is parents.
His mother did not like the idea of giving up her only son to such a
profession, but Colonel Jinks took kindly to the suggestion. It would
bring a little real militarism into the family and give a kind of _ex
post facto_ justification to his ancient title. "Sam, my boy," said he,
"you're a chip of the old block. You'll keep up the family tradition
and be a colonel like me. I will write to your Uncle George about it
to-morrow. He'll get you an appointment to East Point without any
trouble. Sam, I'm proud of you."

Uncle George Jinks, the only brother of the Colonel, was a member of
Congress from a distant district, who had a good deal of influence with
the Administration. The Colonel wrote to him asking for the cadetship
and rehearsing at length the young captain's unusual qualifications and
his military enthusiasm. A week later he received the answer. His
brother informed him that the request could not have come at a more
opportune moment, as he had a vacancy to fill and had been on the point
of calling a public examination of young men in his district for the
purpose of selecting a candidate; but in view of the evident fitness of
his nephew, he would alter his plans and offer him the place without
further ceremony. He wished only that Sam would do credit to the name
of Jinks.

It was on a beautiful day in June that "Cap" Jinks bade farewell to
Homeville. The family came out in front of the house, keeping back
their tears as best they could at this the first parting; but Sam, tho
he loved them well, had no room in his heart for regret. There was a
vision of glory beckoning him on which obliterated all other feelings.
The Boys' Brigade was drawn up at the side of the road and presented
arms as he drove by, and he saw in this the promise of greater things.
As he sat on the back seat of the wagon by himself behind the driver,
he took from his pocket the old original "hero," the lead officer of
his boyhood, and gazed at it smiling. "Now I am to be a real hero," he
thought, "and all the world will repeat the name of Sam Jinks and read
about his exploits." He put the toy carefully back in his breast
pocket. It had become the talisman of his life and the symbol of his
ambitions.

The long railway journey to East Point was full of interest to the
young traveler, who had never been away from home before. His mind was
full of military things, but he saw no uniforms, no arms, no