ver burst a new channel for itself and
then many houses came down again.

[Illustration: SELLING DAMAGED GOODS.]

"But I am anticipating. Let us walk down to the bridge--it is not
far--for the bridge is the key to the situation. We must pass the
freight depot, for we follow the track. You see it is a busy place. You
know we have had a change of administration here, and Adjutant General
Hastings is in command. We are all heartily glad of it, too, for the
worst kind of red tapeism prevailed under the Pittsburgh regime.

"And then the deputies--a lot of brutes appointed by the Sheriff. What
an ignorant set they were. Most of them couldn't even read. They were
the only toughs in town. They had captured all the tomato cans left over
from the great flood which the Bible tells about and had cut out tin
stars to decorate themselves with. Anybody who could find a piece of tin
could be a deputy. And how they did bulldoze.

"But all this is changed now. The deputies--we called them the tin
policemen--have been bounced and the place is now guarded by the
soldiers. Business has taken the place of red tape, and General Hastings
has turned the freight depot into offices for his various departments,
for a system has been established which will reach all the victims, bury
all the dead, discover all the living and clean up the town. There is
now a central bureau, into which reports are turned, and the old
haphazard way of doing things has been swept as clean as the sand before
us. There is General Hastings' horse standing at the steps, for the
general is in the saddle most of the time, here, there, everywhere,
directing and ordering.

"Dinner! hello, dinner is ready. Now you will see how the officers at
headquarters live. You see, the table has been spread on the platform
facing the railroad tracks. Ah! there is Hastings himself--white slouch
hat, white shirt, blue flannel trousers, and boots. He looks every inch
a soldier, doesn't he? There! he is beckoning to us. What do you suppose
he wants. Oh! he wants us to dine with him. Shall we? It will be plain
fare, but as good as can be found. A dudish society reporter from
Philadelphia dropped into town the other morning. He met a brother
reporter from the same paper.

"'Oh!' he groaned. 'Where can I find a restaurant?'

"'Restaurant!' shrieked the other. 'Where do you think we are?
Restaurant! You come with me and I'll try to steal you a ham sandwich,
and you'll be mighty lucky to g