am.

"Yes, the War Department. We depend on that for our wars. Perhaps at
first that does not seem to be so useful, but----"

"Oh! but, Uncle George, surely it is the most useful of all. What could
we do without wars. Just fancy a country without wars!"

"I don't know but you're right, Sam."

"And then the Treasury Department depends a good deal on the War
Department," said Sam, in triumph, "for without the War Department and
the army it wouldn't have any pensions to pay."

"That's so."

"Papa," said Mary Jinks, who had modestly taken no part in a
conversation whose wisdom was clearly beyond her comprehension--"papa,
why didn't everybody go to the war like Mr. Reddy, and then they'd all
have pensions and nobody'd have to work."

"It's their own fault if they didn't," answered her father; "and if
some people are overworked they have only their own selves to thank for
it. I have no patience with the complaints of these socialists and
anarchists that the poor are getting poorer and the number of
unemployed increasing. In a country with pensions and war taxes and a
tariff there's no excuse for poverty at all."

"Yes," said Sam, "they could all enlist if they wanted to."

The following day was spent in driving about the country. Mr. Jinks was
obliged to visit the various centers in his Congressional district, and
he took Sam with him on one of these expeditions. The country was
beautiful in the clear, cold autumn air. The mountains stood out blue
on the horizon, and the trees were brilliant with red and yellow
leaves. Sam, however, had no eyes for these things. He was eager to
hear 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 room
crowded with the wiseacres of the place, the Bohemian, drinking element
perhaps predominating. The room was so full of smoke that, as Sam
entered, he could hardly distinguish its contents, but he saw a
confused mass of men in wooden arm-chairs tipped at every conceivable
angle, surrounding a tall round stove which was heated white hot. The
room was intensely warm and apparently totally wantin