UNDER THE MAPLES 



exclaimed in a slightly nettled tone, "Why, my 

 dear, what is the matter?" 



He had killed a mosquito with a blow that would 

 almost have demolished an African lion. 



It occurred to me later that evening how risky 

 it was for the President of the United States to be 

 so unprotected without a guard of any kind in 

 that out-of-the-way place, and I expressed some- 

 thing of this to him, suggesting that some one might 

 "kidnap" him. 



"Oh," he answered, slapping his hand on his 

 hip pocket, "I go armed, and they would have to 

 be mighty quick to get the drop on me." 



Shortly after that, to stretch my legs a little and 

 listen to the night sounds in the Virginia woods, I 

 went out around the cabin and almost immediately 

 heard some animal run heavily through the woods 

 not far from the house. I thought perhaps it was 

 a neighboring dog, but, on speaking of it to Mrs. 

 Roosevelt, was told that two secret service men 

 came every night at nine o'clock and stood on 

 guard till morning, spending the day at a farm- 

 house in that vicinity. She did not let the Presi- 

 dent know of this because it would irritate him. 



The only flower we saw there which was new to 

 me was the Indian pink. Roosevelt seemed to 

 know the flowers as well as he did the birds. Pink 

 moccasin-flowers and the bird's-foot violet were 

 common in that locality. 



106 



