ut
better than nothing. In fact, I was rather glad when this part of the
fun died out.

After this, we went into one of the big houses where the blue boys live,
and a whole lot of little, make-believe ships were shown to us, and two
Japanee boys told Mr. I. how they were worked--which would have been
interesting, only we didn't know a word of that language, nor much about
the baby-house of ships, and didn't listen to what was said in English.

Then the boys in blue and buttons went into the meadow again, and got
out a lot of small cannon, and banged, and ran in lines and squads down
to the river, as if they were awful mad with the water and meant to dam
it--dam it up, I wish you to understand, for even indirect profanity
isn't in my nature.

After this, we all went down to a great, lumbering old ship, which is
all the home these blue boys have the first year they come to the
Annapolis school, which, being a sailor institution, gives them a taste
for creeping into holes and sleeping on a yard or two of rope swung to
the ship's beams--which may be pleasant fun, but doesn't look like it.

Sisters, it was getting along in the day, and, though in a certain sense
spiritualized by genius, I was hungry. Mr. Iwakura, too, had a pitiful
look in his black eyes; but a storm of music called us from hankering
thoughts, and we all streamed, at a faster double-quick than the boys
could show, into the great dining-room of one of the big houses. A
splendid table was set out there, which we gathered round like a
half-starved regiment on training-day. Then began such a practice in
cider bottles, flying corks, and cider foaming and fizzing into glasses,
as beat all the cannon and howitzer blazings of the day--for that ended
in something, and the rest didn't.

It is astonishing what effect eating and drinking has on the feet; I
could hardly keep from dancing all the way from that dining-hall to the
other building, which is kept especially for dancing. Well, we did
dance, for the music just took one right into the midst of it, want to
or not. Besides, we hadn't been to a tomb, and nobody had been killed,
so we just went in for it. My alpaca dress isn't over long, and I wasn't
afraid of showing my feet when there was no train to tangle them up. We
danced with our bonnets and hats on--we ladies, I mean--and the way my
white feather rose and fell and fluttered over the rest was enough to
wake up the American heart in every bosom present.