Captain Jinks, Hero

wbu

who had had a far wider experience than his, he had some faint misgivings as to some of the

, as they walked away, "but you must look at the world in a bro

oubt

uld be ridiculous. They must take us for better and worse. In fact, I think we should be guilty of hypocrisy if we pretended to be be

aid Sam. "I didn

ness particularly, but the more you think of it, the more you see that it

en people have always done th

course th

t to be satisfied that you are doing the right thing. To me as a soldier it's a matter of no importance anyway, because a soldier only does what he's told, but you

your cadet uniform and your volunteer rig when you get it. Then you must let them have all your earlier photos if you can. 'Hero Jinks as an infant in arms,' 'Hero Jinks in his baby-carriage,' 'Hero Jinks as a schoolboy'-what a fine series it would make! You know what I mean. Then you must

way of doing things

in this country trusts have grown up with great difficulty, and it was hard work to establish the benefits which they produce for the public. They were fought at every step. But in the Cubapines we have a clean field, and by getting the

't trained to it; but I'm glad we're going to do good there, and if I c

t of the hotel. "Let me know what steamer you're going by as soon as you get orders, and I'll

int and was beginning to be fairly proficient. He alighted at the nearest station to Slowburgh and entered the rather shabby omnibus which was standing waiting. Sam felt lonely. There was nothing military about the station and no uniform in sight. He no longer wore a uniform himself, and the landscape was painfully civilian. Finally the horses started and the

soldier, suffering from hunger and fever and falling on the battlefield in the agony of death, who makes it possible for these fellows to spend their days in pleasant exercise in the fields. The soldier bears c

bt of his usefulness to the world. The only other occupants of the omnibus were two men-one of them a commercial traveler, an

excitement at Slowburgh?" asked Sam at last,

" said the old man; "but there is a deal o' talk a

ve in the war? How very interesting! Did you offer

ere's my pension that I drew to-day in town, twelve dollar

the commercial man. "Better'n selli

as much. There's Abe Tucker gets fifteen dollars because h

erely wounded

This is an ongrateful country. Here it is only thirty-five years after the war, and they're only

ny men in the war?"

that! I jest tell our young fellers that they'd better stay at home. Why, we've had to fight for what we've got. You wouldn't think it, but we've had to pass aro

you won't keep the young men from going. I'm going soon,

e all ready to get your pension as soon as you come back. It took me three years to straighten out mine. Then I got the back pay, of course, but I ought to have

measles, too?" a

his interrogator, but

," he said, turning to Sam. "But he doesn

ring that he might hear someth

I read about it in the Slowburgh Herald last week. I'm real glad to see you. You'r

iting officer here, in

, but he only took five of 'em, and they hain't gone yet. T

re men want to

ing. They've got up a militia battalion for them now, and 'most everybody in town's got a uniform.

n't it improve the looks of the place? It's so much

incipal hotel. The commercial traveler got out first and went into the house; the old man fo

perhead, th

bar-room door, but c

nks', come in here in the eveni

e and gently winding streets, which would have been well shaded with maples if the yellow leaves had not already begun to fall. They drove in at last through a ga

er, a young lady of Sam's age, and his youngest, a girl of seven. The former, Mary, was a tall damsel with fair hair and a d

about you, and we're expecting great things from you,"

grip. Yes, you must let me carry it. Now get ready for su

ng now. Mr. Jinks had his little girl in his lap, and they talked over family histor

Reddy. Was he drun

the day drawing hi

goes that way. It's a great system tho, that pension system. I see something of it in Whoppington when I'm attending Congress. It distributes the money of the country and circulates it among the people. I like to see the amount increase every year. It's a healthy sign. I'm trying to get some more for Reddy. It helps the county just that much. Swan, the hotel man, spends it here. I believe in protecting home industries and fostering our home market. I wish you could have heard my speech on the war-tax bill-it covered that point. My, how thi

it till I come back. It must be very different from other cities. You must feel there

to speak of; no manufacturing, no agriculture in the country round-nothing to distract your attention but the power of the Administration that lies behind all the rest. Just thin

o-morrow morning, papa?" aske

rhaps we might

e have clot

tariff that gives us our clothes by keeping all foreign cl

t-office," suggested Sa

meant. It would cause a serious d

would be no sold

verlook that. How would you like

t like it a

at's the real world there. There's the State Department where they manage all the foreign affairs of the world. What could we do without foreign affairs? And the Agricultural Dep

epartment,

that for our wars. Perhaps at first tha

ost useful of all. What could we do withou

w but you're

War Department," said Sam, in triumph, "for without the War D

t's

isdom was clearly beyond her comprehension-"papa, why didn't everybody go to the

o thank for it. I have no patience with the complaints of these socialists and anarchists that the poor are getting poorer and t

hey could all enlis

ar about the militia company, and was pleased to see several pairs of military trousers, altho they were made to do duty with civilian coats. Such for him were the incidents of the day. After supper in the evening he bethought him of old Reddy's invitation to the hotel bar-room, and thinking that he might learn more about the local military situation there, he excused himself and hied him thither. He found the r

ky voice which Sam recognized as that of old

altho he would have preferred

termined to get all the credit he could from his acquain

, and a huge quid of tobacco was concealed under his cheek. He was sitting on a chair tipped back rather beyond the danger-point, and his feet rested on th

ed in a half-cracked voice that suggested damaged l

on the other side of the stove, advance

r all we've done for 'em. It's outrageous. They're only monkeys anyway, and they ought to be shot, every mother's

in the corner, whose voice sounded familiar to Sam. He turn

think much of us if we couldn't make 'em hate us as much in a year as the Castalians could in three h

n't quite understand the great bl

ngs?" asked

endence-no, I don't mean independen

eave them alone inst

n't know what liberty is, and we must teac

ot that they can't progress like we do." Here Mr. Jackson took off his hat and wiped the beads of perspiration from his brow wi

" said some one

y squirted a mouthful of tobacco juice on the white-hot stove, where it sizzled and gradually evaporated. "We must make real men of 'em. We must give 'em o

of approval follo

information as to the warriors of the town, "I he

Davy Black, he drives the fastest horse in these parts, and Tom Slade. Where is Tom? He's generally here. They'll miss him here

d they are going to represen

said the commercial m

reflect great glory on the plac

usiness here," said a young

sked Sam. "I don

a barn in this township, there's been so many burned; and while I don't want to say noth

been proved agains

y say that Squire Jones was going to have Josh Thatcher arrested next week for his barn, bu

een much pained by the conversation. "Young men who are so p

buy chickens again next week for her chicken-yard. There was so many stolen last year that she gave up keeping t

good pension they'll be just as respectable as you or

oung men, one a slight wiry fellow, the other a large, broad-

d'?" cried the former. "Eve

f I don't. You fellows are a-goin' to civilize the Cub

crowd followed him, and soon every one

gh honorably in the Cubapines and show 'em what Slowburgh

was heart

hed officer, Captain Jinks. Lon

" exclaimed the

epublic answering their country's call. Soon we shall have the very pick of our youth collected on the shores of these ungrateful islanders who have turned against their best friends, and these misguided people will see for themselves the fruits of our civilizati

nks, which were given with a will. The only perverse spirit was that of the commercial traveler, who had sat in the cor

hile the whole company were expressing their concurrence wit