Dr. Thompson, kind, cheerful, companionable, offered me half his own wide
bed, in the house of Dr. Baer, for my second night in Middletown. Here I
lay awake again another night. Close to the house stood an ambulance in
which was a wounded Rebel officer, attended by one of their own surgeons.
He was calling out in a loud voice, all night long, as it seemed to me,
"Doctor! Doctor! Driver! Water!" in loud, complaining tones, I have no
doubt of real suffering, but in strange contrast with the silent patience
which was the almost universal rule.

The courteous Dr. Thompson will let me tell here an odd coincidence,
trivial, but having its interest as one of a series. The Doctor and
myself lay in the bed, and a lieutenant, a friend of his, slept on the
sofa, At night, I placed my match-box, a Scotch one, of the
Macpherson-plaid pattern, which I bought years ago, on the bureau, just
where I could put my hand upon it. I was the last of the three to rise
in the morning, and on looking for my pretty match-box, I found it was
gone. This was rather awkward,--not on account of the loss, but of the
unavoidable fact that one of my fellow-lodgers must have taken it. I
must try to find out what it meant.

"By the way, Doctor, have you seen anything of a little plaid-pattern
match-box?"

The Doctor put his hand to his pocket, and, to his own huge surprise and
my great gratification, pulled out two match-boxes exactly alike, both
printed with the Macpherson plaid. One was his, the other mine, which he
had seen lying round, and naturally took for his own, thrusting it into
his pocket, where it found its twin-brother from the same workshop. In
memory of which event, we exchanged boxes, like two Homeric heroes.