My poor father and brother said, “All right.”
The secretary then told Mr. Hayworth to take us to the store and get father a suit of clothes, which father got; but brother and I did not get a pin’s worth from any one. We never did get anything from the government, or government officials.
Poor father! he gave his clothes away after he got home, saying, “This is all I got from the Big Father in Washington. I am the only one who got anything; I don’t care for them. If they had been given me by the good soldier-fathers I would keep them.”
On Saturday we were taken to the White House to see the President. We were shown all over the place before we saw him. A great many ladies were there to see us. At last he walked in and shook hands with us, then he said,—
“Did you get all you want for your people?”
I said, “Yes, sir, as far as I know.”
“That is well,” he said, and went out again. That is all we saw of him. That was President Hayes.
We went back to the hotel. In the afternoon Mr. Meacham came with a carriage to take us to the Soldiers’ Home, but we did not go. My father and brother were feeling badly because I told them I was going to New York to lecture, and I would come home by-and-by. I only did this to make the man who was with us angry, because he was forever listening to what I was saying. The Soldiers’ Home is the only place we did not see while we were in Washington.
Sunday evening we were to start for home. Mr. Meacham said to me the last minute,—
“Sarah, stop and give a lecture before you go. They can’t stop you. This is a free country. If you stop we will see you through."
