ide of all the
tents, and the smoke guard house (Tom couldn't help a blush as he looked
in); and finally, as a parting compliment (which, let me tell you, is
the greatest, in a boy's estimation, that can possibly be paid), Freddy
made her a present of his very largest and most gorgeous "glass agates;"
one of which was all the colors of the rainbow, and the other
patriotically adorned with the Stars and Stripes in enamel. Peter
climbed to the top of the tallest cherry tree, and brought her down a
bough at least a yard and a half long, crammed with "ox hearts;" Harry
eagerly offered to make any number of "stunning baskets" out of the
stones, and in short there never was such a belle seen before.

"Oh, a'int she jolly!" was the ruling opinion among the Zouaves. A
private remark was also circulated to the effect that "Miss Jessie was
stunningly pretty."

The young ladies at last said good-by to the camp; promising faithfully
to send all the visitors they could to the grand review, and drove off
highly entertained with their visit. Mr. Schermerhorn decided to take
the afternoon boat for the city and return early Friday morning, and the
boys, left to themselves, began to think of dinner, as it was two
o'clock. A brisk discussion was kept up all dinner time you may be sure,
concerning the event to come off on the morrow.

"I should like to know, for my part, what we do in a review," said
Jimmy, balancing his fork artistically on the end of his finger, and
looking solemnly round the table.

"Why, show off everything we know!" said Charley Spicer. "March about,
and form into ranks and columns, and all that first, then do charming
"parade rest," "'der humps!" and the rest of it; and finish off by
firing off our guns, and showing how we can't hit anything by any
possibility!"

"But these guns won't fire off!" objected Jimmy.

"Well, the cannon then!"

"But I'm sure father won't let us have any powder," said Peter
disconsolately. "You can't think how I burnt the end of my nose last
Fourth with powder! It was so sore I couldn't blow it for a week!"

The boys all burst out laughing at this dreadful disaster, and George
said, "You weren't lighting it with the end of your nose, were you?"

"No; but I was stooping over, charging one of my cannon, and I dropped
the 'punk' right in the muzzle somehow, and, would you believe it, the
nasty thing went off and burnt my nose! and father said I shouldn't play
with powder any more, be