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Give me those underclothes at once!" Miss Watt handed her the necessary articles. "Take down your hair," she directed. Miss Metoaca stopped dressing, one stocking suspended in air. "What?" she exclaimed indignantly. "Is nothing above suspicion?" She whirled around and saw the other detective cutting open a pincushion. "Mercy sakes, what do you think you will find in that?"
The Secret Service men were here all the morning, going through Nancy's belongings, and searching the entire house from top to bottom. They even overturned Aunt Betsy's barrel of soft soap. The Lord only knows what they expected to find there. I wished they had done it before they handled my clothes, there would be less dirty finger marks on them." Miss Metoaca snorted with suppressed indignation.
"I guess you would rather have me than one of the men undress you. Do be reasonable." "Yes, Aunt Metoaca, let us get it over and done with." Nancy's face was white, and she looked with frightened eyes at the two women. "President Lincoln shall hear of this outrage." "He shall!" Miss Metoaca's tone spoke volumes as she reluctantly began undressing.
Bewildered by her sudden change of front, the young officer led the way to the door, followed by both women, Goddard, and the sergeant. As Miss Metoaca stepped from the car the guard closed round them. The conductor deposited their hand luggage on the platform. "All aboard!" he shouted; then signaled to his engineer, and with a rattle and roar the belated train thundered out of the station.
They found they had the car practically to themselves, so Miss Metoaca picked out the cleanest seat, and insisted that all the luggage be put by her side where it would be directly under her eye. Then she announced she was going to take "forty winks," as she had been up most of the night and needed sleep.
"You can put on your clothes," she said, more kindly, and with skillful fingers she assisted Miss Metoaca into her dress, and helped her arrange her hair. "Well!" Miss Metoaca drew a long breath. "I have been through a good deal in my life, but I reckon this beats creation. I look like a scarecrow! Nancy, are you ready? Yes.
Love shall resume her dominion, Striving no more to be free, When on her world-weary pinion, Flies back my lost love to me. "Good, Major, good," exclaimed Tucker heartily, as the applause rang out. "Do sing again, Miss Newton?" Miss Metoaca answered for Nancy. "Not to-night, Captain Tucker. We have had a trying day and are completely worn out. With your permission we will go to our tent."
Arnold beamed with delight. "It is indeed an excellent painting," exclaimed Miss Metoaca, her eyes twinkling. "You are to be congratulated, Mrs. Arnold. I must go and find Nancy, as I want to introduce her to Mrs. Scott, the wife of the new member from Pennsylvania." "Let me escort you, Miss Metoaca," said the Senator gallantly. Nancy was not hard to find, and, after she had met Mrs.
"Miss Newton Nancy I mean every word I have said. Tell me that scoundrel's name!" Unconsciously Goddard raised his voice, and Miss Metoaca awoke from her slumbers, which had long exceeded the "forty winks." That limit existed only in her imagination. "Well, young people, are you hungry?" to attract Goddard's attention she prodded him with her umbrella. "Suppose we open our lunch basket."
Sergeant, conduct these passengers," indicating the men who had gathered about them, "into the next car." "Wait," called Nancy, and the conductor stopped. "I am sure this extraordinary order can be satisfactorily explained; so let us go quietly with this officer, Aunt Metoaca. We must be dignified under our arrest." "Dignity? Who cares about dignity when one's personal liberty is in question?
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