s y equals me in the war."

"Your name is Warner and you are from Vermont," said Dick eagerly. "Why,
there was a Warner who struck hard for independence at Bennington in the
Revolution."

"That's my family," replied the youth proudly. "Seth Warner delivered
a mighty blow that helped to form this Union, and although I don't know
much except to teach school I'm going to put in a little one to help
save it. X equalled the occasion, y equalled my willingness to meet it,
and x plus y have brought me here."

Dick told who he and Whitley were, and he felt at once that he and this
long and mathematical Vermont lad were going to be friends. Whitley also
continued to look upon Warner with much favor.

"I respect anybody who can talk in mathematics as you do," he said. "Now
with me I never know what x equals an' I never know what y equals, so
if I was to get x an' y together they might land me about ten thousand
miles from where I wanted to be. But a fellow can bend too much over
books. That's what's the matter with them eyes of yours, which I notice
always have to take two looks where I take only one."

"You are undoubtedly right," replied Warner. "My relatives told me that
I needed some fresh air, and I am taking it, although the process is
attended with certain risks from bullets, swords, bayonets, cannon
balls, and shells. Still, I have made a very close mathematical
calculation. At home there is the chance of disease as well as here. At
home you may fall from a cliff, you may be drowned in a creek or river
while bathing, a tree may fall on you, a horse may throw you and break
your neck, or you may be caught in a winter storm and freeze to death.
But even if none of these things happens to you, you will die some day
anyhow. Now, my figures show me that the chance of death here in the war
is only twenty-five per cent greater than it was at home, but physical
activity and an open air continuously increase my life chances
thirty-five per cent. So, I make a net life gain of ten per cent."

Whitley put his hand upon Warner's shoulder.

"Boy," he said, "you're wonderful. I can cheer up the lads by talkin'
of the good things to come, but you can prove by arithmetic, algebra an'
every other kind of mathematics that they're bound to come. You're goin'
to be worth a lot wherever you are."

"Thanks for your encomiums. In any event we are gaining valuable
experience. Back there on the field of Bull Run I was able to
demonstrate b