"Called and chosen, called and chosen," replied One a Maker of prayers, "God hath indeed given unto him great talents."

"The Bamboozle prospereth indeed," said Mak Tinley, and tipping the wink to the Monstrous Fleas, he whispered to one of the nearest of them, whose name was Shikago Pigsfoot, " Brother, merrily will go the Blood and Bones Mill after this."

"Yes, yes," replied Shikago Pigsfoot, "the last drop of blood shall be squeezed out of them. I am famishing to see the Mill going again, it seems an awful loss to waste a whole day when every tiny drop of blood is so precious to us; but I suppose this bamboozle is all for our ultimate good. Oh, that to-morrow were here and the Mill going!"

Then stepped forward Honest Labor, and having made obeisance to the Flag, as he had seen the flea speakers do, he spake:

"Feller dogs; this is the proudest moment of my life. Feller dogs, you mustn't expect a fine speech from me, for as I was born poor and hungry, I had to turn out at eight months old to scratch for bones to eke out the family living. Consequently, I haint had no eddication. My father, whose name was Lowly Toil, and is dead now, having been taken off early by a mysterious epidemic called 'Vacuity of the Alimentary Canal,' that was going about at that time, was always too poor to give me any eddication; but, bless the Lord, he gave me what is far better - he early planted in my youthful breast the love of country. Says he to me, says he, he says, 'Honny, this 'ere's your Country and that there's your Flag, and you'll never get such another Country with such another Flag on it, if you sarch the earth over. It's the finest Country and the finest Flag that ever was or ever will be, and don't you forget it' [Burst of applause from the fleas and dogs too.] Says I to him, says I, I says, ' Father, I never will come dark, come light, come weal, come woe, come anything, I'll never go back on my Country and my Flag.' [Tempest of cheers.]

"And I never have. This is God's country. [Cheers from the fleas.] It is a free country. [Cheers.] It is the poor dog's country. [Cheers on cheers from the fleas and dogs too.] Everybody says so. The foreign dogs from over the pond say so. Where will you find a country that gives the honest worker so good a living? [Immense cheering by the fleas.] Where will you find a country that gives such 'constant employment?' And pays such 'high wages?' [Cheers from the fleas, and "Aye, that's the question," from the Bamboozlers.] Where so many dogs have snug bank accounts? Where Statistics give dogs such a high Average of victuals to eat ? [Immense cheers and cries of "Hurrah for Mak Tinley."] Where there is such a wide 'diffusion of comfort and content?' [Cheers, and "Hurrah for Grandadhat."] Where will you find a country as gives such chances for poor and honest dogs to get on and come to the Great Transformation? [Great cheers.]

"Look at Carnivorous; he was poor and honest once, and now look at him. And he aint the only one. Look at our Gold Jays, our Rollefeckers, our Armorses, our Makkizes, our moreover, bouud to serve seven years before he can leave his job. But here, in this free country, a dog has only got to contribute two or three toes, and is free to leave his job whenever he chooses. [Wonderful cheering.]

Bandervills, our Pimples, our Carbuncles, our Corns, our Warts, our Bunions; all poor and honest once, and non Bee what they are. I tell you, feller dogs, there never was a Country and a Flag as gave the poor and honest such grand chances to get on and become something totally different Look at our Blood and Bones Grindery! Why, I am told that if any of our free and happy Handle turners were to go over the pond, and get a job in them foreign pauper labor grinderies, they would be disgusted with the long hours and small pay. There the Monstrous Fleas actually demand that every dog give a whole leg to the hopper, before he can get a place at the Handle, and is, "Everything in this glorious country is away ahead of the old countries. Even the rags of the dogs here look more respectable than there; and as for poverty, such a thing is not known here, for if a dog have neither food, nor kennel, nor where to lay his head, he can look up and thank God that he has a Country and a Flag.

"I grind at the Handle nineteen hours a day, and I have given four toes to the hopper; but I thank God that I might be far worse off. Often I am hungry, very hungry, but I thank God that I might be hungrier. I am contented. It is the duty of dogs to be contented [applause from the Monstrous Fleas,] a dog that is always growling about his lot, is a nuisance to himself and everybody else. God don't love him, the Church don't respect him, and his employers hate him."

Here all the Bamboozlers arose and patted him on the back, and the Blatherskite turned to the assembly and said, " Behold, a model citizen. Blessed are the contented, for when they die the gates of Heaven shall swing wide open to let them in."

Continuing, Honest Labor said, "It is the duty of every dog to stick up for the country that gives him employment and keeps wages as high as they are. The only thing we have to fear, is that them foreign pauper dogs from over the pond, envious of our great prosperity, will come crowding over here, and tempt our employers to cut down our wages. But I am convinced that all our eminent, wealthy and Monstrous Fleas, led on and sustained by such friends of ours as Carnivorous, Phrique, Mak Tinley, Dephool Flea, Webbfoot, and others, would make a tremendous fight against that temptation before they would yield. Therefore, I say, three times three cheers for our Country, our Institutions, and our Flag, the freest, finest and grandest in the world."

The burst of applause that followed this simple eloquence was deafening. The wind and bang instruments struck up, the dogs ranted and raved, the Bamboozling Committee stood on their heads with delight and all the fleas beamed with silent ecstasy.