r government."

"How? Is zat posseeble?" cried the Chevalier d'Ouray, a disappointed
look coming into his face.

"Yes; it's true," nodded Jack.

"But you did not come to any terms wiz him?"

"Oh, no!"

"Ah, zen, ze coast is steel clear," cried the little Frenchman,
delightedly. "So, as to w'ere we can meet and mek ze one talk--"

"We can get that all over with, right here," Jack replied. "We can make
you the same answer that we gave the other man. We are Americans, and
would never think of serving any other flag, even in peace time.
Chevalier, I can save your time by telling you that any arrangement to
engage our services away from the United States would be utterly
hopeless."

"But ze money--" began the Frenchman, protestingly.

"There isn't money enough across the Atlantic to hire us," Jack answered,
bluntly.

"And ze honneur--"

"Honor? What would that word afterwards mean to Americans, Chevalier,
after they had left their own country to serve another?"

The Chevalier d'Ouray began to look as though he realized he had a harder
task before him than he had expected.

"So you see, sir," Jack went on, "it will not be in the least worth your
while to try to tempt us. Come what will or may, we are under the
American flag for life. You yourself, Chevalier, wouldn't leave the
French flag to serve this country, Great Britain or Germany."

"No; but zat is deeferent, for I, monsieur, am French."

"And we are American," Jack responded.

"I will leave you, now, zen, gentlemen," replied the Frenchman, in a
tone of disappointment. "But I shall not go away before to-morrow. If
you change ze mind--or weesh to hear w'at I have to mek ze offer--"

"Thank you," nodded Jack. "But don't waste any more time on us,
Chevalier. And now--good-bye!"

The Chevalier d'Ouray shook hands with them all most gallantly. Eph felt
somewhat ashamed of his late nonsense, and, to prove it, hit the
Chevalier d'Ouray a friendly slap on one shoulder that set the Frenchman
to coughing.

"Say," muttered Jack, as the three now hurried along the street, "I begin
to wish I had a good umbrella."

"Humph! You'd look great with one," retorted Hal. "You, who have stood
on the platform deck of a submarine for hours, steering unconcernedly,
when the skies were trying to drown you."

"But I feel," remonstrated Jack, "that it's soon going to rain foreign
agents. I'd like to get in out of the international wet."

"Oh, we won't see