This House was the Abode of a Colonel who had a silver-gray Goatee and
the Manners of the Old School. All the First Families in the State were
related to him, and therefore he was somewhat Particular as to who Lined
Up with him when he took his Toddy.

He was proud of his Ancestry, and he carried the Scars to prove that he
would Resent an Insult.

Now it happened that the Thirteenth Amendment signified nothing to him.
He had been Reconstructed, but it didn't Take.

While on a Business Trip to the North he stopped at a Gaudy Hotel with
all kinds of Mirrors and Onyx Stairways.

The Head Waiter at this Hotel was a Colored Gentleman with a False Front
and a Dress Suit that fit him too soon. His Name was Mr. Winfield. He
was President of the Colored Waiters' Union, Vice-President of the
Republican County Central Committee, and Regal Commander of the Princes
of Ethiopia.

His Honors lay Heavily upon him. He showed People where to sit in the
Dining Room, and those who failed to Obey usually had to wait fifteen or
twenty Minutes for their Vermicelli.

[Illustration: THE COLONEL]

Mr. Winfield favored his Feet somewhat, which caused him to walk
Syncopated, but, everything considered, he was quite Important and
fairly Warm.