“Yes,” said Henry, “I can smell it, ’Tis so plain that one can tell it, Tell the odor of the cooking, And the grease upon the floor.” Thus his spirit burned within him, And he said to Jacob, “Skin him, Skin him for the smell of cooking And for grease upon the floor.” “Yes,” said Jakey, and something more. Then he said, with look aggressive, And with twist of head expressive, “Put him on as orderly. Orderly for one week more!” “Yes,” said Jacob, “I will do it; This young man shall surely rue it, Rue the night that he had cooking, Rue the time he greased his floor, He shall serve for one week more.” Then they left me in my sadness, Musing o’er the deed of madness, Thinking of the smell of cooking And of grease upon my floor. All that night was turned to mourning, Visions stern of “extras” dawning, On my tearful, blinded vision, Caused me pain evermore. This is all—there’s nothing more. Among the plebes reporting last June there was a colored youth, and he was the first colored appointee. He passed the preliminary examinations and was duly admitted. Without any concert of action we each and every one let the colored plebe alone. We never spoke to him except officially. He had a tent or a room all by himself, and he never had cause to complain of being deviled. However, one day he did complain, and said he had been tied and had had his ears cut; a great cry was raised against the hazing at West Point. The case was investigated, but he had no charges to make against any particular person, and as his injuries were of a certain kind the cadets were of the opinion that he had inflicted them upon himself. The army surgeons gave it as their opinion that any one could tie and injure himself as this colored youth had been tied and injured. This lad was neither black nor was he a mulatto; his face and hands were light, with dark spots on them, and these spots were darker on some occasions than others, which caused us to watch him closely. We discovered that just before a rain the spots in his cheeks were darker than at any other time, so we spoke of him as the “Walking Barometer.” Like many a better man, he was found deficient in a year or two and discharged. Had he been a white man I do not believe that he would ever have been admitted to West Point, because, as cadets, we thought him very dull and stupid.