pathy with the afflicted young
soldiers, and Dolly took up the tale again:

"Well, they needn't worry. The Government pays for it, really. They just
get a little salary each month and their expenses come out of that.
Whatever else they have their own people give them. But, anyway, it was
just lovely. If I were a boy and didn't want to be a great scientist,
like Jim does, or a banker like Monty, or--or anything else, I'd be an
army man."

"Bother what you'd be, Dolly. You're only a girl. Go on with the story,"
said impatient Leslie, while Lemuel nodded his head in satisfaction.
Talk of soldiering touched the warmest spot in the old sharpshooter's
heart. "Do hurry up."

"Why, after all, there isn't much to tell--"

"But there is," cried Molly. "About the luncheon in the church. Listen.
We went everywhere about the grounds, saw the riding-school, the
mess-room, the dancing-hall and all, a lot of places. Oh! yes, the
library, too. Then it got noon and hungry-time and we'd brought an
elegant lunch. Cold chicken and sardines and sandwiches and early
peaches--the nicest we could get, and Tom's 'leave' gave him a chance to
eat it with us. We asked him where we could and he thought a minute,
then said in the church. Aunty Lu thought that was dreadful, to eat in a
church! But Tom said it was the only place on the Point where we
wouldn't be stared at by others. Folks were everywhere else; cadets and
visitors--and oh! It was so pretty. All the white tents on the campus
and the darling boys walking about in their white--"

"Nighties?" suggested Monty, maliciously. It had been an ambition of his
own to enter the Academy; but his being under age, his size--and several
other good reasons, including his utter want of fitness in the matter of
book learning--had prevented the realization of this fine dream. His
failure had rendered him skeptical of the charms of the famous
institution, and he now always mentioned it as a place quite beneath his
own notice.

The story promised to be a long one and Lemuel thoughtfully produced a
chair and placed it for Mrs. Ford's use. Her eyes were on Leslie's
interested face and she would gladly have postponed the recital; for,
even more than the disgruntled Monty, she disliked the very name of West
Point. However, in this matter, as in many future ones, her own fancy
was to be set aside by the eagerness of her young guests. So Dorothy
went on:

"There wasn't anybody else in the church except our