Captain Jinks, Hero

nd Bu

to duty in some Western garrison. Gradually, however, she found herself less certain of winning whom she would. The competition of young girls some two or three years her junior became threatening. She was obliged to give up cadet officers for privates, and then first-class privates for third-class privates, as the hotel waiter had explained to Sam. At the time of Sam's arrival at the Point she was having more difficulty than ever before, and she became thoroughly frightened. She took up with Saunders because he alone came her way, but the engagement was a poor makeshift, and she could not get up any enthusiasm over it. She could hardly pretend to be in love with him, and she felt conscious that she had a foolish prejudice in favor of straight noses. What was she to do? If she was to marry at all in the army-and how could she marry anywhere else?-she must soon make up her mind. Her experience now stood her in good stead. Had she not seen these very first-class cadet off

pride, such being the proper frame of mind of a man in the upper classes. He watched the hotel sedulously to learn when Miss Hunter had made her appearance. One morning he saw her, and she smiled more distinctly than ever. He knew that his felicity was

at dress-parade, and seen clearly the officer in command, the adjutant flitting about magnificently, the band parading up and down and turning itself inside out around the towering drum-major, the line of spectators behind, the bright faces and gay parasols, and among them the black eyes of Marian looking unmistakably at him. When at the end of the parade the company officers marched up to salute and the companies were dismissed, Sam saw a member of the new first class talking to her. He was now on an equality with all the cadets, and he boldly advanced and asked for an introduction. At last he had her hand in his, and as he pressed it rather harder than the occasion warranted, he felt his pressure returned. Sam's fate was sealed. He made no formal proposal, it was unnecessary. The engagement was a thing taken for granted. It was a novel experience for

ng her arms about his neck and kissing him

s he read the truth in her eyes a

ys carried as a mascot in his breast-pocket, and also the two hazin

"I am sure of it, and what a time w

One afternoon late in September he was on the way to the gate of the hotel grounds where he w

hing of importance to say to yo

m. "Miss Hunter'

orrow afternoon. I must h

am reluctantly. "If I m

ary walking alone in the woods

say to going to the

thing to go!"

o stay on account of

ould be the first

y don't

rs here. That ties us down for that time, and by

I'm sick of this place any

m. "Resign and giv

get to be captains before our hair is white, and perhaps we shan't; and then if a war breaks out we'll have volunteers young enough to be our sons made brigadiers

exclaimed Sam

share of the glory; and then they can always decently step aside when they've got enough. They needn't stay on the fighting-line, and that's a consideration. No, I'm sick of ordinary soldiering, but I'm willing to be a f

you think I'd be a ne

ly for a commission as colonel. Then you'll probably land as a major, or a captain at any rate. By the time the war is over, you'll be a general, if I know you, and then you can be appointed captain in the regular army on retiring from the vo

in which outsiders were jumped into important commands in the field, and when engagements took place the v

'll speak to Marian about it. It's

make a hero of you whether you will or not. I'll make your fortune, and you'll make mine. I'll see that you get a chance, and I k

ound, but this time it was Marian who accompanied h

ed, and the President will come to the wedding; and then we'll have our wedding tour up here, and the co

er come back at all. Who

over there in the cemetery and have a grand funeral, and I'd be in the first carriage, and the flag would be draped

o her eyes a

ancée of a hero who died fo

her in

ck and marry you. I'll write to uncle for a commission to-night, and ask his advice about resigning here either

broached the subject, both of the young men sent in their resignations, and these were accepted. Cleary left at once for the metropolis to perfect his plans, while Sam remained for a few days at the Point to bid farewell to his betrothed. His uncle had at once sent in his name to the War Department as a candidate for colonel of volunteers with letters of recommendation from the most influential men at the Capital. While Sam was still at East Point he saw in the daily paper that his name had been sent in to the Senate as captain of volunteers w

ation in the city and to

on the fixtures. It's a big thing by itself. But then besides that he's got orders to apply for street-railroad franchises wherever he can get them, and he is going to start agencies to sell typewriters and bicycles and some patent medicines, and I don't know what else. You see he wanted to represent the Consolidated Press as a sort of business agent, and T

nd the commission will go there. I'm to be in the 200th Volunteer Infantry. I don't quite understand all your plans, but

onelcy, but captain isn't bad, and we'll skip you up to general in no time. You've always wanted to be a hero,

nk you,"

to-morrow and take you in to see our

man was sitting at a desk which was almost hidden under piles of papers, letters, telegrams, and memoranda. The chairs in the

nks, glad to se

ime that he had heard his new title-a title

s now, we'd have to shut up shop in a week. When we need news nowadays we simply make it. I don't mean that we invent news-that doesn't pay in the long run; people learn your game and you lose in the end. No, I mean that we create the events that make the news. We were running short of news last

the downtrodden sufferers from Castalian misrule," interposed Sam, flushing. "That's the reason

ause of the war, as a military man, are quite correct. Indeed, if you will read

c button on his desk,

py of yester

pened it, marked an article with a dash

f the situation does great credit to your insight. That is, if I may use the term, the esoteric side of the question. It is only

h of relief. "I never quite understood

st in this line of creating the news beforehand that we want to make use

said Sam. "Ho

to distinguish yourself. Suppose you do, what good will it do, if nobody ever he

es

icity, I

dded a

n newspaper talk

ike to be advertised

me fine exploit, you wouldn't mind seeing it printed in fu

hen I should only want you

ide page and give only a stick to it, or we might let it have the whole first page here, with your portrait at the t

d I would,

fool, that's all I've got to say, and

up," said Sam. "Why do you select me instea

Notice do anything, all the press of the country have got hold of them. They've got their photographs in every possible attitude and their biographies down to the last detail, and pictures of their birthplaces and of their families and ancestors, and all the rest of it. We simply can't get ahead of them, and people are begi

d Sam solemnly. "I do intend to dis

esenting us. Several of our correspondents have made a hit already, and some of them have made themselves more famous than the generals! Ha, ha! Our head editor is going out next month, and of course w

mself on the corner of a table, was a rather short man with a bro

are things going?"

tter. I've just been

ggest financial houses in the str

army, and they were tickled to death. They'll let us have as much as we want on them. I didn't have the embalmed-beef contract with

the beer bus

his item," and he pulled a newspaper fro

n there were at this time last year! Can

eight of them. That agent I

n up at the B

e, and then we'll follow it up with five hundred thousand in English, and it will do no end of good in pushing the language. It will be ma

rifle deal

bout three-quarters of the lot. The res

m, "aren't they figh

n't alter the laws of trade, can we? And they require that things

inks has not studied political economy.

"It must be very interesting, and I'm mu

nite about concessions for trolleys and gas a

f natives already, and our people there are all right. Skinner's lawyers are at work at the cha

d not to annex

nas looked knowin

t matter, a soldier oughtn't to be. You understand, Captain, that all pro

tain

there. It would be flying in the face of Providence and doing the greatest injury to the na

her's throats where we have le

, but that they would,

Sam, and he rela

hings that we'll have to introduce there. There's the electrocution chair; look at that design. They

our things," remarked Cleary, who had been a si

dy for a hut-tax of five dollars a year. That's little enough, I should think, but some of them never see money and they'll have to work to get it. That will make th

poor to take up great public expenditu

e first things we'll provide for. They're a most primitive people. Just think of th

hink we've taken enough of your v

or. "Have you explained all th

s hotel. He is going to leave town to-day, and he may be ordered

nds with the two friends, "if I can finish up all these ar

settled down to a confidential conversation, and th