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 four world powers—pardon me, five." He turned to wink at the distant Stars and Stripes. "No; filled with a war-ship belonging to a world power, and many war-ships belonging to four harpies. When I think that there may be a big war, with thousands of men killed and blown to pieces, why it gives me food for reflection. And when I think that one man from Ohio and one man from New York and one man from Pennsylvania—that's me—could buy the whole damned thing and declare dividends on it—why, that's food for laughter; but when I think that it'll be a whole month or more before I can buy a good piece of beefsteak—why, that's food for tears."

The man embraced all those regions lying to the west with a wave of the hand. With the other hand he felt of his ribs.

"Never again," said he, and he hummed from the "Pilot Boy":