glances of admiration were
shot at the beaming accused. "But you ought to remember the name of the
town where your naturalization papers were afterwards sent."

"But I was a citizen from the moment I made my declaration," said the
stranger smiling, and looking triumphantly at his admirers, "and I could
vote!"

The inspector, since he had come to grief over American geographical
nomenclature, was grimly taciturn. The consul, however, was by no means
certain of his victory. His alleged fellow citizen was too encyclopaedic
in his knowledge: a clever youth might have crammed for this with a
textbook, but then he did not LOOK at all clever; indeed, he had rather
the stupidity of the mythological subject he represented. "Leave him
with me," said the consul. The inspector handed him a precis of the
case. The cherub's name was Karl Schwartz, an orphan, missing from
Schlachtstadt since the age of twelve. Relations not living, or in
emigration. Identity established by prisoner's admission and record.

"Now, Karl," said the consul cheerfully, as the door of his private
office closed upon them, "what is your little game? Have you EVER had
any papers? And if you were clever enough to study the map of New York
State, why weren't you clever enough to see that it wouldn't stand you
in place of your papers?"

"Dot's joost it," said Karl in English; "but you see dot if I haf
declairet mine intention of begomming a citizen, it's all the same,
don't it?"

"By no means, for you seem to have no evidence of the DECLARATION; no
papers at all."

"Zo!" said Karl. Nevertheless, he pushed his small, rosy,
pickled-pig's-feet of fingers through his fleecy curls and beamed
pleasantly at the consul. "Dot's vot's der matter," he said, as if
taking a kindly interest in some private trouble of the consul's. "Dot's
vere you vos, eh?"

The consul looked steadily at him for a moment. Such stupidity was by
no means phenomenal, nor at all inconsistent with his appearance. "And,"
continued the consul gravely, "I must tell you that, unless you have
other proofs than you have shown, it will be my duty to give you up to
the authorities."

"Dot means I shall serve my time, eh?" said Karl, with an unchanged
smile.

"Exactly so," returned the consul.

"Zo!" said karl. "Dese town--dose Schlachtstadt--is fine town, eh? Fine
vomens. Goot men. Und beer und sausage. Blenty to eat and drink, eh?
Und," looking around the room, "you and te poys haf a gay time