The intimate papers of Colonel House arranged as a narrative by Charles Seymour.

RECKLESSNESS AND DISORDER

11

frequently pictured as a man dominated by the spirit of
caution. Nothing could be further from the truth. He believed always in careful preparation and foresight whenever
possible; as an English statesman once said, 'House always
sees three months ahead.' But he believed more fervently
yet that nothing worth while could be accomplished without a daring that might wisely be allowed to approach recklessness. Like Cavour, whom he admired, he knew how to
wait for the supreme moment and then risk everything.
'Even the children of the town [he wrote] caught the spirit
of recklessness and disorder, and there were constant feuds
and broils amongst us. My brother James, six years older
than I, was the leader of our "gang." We all had guns and
pistols. We had "nigger shooters" (small catapults), and
there were no childish games excepting those connected with
war. We lived and breathed in the atmosphere of strife and
destruction.
'In the evening, around the fireside, there were told tales
of daring deeds, and it was the leader of such deeds that we
strove to emulate. Often the firebells would ring as a signal
that a riot was imminent, and the citizens would flock together at some given point, all armed to the teeth. These
disturbances were, as a rule, between the old-time citizens
and the negroes and carpetbaggers.
'I cannot remember the time when I began to ride and to
shoot. Why I did not kill myself, one can never know, for
accidents were common. My eldest brother had the side of
his face shot off and has been disfigured by it all his life. He
hung between life and death for weeks, but finally came
through with one side of his face gone.
'I had many narrow escapes. Twice I came near killing
one of my playmates in the reckless use of firearms. They
were our toys and, as a matter of fact, death was our playmate.'