About two weeks later came the furlough, and the Major’s commission. On my return from my interview with Governor Fenton in Albany, I met the wedded pair in Washington, going North, where their festivities were continued among their friends with suitable formalities.
CHAPTER XX
NEW YORK STATE AGENCY
Quite unknown to me, the State Agents and the two Commissions had formulated an appeal to have me supersede Mrs. Spencer, then New York State Agent in the field, and urged that I go at once to Governor Fenton at Albany to have it confirmed. So the day after the wedding I started for New York on a government transport.
Mr. Houghton was also going North. The rumor of a wedding had already spread over camp, and Mr. Houghton and I were congratulated as the happy couple on our wedding trip. This caused a great deal of merriment.
Captain Blackman of the transport, was very kind and made the trip on the shabby boat quite pleasant. My little cabin was suffocating at night, and I left my door open with a light burning in the narrow passage-way, while the engineer and his wife slept opposite. Quite exhausted with preparations for the wedding and for my trip North, I fell into a heavy sleep. Some time during the night I was awakened by heavy hands passing up and down my body. I awoke in total darkness, and was too dazed at first to comprehend the situation, but at last I managed to exclaim “Who are you, and what do you want?”
A coarse voice, in broken English, said, “I want a place to sleep!”
I called for a light and help, when in a very calm manner the intruder said: “O, don’t put yourself in a stew!” On his hastily retreating footsteps I quickly closed and locked the door. The engineer had doubtless extinguished the light in the passage before he closed their door.
The next day we stopped at Fortress Monroe, and were allowed to examine the interior of the Fort, and that great mounted black gun called “The Swamp Angel” which was reputed to throw a shot of four hundred pounds!
In Washington we met our old friend Major Baker; and when we walked up Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol we saw the effect of an unusual freak of the wind. A large flag was flying at the top from either wing of the great building and both flags blew in towards each other, standing out immovable without a fold as if held by some material background. The effect was peculiar.