When I was twenty-four I lived at the small capital of my native Southern State.  
My parental¹ home was three counties distant. My father, a slaveholding planter, was a noble gentleman, whom I loved as he loved me. But we could not endure each other's politics and I was trying to exist on my professional fees, in the law office of one of our ex-governors. I was kindly² tolerated by everybody about me but had neglected social relations, being a black sheep on every hot question of the time--1860.
 
In the world's largest matters my Southern mother had the sanest³ judgment⁴ I ever knew, and it was from her I had absorbed my notions on slavery. It was at least as much in sympathy for the white man as for the black that she deprecated it, yet she pointed⁵ out to me how idle it was to fancy that any mere⁶ manumission of our slaves would cure us of a whole philosophy of wealth, society, and government as inbred as it was antiquated⁷.
 
One evening my two fellow boarders--state-house clerks, good boys--so glaringly left me out of their plan for a whole day's fishing on the morrow, that I smarted. I was so short of money that I could not have supplied my own tackle, but no one knew that, and it stung me to be slighted by two chaps I liked so well. I determined⁸ to be revenged in some playful way that would make us better friends, and as I walked down-street next morning I hit out a scheme. They had been gone since daybreak and I was on my way to see a client who kept a livery-stable.
 
Now, in college, where I had intended to leave all silly tricks behind me, my most taking pranks⁹ had been played in female disguise; for at twenty-four I was as beardless as a child.
 
My errand to the stableman was to collect some part of my fee in a suit I had won for him. But I got not a cent, for as to cash his victory had been a barren one. However, a part of his booty was an old coach built when carriage people made long journeys in their own equipages. This he would "keep on sal............