time in my life I didn’t know how to commerce or what to say; looked—­looked at me—­didn’t take his eye off me.  After a while I got started, somehow; told him I was there to ask him to appoint Ephraim Prescott to the Brampton postoffice—­t-told him all about Ephraim from the time he was locked in the cradle—­never was so hard put that I could remember.  T-told him how Ephraim shook butternuts off my fathers tree—­for all I know.  T-told him all about Ephraim’s war record—­leastways all I could call to mind—­and, by Godfrey! before I got through, I wished I’d listened to more of it.  T-told him about Ephraim’s Wilderness bullets—­t-told him about Ephraim’s rheumatism,—­how it bothered him when he went to bed and when he got up again.”

If Jethro had glanced at his companion, he would have seen the senator was shaking with silent and convulsive laughter.

“All the time I talked to him I didn’t see a muscle move in his face,” Jethro continued, “so I started in again, and he looked—­looked—­looked right at me.  W-wouldn’t wink—­don’t think he winked once while I was in that room.  I watched him as close as I could, and I watched to see if a muscle moved or if I was makin’ any impression.  All he would do was to stand there and look—­look—­look.  K-kept me there ten minutes and never opened his mouth at all.  Hardest man to talk to I ever met—­never see a man before but what I could get him to say somethin’, if it was only a cuss word.  I got tired of it after a while, made up my mind that I had found one man I couldn’t move.  Then what bothered me was to get out of that room.  If I’d a had a Bible I believe I’d a read it to him.  I didn’t know what to say, but I did say this after a while:—­“’W-well, Mr. President, I guess I’ve kept you long enough—­g-guess you’re a pretty busy man.  H-hope you’ll give Mr. Prescott that postmastership.  Er—­er good-by.’

“‘Wait, sir,’ he said.

“‘Yes,’ I said, ‘I-I’ll wait.’

“Thought you was goin’ to give him that postmastership, Mr. Bass,’ he said.”

At this point the senator could not control his mirth, and the empty corridor echoed his laughter.

“By thunder! what did you say to that?”

“Er—­I said, ‘Mr. President, I thought I was until a while ago.’

“‘And when did you change your mind?’ says he.”

Then he laughed a little—­not much—­but he laughed a little.

“’I understand that your old soldier lives within the limits of the delivery of the Brampton office,’ said he.”

“‘That’s correct, Mr. President,’ said I.”

“‘Well,’ said he, ‘I will app’int him postmaster at Brampton, Mr. Bass.’”

“‘When?’ said I.”

Then he laughed a little more.

“I’ll have the app’intment sent to your hotel this afternoon,’ said he.”

“’Then I said to him, ’This has come out full better than I expected, Mr. President.  I’m much obliged to you.’  He didn’t say nothin’ more, so I come out.”