"Unmercifully," said the Dormouse. "Not to say teetotally. They're preparing their Christmas issues in Magazine form, and that means a terrible lot of extra work. I don't believe the way things look now that the City will be able to print the money for last January's payroll until somewhere around the next Fourth of July, and if that's the case poor old Simpkins will either have to work overtime or get a half-dozen Deputy Assistant Beggars to put the town in funds. I'm expecting to have the Police put on that job at any minute." Alice was silent for a moment, and the Dormouse went on. "What do you think of the Municipal Ownership of the Police idea?" he asked. "It's fine," said Alice. "But I thought all Cities owned their police force." "A great many people think that," laughed the Dormouse. "But it isn't so." "It is in New York and Chicago--I heard my Papa say so once," said Alice. Again the Dormouse laughed. "Well," he said. "I don't want to cast any asparagus on your father's intelligence, but he's wrong. The Police may own New York and Chicago, but New York and Chicago don't own the police--not by a long shot." "Who does, then?" demanded Alice. "The Lord only knows," laughed the Dormouse. "Some people say John Doe, and other people say the Man Higher Up, but which it is, or who either of 'em may be, I haven't the slightest idea. Maybe they belong to the Copper Trust." And then with a sly wink at the little maid the Dormouse turned over and went to sleep. CHAPTER V THE MUNICIPAPHONE Armed with the Copperation Counsel's opinion authorising him to do whatever he pleased next, the Hatter decided that he would give Alice a demonstration of the workings of the Municipaphone. [Illustration: "YOU CAN TALK ALL YOU PLEASE"] "Which," said he proudly, "I consider to be the most Democraticising thing I have ever invented. You can talk all you please about Universal Brotherhood, Unlimited Sisterhood, and the Infinity of Unclehood, but all of these movements put together haven't done as much to promote the equality of everybody as that Municipaphone idea of mine." Alice thought the Cheshire Cat's grin expanded slightly as the Hatter spoke, but she was not sure, although he most assuredly did wink at her. "I should admire to see it," she said. "What is it, just?" "It is the result of the Municipal Ownership of the Telephone," returned the Hatter proudly. "We have taken over everything that works by electricity--electric lighting, the telegraph, the telephone----" "Even the thunder and lightning," interrupted the White Knight. "And under our management everything runs so smoothly that even the lightning doesn't strike any more. That's a great thing in Municipal Ownership. There aren't any more strikes under it."