Dangerous Hilarity: The Great Adventures of the Jackson Twins, Their Family and the Dogs in Their Lives, A Novel for Teens and Young Adults and All Those Who are Young at Heart. Sioux Dallas

the states, who had seceded, did so without a thought of war. The right of a state to secede had never been questioned. It was not a War of Rebellion for sovereign, independent states, co-equal cannot rebel against each other. It was a War Between The States because twenty-two non seceding states made war upon eleven seceding states to force them back into the Union. It was not until after the surrender of 1865 that secession was decided to be unconstitutional.”

      “But I thought it was fought over slavery,” Charles Bloomingdale said.

      “Oh, no,” the policeman answered. “It was never fought over slavery. The question of slavery didn’t enter into discussion until the third year of the war when Lincoln decided to use it to force the south to surrender. They overlooked the fact that there were slaves in the north in factories and homes. There were more working in the south on farms and plantations.

      And not all of the slaves were black. Some were Asians and quite a few were poor whites who owed money to the plantation owners.” He continued, “What most people don’t know is that there is an aluminum cap of the tip top of the monument with the words, ‘Laus Deo’ on it. This means Praise be to God.”

      “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go down to my horse and go on duty in the park area,” the policeman said.

      “A horse! Can I ride him?” several boys yelled.

      “Afraid not. Sorry. He’s on duty just as I am and he’s a working animal. Have a good day, fellows. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your party. Gotta go. My horse is waiting.”

      “What’s his name?”

      “What kind is he?”

      “What color is he?”

      The questions came fast and loud. “How do you know the horse is a he?” Herb laughed.

      The policeman laughed. “Yes, it’s a he. His name is Ebony Warrior - called Warrior. He’s a black Morgan stallion and is highly trained. He can walk quietly through traffic or a crowd of people and he can walk sideways and push a crowd back. There are several others out there.” With a smile and a wave of his hand over his head he turned to go down on the elevator.

      “Wait,” Herb called. “May I send some of the boys down with you? The elevator is not large enough for the entire group.”

      As some of the boys crowded in with the policeman, Herb cautioned them. “Please don’t annoy the officer with more questions. Stand right at the bottom and don’t move until I get there.”

      When Herb and the remainder of the boys reached bottom, the policeman was standing with those who had come with him. He saluted smartly, made a square turn and briskly walked to a jeep. He turned the vehicle and drove toward the stable. The boys looked after him with open admiration.

      Herb had kept a very nice surprise until last. On the bus the driver, James Richardson, listened patiently as several boys tried to tell him what they had seen. Herb called for attention. “I have made arrangements for the Senators and the Representatives from Virginia to meet with us at three-thirty this afternoon in the Capitol Building.”

      A cheer went up. The driver playfully hunched his shoulders at the noise but grinned in the rear-view mirror at the boys.

      On the way up Pennsylvania Avenue, Miguel Perez suddenly shouted. “There he is! Oh, look there he is.”

      “Who?” the boys rushed to one side of the bus. “Where?”

      Miguel could hardly speak in his excitement. The boys looked in the direction he was pointing.

      “It’s him,” Danny yelled.

      “It is he,” Herb corrected. “Oh, well.”

      “There’s the cop on his black horse,” Jacob Solomon yelled.

      “Are you sure it’s the same person?” the driver asked.

      “No,” Aaron Langley said disappointed. “It isn’t him. It isn’t even a man. It’s a woman,” he said disgustedly.

      The mounted policewoman smiled and waved at the exuberant boys as they called to her through open windows. The horse looked in their direction but went quietly on his way.

      The Congressmen had arranged to meet the boys in a room that was reserved for news interviews. The boys had studied how laws were made and bills were passed, therefore, they were able to converse intelligently with the politicians and to ask sensible questions.

      Leaving the room they were walking down a ten feet wide hall when Pat Sinaguglia gave a strangled gasp. “Is that who I think it is?” he whispered loudly. “Look.” he shakily pointed to a man coming toward them followed by several people with cameras.

      “Is it the President?” Alex blurted.

      “No, even better,” Dan Baxter spluttered tripping over his own feet and stepping on Herb’s feet as he leaped forward. “It’s Arnold Swartzie-who’s-it.”

      An embarrassed Tim spoke up. “Arnold Schwarzenegger. Hello, sir. I’m sorry. My friend didn’t mean to insult you. It’s just that we admire you so much and are impressed to see you in person.”

      “Young man, you’re surely a diplomat.” Arnold said with one of his famous smiles. Being a gentleman and one who loves children, he could understand the attention the boys were giving him. He graciously sat on the floor with his back against the wall and motioned for the boys to join him. He talked to them and listened a lot. He answered questions about his movie career, his family and his job as Governor of California. For about fifteen minutes the cameras whirred and reporters frantically made notes. Additional politicians, secretaries and other workers were drawn to the group. The reporters asked Herb for information about the group.

      Getting to his feet, Arnold smiled widely and said, “Goodbye, fellows. Have a great time and happy birthday to the twins. Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to join you on the birthday next year.” He waited patiently while the twins explained where they would be the next year. Herb was pleased that the twins seemed to be feeling better about the move. At least they were telling others about it in an enthusiastic manner.

      “Boy,” Arnold exclaimed, “that sounds like a lot of fun. I would love to go with you. Good luck to you and your family. I’d like to hear about your adventures. Bye now.” He waved to all of them and walked away with the entourage following. Ben Dyang, being a very polite boy, followed him to thank him again. The politicians, who had gathered, were as amused as Herb was embarrassed.

      “I need to apologize for taking so much time -- and all this space. Thank you for your kindness in meeting with this motley crew and thank you for your patience. I’m sure the boys enjoyed the visit as much as I did.”

      “Thank you. Thank you,” the boys called out as they trooped off.

      “We enjoyed it as much as the youngsters did, Senator Warner smiled.

      “Yes, we need to thank you. I can hardly wait to tell my own children about this,” a Congressman grinned. “It was a treat for us, too.”

      Tired, but animated, the boys boarded the bus again and later followed Herb into the Roy Rogers Beef House for dinner.

      They rode home, high with the excitement of the day, but as the miles slipped by, they began to feel sad. The day for the Jackson family to leave was so close. Subdued and sleepy boys slumped in their seats as they traveled over Key Bridge and home to Fairfax.

      Bursting into the house, the twins talked at the same time telling their mother and sister about the day. Anna was thrilled that they visited with Arnold Schwarzenegger. “It isn’t fair,” she moaned, “I would have been there all day and wouldn’t have seen anyone interesting.

      “Don’t whine, darling.” Irene put an arm around Anna. “You do and see a lot of good things and have met a lot of nice people. Boys, did you go to the White House?”

      “No, Mom,” Tim answered. “We’ve been there. We wanted