Janet and Cecil giggling with happiness. Janet because she had
been sketched by him and Cecil because she has the sketch. It's a
three fourths length three feet high, and he did it in ten minutes. I
am now going to ask her to invite the chef of the Ritz in, to give us a
sketch of cooking a dinner.

DICK.

CHAPTER XVIII

MILITARY MANOEUVRES

In August, 1909, Richard and his wife left Mount Kisco for a visit to
Mr. and Mrs. Clark at Marion. While there my brother attended and
later on wrote an article on the war manoeuvres held at Middleboro,
Massachusetts.

MARION, MASSACHUSETTS.

August 16th, 1909.

DEAR MOTHER:

We had a splendid day to day. I arranged to have Cecil meet me at
eleven at Headquarters in the woods below Middleboro, and I spent the
morning locating different regiments. Then, after I "met up" with her,
I took her in my car. Both she and Hiller were awfully keen over it,
so, we got on splendidly. And, of course, Hiller's knowledge of the
country was wonderfully convenient. We had great luck in seeing the
only fight of the day, the first one of the war. Indeed, I think we
caused it. There was a troop of cavalry with a Captain who was afraid
to advance. I chided him into doing something, the umpire having
confided to me, he would mark him, if he did not. But, he did it
wrong. Anyway, he charged a barn with 36 troopers and lost every
fourth man. In real warfare he would have lost all his men and all his
horses. Cecil and Hiller pursued in the car at the very heels of the
cavalry, and I ran ahead with the bicycle scouts. It was most
exciting. I am going out again to-morrow. Lots of Love to you all.

DICK.

MARION, MASSACHUSETTS.

August 19th, 1909.

DEAR MOTHER:

I got in last night too late to write and I am sorry. To-day, the war
came to an end with our army, the Red one, with the road to Boston open
before it. Indeed, when the end came, they were fighting with their
backs to that City, and could have entered it to-night. I begged both
Bliss and Wood to send in the cavalry just for the moral effect, but
they were afraid of the feeling, that was quite strong. I had much
fun, never more, and saw all that was worth seeing. I was glad to see
I am in such good shape physically, but with the tramping I do over the
farm, it is no wonder. I could take all the stone walls at a jump,
while the others were tearing them down. I also met hundreds of men I
knew and e