and the
price is to be fixed on a sliding scale according to your celebrity at
the time of each publication. It won't be less than a hundred dollars a
page, and may run up to a thousand. It wouldn't be fair to fix the
price ahead. If the articles run say six months, the last article might
be worth ten times as much as the first."

"Yes, it might be better written," said Sam.

"Oh, I don't mean that. But your name might be more of an ad. by
that time."

"I've never written anything to print in my life," said Sam, "and I'm
not sure I can."

"That doesn't make any difference. I'll write them for you. You might
be too modest anyhow. I can't think of a good name for the series. It
ought to be 'The Autobiography of a Hero,' or 'A Modern Washington in
the Cubapines,' or something like that. What do you think?"

"I'm sure I don't know," said Sam. "I must leave that to you. They
sound to me rather too flattering, but if you are sure that is the way
those things are always done, I won't make any objection. You might ask
Mr. Jonas. Where is he?"

"He's going on next week. He's the greatest fellow I ever saw.
Everything he touches turns to gold. He's got his grip on everything in
sight on those blessed islands already. He's scarcely started, and he
could sell out his interests there for a cold million to-day. It's
going to be a big company to grab everything. He's called it the
'Benevolent Assimilation Company, Limited'; rather a good name, I
think, tho perhaps 'Unlimited' would be nearer the truth."

"Yes," said Sam. "It shows our true purposes. I hope the Cubapinos will
rejoice when they hear the name."

"Perhaps they won't. There's no counting on those people. I'm sick of
them before I've seen them. I'm just going to tell what a lot of
skins they are when I begin writing for _The Lyre_. By the way, did you
have your photographs taken at Slowburgh?"

[Illustration: A BLOOD BROTHERHOOD
"A BIG COMPANY TO GRAB EVERYTHING ... THE 'BENEVOLENT ASSIMILATION
COMPANY, LIMITED'"]

"No," said Sam, "I forgot all about it, but I can write home about the
old ones, and I've got one in cadet uniform taken at East Point."

"Well, we mustn't forget to have you taken at St. Kisco, and we can
mail the photos to _The Lyre_, but you must be careful not to overlook
a thing like that again. The people will want to know what the hero who
saved the country looked like."

"Even if I don't do anything