"Nothing, child."
"And no message of any kind from John Vaughan since he left!" she
exclaimed hopelessly.
"But I'm sure, remember, sure to a moral certainty--that he reached
Richmond safely and left there safely."
"How do you know?"
"Gilmore has just arrived with his reply from Jefferson Davis. It will
be worth a half million votes for us. From his description of the
'reporter' with Benjamin I am sure it was our messenger."
"But you don't know--you don't know!" Betty sighed.
The President bent and touched her shoulder gently:
"Come, dear, it's not like you to despair----"
The girl smiled wanly.
"How long since any message arrived from General Sherman?"
"Three days, my child. I know the hole he went in at, but I can't tell
where he's going to come out----"
"If he ever comes out," Betty broke in bitterly.
"Oh, he'll come out somewhere!" the President laughed. "It's a habit of
his. I've watched him for months--sometimes I can't hear from him for a
week--but he always bobs up again and comes out with a whoop, too----"
"But we've no news!" she interrupted.
"No news has always been good news from Sherman----"
He paused and looked at his watch:
"Wait here. I'll be back in a few moments. We're bound to hear something
to-day. I've an engagement with my Committee of Undertakers.
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