CAPTAIN IRA WOOD. 107 



Morris came down and drove us out." She said: "Don't 

 let me ever hear you call Mr. Morris 'old Morris;' you 

 should have said: 'Mr. John Morris drove us out.' " 

 Therefore I said to Ira: 



"No, Squire Hogeboom," with emphasis on the 

 Squire, "doesn't allow us to go in off the village dock, but 

 there's good swimmin' off the rafts over there by the 

 island." 



He thought a moment and said: "There's one thing 

 sure, I've got to quit the theatre or begin a course of 

 study that I never thought of. I must learn dancing, 

 fencing, music and a whole mess of things if I continue 

 in it. I thought that a little knowledge of elocution was 

 all that was needed, and I got a little of that and went 

 ahead. It is all up-hill work, and I think it is best to 

 quit. Reub says that old Genet gives fencing lessons yet, 

 if he's living; is he alive?" 



With mother's lesson in mind I answered : "Yes, Gen- 

 eral Genet is alive," again with emphasis on the title for 

 Ira's benefit, "and he is the same skillful swordsman that 

 he always was, and as he is still going around selling 

 building lots in Greenbush, with no buyers, the chances 

 are that he will be glad to give you lessons." If Ira was 

 beside me now he would be reminded of his irreverence 

 and told, what he may have learned in after years, that 

 his fencing master was a son of the illustrious "Citizen" 

 Genet who figured in our Revolutionary times. In after 

 years Ira had the reputation of being a good swordsman, 

 and while he was learning I picked up a point or two 

 which was of service in garrison when the neck of a cham- 

 pagne bottle was to be severed at a clean stroke, "but I 

 anticipate" you may be told of this when ex-President 

 Arthur is under the searchlight. 



After all his lessons in fencing, and his studies in other 



