For my part, I am the humble but devoted friend of the family. Having known him first, having been from boyhood his companion, I may perhaps have sympathized with him in the beginning. But since I have come to know her, too, that is no longer so. And I do think I know her--proud, sensitive, high-strung, generous, captivating beauty that she is! Moreover, after the fashion of many another "friend of the family," I have fallen in love with her. Loving her from afar, I send her as a nosegay these chapters gathered in her own gardens. If some of the flowers are of a kind for which she does not care, if some have thorns, even if some are only weeds, I pray her to remember that from what was growing in her gardens I was forced to make my choice, and to believe that, whatever the defects of my bouquet, it is meant to be a bunch of roses. J.S. _October 1, 1917._ The Author makes his grateful acknowledgments to the old friends and the new ones who assisted him upon this journey. And once more he desires to express his gratitude to the friend and fellow-traveler whose illustrations are far from being his only contribution to this volume. --J.S. New York, October, 1917. CONTENTS THE BORDERLAND CHAPTER PAGE I ON JOURNEYS THROUGH THE STATES 3 II A BALTIMORE EVENING 13 III WHERE THE CLIMATES MEET 27 IV TRIUMPHANT DEFEAT 38 V TERRAPIN AND THINGS 44 VI DOUGHOREGAN MANOR AND THE CARROLLS 53 VII A RARE OLD TOWN 69 VIII WE MEET THE HAMPTON GHOST 80 IX ARE WE STANDARDIZED? 89 X HARPER'S FERRY AND JOHN BROWN 97 XI THE VIRGINIAS AND THE WASHINGTONS 105 XII I RIDE A HORSE 117 XIII INTO THE OLD DOMINION 136 XIV CHARLOTTESVILLE AND MONTICELLO 150 XV THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA 159 XVI FOX-HUNTING IN VIRGINIA 169 XVII "A CERTAIN PARTY" 186 XVIII THE LEGACY OF HATE 193 XIX "YOU-ALL" AND OTHER SECTIONAL MISUNDERSTANDINGS 203 XX IDIOMS AND ARISTOCRACY 214 XXI THE CONFEDERATE CAPITAL 222 XXII RANDOM RICHMOND NOTES 233