120 HENRY HILL GOODELL 



and then rowed back, all for twenty-five cents. Here is 

 richness for you! There are no troops here and the police 

 are colored. They look funny enough in their helmets and 

 red stripes. They are either very effective or else the people 

 are very good. I think it must be the latter, for I am told 

 they all eat oatmeal in the morning, and you know what 

 a penitential diet does for me. I don't know just what to 

 say about myself. Caught some cold yesterday and don't 

 feel like the morning star to-day, short breath and puffi- 

 ness, but I hope for the best." 



Writing again from Nassau on February 7, he gives this 

 account of himself: 



"I am just out of the water from a swim and find your 

 cheery letter, but my hand is so shaky that I have taken 

 to a pencil. My friends have been more than kind to 

 me, for the post-office to-day brought me seven letters; 

 three of these, it is needless to say, came from my wife. 

 And here let me stop to say: Heaven bless our wives! 

 What in the world could we possibly do without them? 

 The worst, or the best, of it is that they treat us so well. 

 We get the swelled head and think we are some pumpkins, 

 when we are not worthy to kiss the ground on which they 

 stand. I am afraid you may think this is somewhat Van- 

 cien, but I have been thinking all this morning how she, 

 i. e. my wife, has had to watch over and take care of me 

 all the time, and how little I have been able to do for her. 



"An interesting item to you may be that there are no 

 taxes here except on glass. Hence you may drive through 

 the coon quarter of the city, namely, in the quarter where 

 11,000 live, and you will not see a single glass window, 

 nothing but wooden shutters. At night, after six o'clock, 



