"Oh—that's it, eh?" said the Unwiseman. "Well you'd ought to have told me that in the beginning. I didn't know the Government needed money to pay the President. I thought all it had to do was to print all it needed. Of course if the President's got to go without his money unless I help pay, I'll be only too glad to do all I can to make up the amount you're short. He earns every penny of it, and it isn't fair to make him wait for it. About how much do you need to even it up? I've only got four dollars left and I'm afraid I'll have to use a little of it myself, but what's left over you're welcome to, only I'd like the President to know I chipped in. How much does he get anyhow?"
"Seventy-five thousand dollars," said the Inspector.
"And there are 80,000,000 people in the country, ain't there?" asked the Unwiseman.
"About that?" said the Inspector.
"So that really my share comes to—say four and a quarter thousandths of a cent—that it?" demanded the Unwiseman.
"Something like that," laughed the Inspector.
"Well then," said the Unwiseman, taking a copper coin from his pocket, "here's a cent. Can you change it?"
"We don't do business that way," said the Inspector impatiently. "We examine your baggage and tax that—that's all. If you refuse to let us, we confiscate the bag, and fine you anywhere from $100 to $5000. Now what are you going to do?"
"What he says is true," said the Policeman, "and I'd advise you to save trouble by opening up the bag."
"O well of course if you say so I'll do it, but I think it's mighty funny just the same," said the Unwiseman, rising from the carpet-bag and handing it over to the Inspector. "In the first place it's not polite for an entire stranger to go snooping through a gentleman's carpet-bag. In the second place if the Secretary of the Treasury hasn't got enough money on hand when pay-day comes around he ought to state the fact in the newspapers so we citizens can hustle around and raise it for him instead of being held up for it like a highwayman, and in the third place it's very extravagant to employ a man like Mr. Maginnis here for three dollars a week or whatever he gets, just to collect four and a quarter thousandths of a cent. I don't wonder there ain't any money in the treasury if that's the way the Government does business."