Empty Barrel
by
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The President, attired in his customary black clothing, arrived at the Cutts house. He knew he would find his wife there, since they frequently visited with her sister. After greeting Dolley affectionately, he asked Sam to take them to see the destruction. Seated in the coach and escorted by a ragged squad of dragoons, they viewed the ruins of the government buildings and stopped at the debris of what had been their home. The rooms had been gutted by fire, but the walls stood firmly, although the ceilings were cracked and stained by heat and flames and the plaster was streaked by the rains. Unrestrained, looters had run wild throughout the city, plundering the gutted buildings and many that were untouched by fire. "There is no use in rebuilding Washington, it is too far gone," Madison said. "I told Secretary Monroe to move the government back to Philadelphia and leave this place to the rats, the pigs, and the looters." "Impossible! James, the government must remain here!" Dolley insisted. "We must rebuild and start anew. Mr. Jacobsen, would you kindly tell your driver to take us to the Octagon House on Pennsylvania Avenue, a block from our ruined home? It will have to serve as the temporary President's House whilst he begins an inquiry into the causes of our defeat, the spies, the inept, the cowards, and the traitors." A squad of Marines had been deployed to guard Colonel John Tayloe's Octagon House, so the newly made friends said goodbye at the door. Dolley kissed and embraced Mindl, Yacov, and Sam. "We shall never forget your kindness. My thanks are inadequate, but when you visit us in our refurbished home, it will be painted a gleaming white to cover those dreadful fire-scarred walls. I promise to entertain you in a manner that will reflect our high regard for you." President Madison, smiling for the first time since he received the news of the British invasion, shook hands around, he didn't ignore Abner grinning from atop the driver’s seat. Hidden behind the bushes across the street, Colonel Proudfoot, both eyes swollen and blackened, gritted his teeth as he watched, his hands were compressed into fists. It wasn't until they were halfway back to Baltimore that Yacov discovered that the rolled up painting of George Washington and the "copy" of the Declaration of Independence had been hidden under the coach's cushions.
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About the Book
EMPTY BARREL
About the Author
Grayson is an increasingly crusty curmudgeon who loves his wife, enjoys his grandkids, along with fishing, skeet shooting, dog training, furniture making, and desperation to grow the largest pumpkin in the world. The family lives on a hilltop in Northeastern Ohio with three Bouviers des Flandres, sixteen cats, and a crossbred flock of Bantam/Fighting chickens.