His collar had wilted with the heat
and the tails of his long black coat flapped about his legs.
The general was clothed in a brilliant uniform. He was short and stocky
and his head scarcely passed the President's shoulder. He was redolent
of youth and self confidence. It showed in his quick, eager gestures
and his emphatic manner. He attracted the two boys, but the sergeant
shook his head somewhat solemnly.
"They say Scott was too old," he said, "and now they've gone to the
other end of it. McClellan's too young to handle the great armies that
are going into the field. I'm afraid he won't be a match for them old
veterans like Johnston and Lee."
"Napoleon became famous all over the world when he was only twenty-six,"
said Warner.
"That's so," retorted Whitley, "but I never heard of any other Napoleon.
The breed began and quit with him."
But the soldiers crowding the capital had full confidence in "Little
Mac," as they had already begun to call him. Those off duty followed
and cheered him and the President, until they entered the White House
and disappeared within its doors. Dick and his friends were in the
crowd that followed, although they did not join in the cheers, not
because they lacked faith, but because all three were thoughtful.
Dick had soon discovered that Whitley, despite his lack of education,
was an exceedingly observant man, with a clear and reasoning mind.
"It was a pair worth seeing," said the sergeant, as they turned away,
"but I looked a lot more at Old Abe than I did at "Little Mac.
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