take Sam Hodge
with us. We ought to arrive at your grandfather's place by night, Fred,
and he can come back by train."

"That's right. That's right," spoke up John quickly. "I had to steer
the Black Growler most of the time yesterday and my arms are lame."

"All the length of them?" asked George. "Why, think when John has a
pain how long he must have it."

John turned quickly upon his tormentor as he said, "That's the
thirteenth time I have heard you get off that old joke. You mustn't
take him too seriously, Miss Susie," he added, turning to the girl, who
was laughing at George 's suggestion. "You know what his nickname is,
don't you?"

"No, I cannot say that I do," replied Miss Susie.

"Well, we call him Pop."

"Why?" she inquired.

"Because he's the papa of his country. He is named for George
Washington, who is the Father of his Country, but the name doesn't go
very far."

"That's all right," spoke up George. "Up yonder where your topknot is
there's an aching void. I read the other day that Sydney Smith said
'Nature never built a man more than seven stories high without leaving
the top loft empty'."

"On the contrary," spoke up John, "all the great men have been those
who could look down on the rest of the world."

"Huh!" broke in Grant, "it will do you good to find out how much of
your statement is really true. What do you think of Caesar, Napoleon,
William of Orange, General Grant, Alexander Stephens, Alexander
Hamilton--"

"That will do, my son. That will do," said John, patting Grant upon the
head. "That is a sufficiency of information this morning. Pray desist.
In other words, shut up. If we don't stop you pretty soon you'll start
in on the matter of canals again. All the way up from New York," he
added, turning to Miss Susie as he spoke, "he has been giving us
undigested and undesirable information about the canals. He even said
that the Amsterdam Canal connected the Zuider Zee with the North Sea."

"So it does," said Grant quickly. "If you'll tell me how long that
canal is I'll buy the dinner, when we stop at Cape Vincent."

"One hundred and sixty-five miles," declared John promptly. As he
spoke, however, he glanced at his cuff on which the fact was plainly
written.

"That doesn't count," declared Grant. "No ponying in this game. Look up
into the sky, John, which isn't very far from you, and if you'll tell
me how long the Panama Canal is I'll call it square and buy the dinner."

"The--Pana