n't afford to disturb the peace of the whole nation
by creating hard feelings in every village and hamlet, that will finally
end, not only with the utter ruin of our paper, but in riots and
rebellion and government interference, if not in one mighty civil war
and the total destruction of the whole English-speaking world!"

Perner's old manner--the manner in which he had set forth the scheme on
the night of the golden dinner--had returned to him. It had returned,
but with a difference: then he had been painting the glories of the
plan; now he was depicting its horrors. The ten years' business
experience had wallowed through a cloudland of dreams, but had
materialized in very harsh daylight at last. As for Van Dorn and
Livingstone, they sat gloomily silent. The Colonel was first to express
himself. He said:

"I hardly think we need to disturb ourselves so seriously. At the rate
the replies are coming I should say that there is no immediate danger of
upsetting the universe with our plans. We have received a number, it is
true, but unless there is a marked increase to-morrow, I may safely
reduce my force of assistants by one half."

"You don't think, then, we'll get a hundred thousand lists of twenty
names each in reply to our 'cash for names' advertisement?" Perner
asked--somewhat relieved, it would seem.

"I don't think we'll get to exceed _five_ thousand."

In fact, they received somewhat less than one thousand, and the original
twenty thousand papers were found sufficient. These, though paid for
with some degrees of promptness, were not immediately forthcoming. It is
the printer's way. The "man with his sleeves rolled up" does not hasten
in the process of "wiping his hands on the cheerless towel" even after
the requested check has been received and cashed. Though pleaded for,
argued for, demanded at last violently, the "first round of the first
issue" did not arrive until the morning of the 24th, at which time
Colonel Hazard put on sufficient force to dispose of them in one day.

And so the "first round of the first issue" was out at last. Also, on
to-morrow their premium advertisements would appear. The dice which they
had been jingling so merrily for the better part of a year they had
cast, finally, on the round green table of the world.

XVI

AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW

They were elated to find a subscription in the big mail-box on the
following morning; at least, Perner and Van Dorn were, and Living