, now I'm there often, and I rather kind o' like
it. Besides, I'm ready to argue with them all day and all night, and
what more can they expect from a fighting man?

"You see, after our war I got my hand in, and couldn't stop fighting.
The Indians wouldn't do--too much throat-cutting and savagery. So I
came over here, took a fancy to the Pope, enlisted, was at Mentana,
fit there, got promoted, went home, couldn't stand it, and here I am,
back again; though how long I'm going to be here is more'n I can tell.
The fact is, I feel kind of onsettled."

"Why so?"

"Oh, it's an aggravating place, at the best."

"How?"

"There's such an everlasting waste of resources--such tarnation bad
management. Fact is, I've noted that it's always the case wherever you
trust ministers to do business. They're sure to make a mess of it.
I've known lots of cases. Why, that's always the way with us. Look at
our stock-companies of any kind, our religious societies, and our
publishing houses--wherever they get a ministerial committee, the
whole concern goes to blazes. I _know_ that. Yes, _Sir_. Now that's
the case here. Here's a fine country. Why, round this here city there's
a country, Sir, that, if properly managed, might beat any of our
prairies--and look at it.

"Then, again, they complain of poverty. Why, I can tell you, from my
own observation, that they've got enough capital locked up, lying
useless, in this here city, to regenerate it all, and put it on its
feet. This capital wants to be utilized. It's been lying too long
without paying interest. It's time that it stopped. Why, I tell you
what it is, if they were to sell out what they have here lying idle,
and realize, they'd get enough money to form an endowment fund for the
Pope and his court so big that his Holiness and every official in the
place might get salaries all round out of the interest that would
enable them to live like--well, I was going to say like princes, but
there's a lot of princes in Rome that live so shabby that the
comparison ain't worth nothing.

"Why, see here, now," continued the Baron, warming with his theme,
which seemed to be a congenial one; "just look here; see the position
of this Roman court. They can actually levy taxes on the whole world.
Voluntary contributions, Sir, are a wonderful power. Think of our
missionary societies--our Sabbath-school organizations in the States.
Think of the wealth, the activity, and the action of all our great
charit