"And I've seen the Chief. I've told him if his men so much as wink at a glass of beer sold to a soldier, I'll fire him. I've told him he's to run out any shady woman that shows her bleached head in this burg, and put the camp onto any boy that tries to sneak into any mischief. I'm goin' to make this town clean, Dick, so clean all these doggone camp towns around the country that are rolling up their eyes at Sabinsport's wickedness and calling attention to how good they are and rejoicing that we've got it in the neck, will sing another song. I'll show them. And what tickles me most is getting ahead of the Katcham woman. She's not going to spoil our Christmas by her mass meetin'. When the town gets up to-morrow morning, they will find that things are shut down. I have seen to it that it gets out. Everybody will know without waiting for the _Argus_, and you ought to see what's going in the _Argus_ to-morrow night. I'm letting it be known that the landlords in this town made a voluntary agreement--note that, Reverend, voluntary agreement, for the good of the army and the good of Sabinsport, not to sell another glass of beer as long as this war lasts. Don't that sound noble? Won't that shut up those neighborhoods in the State that are taking pains to say how depraved this burg is?
"I don't want you to tell anybody I had a hand in this, Reverend. Just tellin' you because I care about what _you_ think, and because I want you to know the straight goods. It's goin' to be done, and so you can stop worryin'. That's got me more than once--see you lookin' so anxious. And then there's Jack. I hate to have him know over there in France what happened Saturday night. I'm sending him the paper and along with it a copy of the agreement. That's all. I'm not going to have _his_ town disgraced again. So long, Reverend, and get some sleep. You need it."
There were tears in Dick's eyes as he wrung Mulligan's hand. "You better believe I'll sleep," he said. "Now, we'll have our festival, and I'm counting on your being there. The General and his staff are coming, and we'll have a surprise which couldn't have been sprung if it hadn't been for what you've done. You've saved Sabinsport more than once, Mulligan, but you never did it so good a turn as to-day."