Phineas Babbitt, on the contrary, had at first upheld the policy of strict neutrality.  “What business is it of ours if them furriners take to slaughterin’ themselves?” he wanted to know.  He hotly declared the Lusitania victims plaguey fools who knew what they were riskin’ when they sailed and had got just what was comin’ to ’em—­that is, he was proclaiming it when Captain Sam heard him; after that the captain issued a proclamation of his own and was proceeding to follow words with deeds.  The affair ended by mutual acquaintances leading Captain Sam from the Babbitt Hardware Company’s store, the captain rumbling like a volcano and, to follow up the simile, still emitting verbal brimstone and molten lava, while Mr. Babbitt, entrenched behind his counter, with a monkey wrench in his hand, dared his adversary to lay hands on a law-abiding citizen.

When the Kaiser and von Tirpitz issued their final ultimatum, however, and the President called America to arms, Phineas, in company with others of his breed, appeared to have experienced a change of heart.  At all events he kept his anti-war opinions to himself and, except that his hatred for the captain was more virulent than ever since the affair of the postmastership, he found little fault with the war preparations in the village, the organizing of a Home Guard, the raising of funds for a new flag and flagpole and the recruiting meeting in the town hall.

At that meeting a half dozen of Orham’s best young fellows had expressed their desire to fight for Uncle Sam.  The Orham band—­ minus its first cornet, who was himself one of the volunteers—­had serenaded them at the railway station and the Congregational minister and Lawyer Poundberry of the Board of Selectmen had made speeches.  Captain Sam Hunniwell, being called upon to say a few words, had said a few—­perhaps, considering the feelings of the minister and the feminine members of his flock present, it is well they were not more numerous.

“Good luck to you, boys,” said Captain Sam.  “I wish to the Almighty I was young enough to go with you.  And say, if you see that Kaiser anywheres afloat or ashore give him particular merry hell for me, will you?”

And then, a little later, came the news that the conscription bill had become a law and that the draft was to be a reality.  And with that news the war itself became a little more real.  And, suddenly, Phineas Babbitt, realizing that his son, Leander, was twenty-five years old and, therefore, within the limits of the draft age, became once more an ardent, if a little more careful, conscientious objector.

He discovered that the war was a profiteering enterprise engineered by capital and greed for the exploiting of labor and the common people.  Whenever he thought it safe to do so he aired these opinions and, as there were a few of what Captain Hunniwell called “yellow-backed swabs” in Orham or its neighborhood, he occasionally had sympathetic listeners.  Phineas, it is only fair to say, had never heretofore shown any marked interest in labor except to get as much of it for as little money as possible.  If his son, Leander, shared his father’s opinions, he did not express them.  In fact he said very little, working steadily in the store all day and appearing to have something on his mind.  Most people liked Leander.