BY SECRETARY A.F. BEARD.


The "sleeper" had been transformed into a parlor car, which was used
that day chiefly by the colored porter and myself. The "paper-boy" came
through and offered me a New York _Illustrated Weekly_, adorned on the
first page with the portrait of Jefferson Davis, for whom the South was
then mourning with great abundance of white and black cotton cloth.

After I had declined with thanks to invest in this picture, I turned to
the colored porter who was travelling in the white man's car in apparent
"social equality" and casually remarked, "Your people should feel very
grateful to Jefferson Davis for what he did for you. You ought to have
that picture." With a surprise that he could not conceal, he intimated
that he did not understand me. He "didn't care for it," and "didn't know
what Jeff Davis had done for his people."

Time being at some discount, I undertook to tell him that "Jefferson
Davis did more than any other person to take the South out of the Union.
He was chief among the secessionists. Then, as President, he made so
many mistakes, he did more than any other man to prevent the success of
the Confederacy. He did more to bring about the freedom of the slave
than any other man. Since the emancipation of your race came on as a
consequence of secession, why should you not be grateful to Jefferson
Davis and cherish his memory?"

The black man by this time had gathered himself up for his reply to my
Q.E.D. Not knowing what my sympathies might be, he replied in a slow and
careful way, "Well, sir, I can't see it as you do. The way it looks to