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“Bang between the eyes?” questioned Kermit.
“Well, no. Elsewhere in the body,” replied Cricket delicately. “But the worst thing in Cuba wasn’t the Spaniards or being shot at, it was the goldurn mosquitoes—begging your pardon, Colonel.”
“They were so thick we had to cover up our heads with blankets to get any sleep.” Lew took up the story while Roosevelt smiled ruefully. “We couldn’t light a fire to smoke ’em out most of the times. That was what their sharpshooters were waiting for. Man show himself in the light and down he went!”
“The fever was bad too,” Roosevelt said. “It has already made very doubtful any hope of building a canal across Panama.”
28
“We had more sick with fever than we had wounded, even when we charged the Hill,” Ike recalled. “Well, we must be heading back, you fellows. It’s been fine seeing you again, Colonel, and we’re sure proud New York elected you governor.”
“We sure are,” agreed his lanky companions, rising to their feet.
“Our thanks for a good dinner, sir, and give our thanks to your good wife. We better push on, our man we hired to drive us is waiting and our train leaves at six o’clock and it’s a long way to the station.”
“I’m honored by your visit, boys,” Roosevelt followed them into the hall, the children trotting after.
When the Rough Riders had gone, Roosevelt picked up the sleeping Archie and carried him up the stairs, Ted climbing after, asking with every breath, “Can I go out now, Father? Is there enough snow for my sled?”
“There’s almost no more snow, Ted, but we’ll hope for some to fall overnight. Those fellows,” he said to Edith when he had put Archie on his bed and covered him well, “came out of their way to see me and I was very much honored by their visit. They hired that driver too and I don’t doubt they needed the money. Men who work in mills and have families have little money to spare. At least I know Cricket has a family. He showed me pictures of two boys when we were waiting for transportation in Tampa. He attached himself to me as a sort of unofficial aide. There was not much emphasis on rank in my command.”
“And what there was I’m sure you ignored,” said Edith indulgently. “It was undoubtedly a very democratic organization.”
29
“When you’re depending on a man to fire in time to save your life you have no use for protocol. That boy Lew, who had so little to say, twice saved my horse from being shot under me. Rank loses its importance when a lot of savage men are attacking you, and you see your men fall and know the next bullet may be for you. They were all gallant, all of them. I owe them more than I can ever repay.”
“Shall we go down now to the fires?” Edith asked. “By the way, Davis won’t be back today. I gave him Christmas afternoon off to be with his family. Some of his children have come home bringing their children with them. Can you attend to the furnaces?”
“I’d better put on some overalls. That’s a dirty job. Then I’m going to take the youngsters out awhile. We can have a romp in the barn. They get too restless in the house all day. I’ll keep Ted’s feet dry,” he promised.
“And don’t let them get overheated,” she warned. “That thermometer downstairs hasn’t risen above freezing all day. It seems awfully cold for so early in the winter. I hear Quentin now. I’ll take him down by the fire so Mame can get some rest.”
He shrugged into a rough army coat and cotton overalls and went below to poke and rattle vociferously at the two furnaces, shoveling out ashes, wondering whimsically what the important politicians of New York would think if they saw their governor-elect carrying a hod? Certainly they would respect him the more if they saw him in working garb at such a menial task, at least the working classes would and there were a lot more of them who had voted for him.
When the furnaces were filled and burning well he carried 30up several armloads of wood, panting a little from the steepness of the stairs. Edith sat beside the fire holding small Quentin, while Kermit crawled about her feet, pushing a toy cannon about and yelling “Bang!”