile faded into a look of seriousness.
"What's the matter?" he asked quickly.
Betty hesitated and the red blood slowly mounted to her cheeks. He led
her to a seat, beside his chair, touched her hand gently and whispered:
"Tell me."
"I hope you won't think me presumptuous, Mr. President, if I ask you to
tell me why you recalled General McClellan?"
The rugged face suddenly flashed with a smile.
"Presumptuous?" he laughed. "My dear child, if you could have heard a
few things my Cabinet had to say to me in this room on that subject! The
tender deference with which you put the question is the nearest thing to
an endorsement I have so far received! Go as far as you like after that
opening.
Pages:
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299