Part 10 (1/2)

The boys cl.u.s.tered eagerly about the carriage and a lively chat took place. The Zouaves, some blus.h.i.+ng and bashful, others frank and confident, and all desperately in love already with pretty little Jessie, related in high glee their adventures--except the celebrated court martial--and enlarged glowingly upon the all-important subject of the grand review.

Colonel Freddy, of course, played a prominent part in all this, and with his handsome face, bright eyes, and frank, gentlemanly ways, needed only those poor lost curls to be a perfect picture of a soldier. He chattered away with Miss Lucy, the second sister, and obtained her special promise that she would plead their cause with Mr. Schermerhorn in case the united pet.i.tions of the corps should fail. The young ladies did not know of Mrs. Schermerhorn's departure, but Freddy and Peter together coaxed them to come up to the house ”anyhow.” The carriage was accordingly taken into the procession, and followed it meekly to the house; the Zouaves insisting on being escort, much to the terror of the young ladies; who were in constant apprehension that the rear rank and the horses might come to kicks--not to say blows--and the embarra.s.sment of the coachman; who, as they were constantly stopping unexpectedly to turn round and talk, didn't know ”where to have them,” as the saying is.

However, they reached their destination in safety before long, and found Mr. Schermerhorn seated on the piazza. He hastened forward to meet them, with the cordial greeting of an old friend.

”Well, old bachelor,” said Miss Carlton, gayly, as the young ladies ascended the steps, ”you see we have come to visit you in state, with the military escort befitting patriotic young ladies who have four brothers on the Potomac. What has become of Madame, please?”

”Gone to Niagara and left me a 'lone lorn creetur;'” said Mr.

Schermerhorn, laughing. ”Basely deserted me when my farming couldn't be left. But how am I to account for the presence of the military, mademoiselle?”

”Really, I beg their pardons,” exclaimed Miss Carlton. ”They have come on a special deputation to you, Mr. Schermerhorn, so pray don't let us interrupt business.”

Thus apostrophised, the boys scampered eagerly up the steps; and Freddy, a little bashful, but looking as bright as a b.u.t.ton, delivered the following brief oration: ”Mr. Schermerhorn: I want--that is, the boys want--I mean we all want--to have a grand review on Sat.u.r.day, and ask our friends to look on. Will you let us do it, please?”

”Certainly, with the greatest pleasure!” replied Mr. Schermerhorn, smiling; ”but what will become of you good people when I tell you that I have just received a letter from Mrs. Schermerhorn, asking me to join her this week instead of next, and bring Peter with me.”

”Oh! father, please let me stay!” interrupted Peter; ”can't you tell ma I've joined the army for the war? We all want to stay like everything!”

”And forage for yourselves?” said his father, laughing. ”No, the army must give you up, and lose a valuable member, Master Peter; but just have the goodness to listen a moment. The review shall take place, but as the camp will have to break up on Sat.u.r.day instead of Monday, as I had intended, the performances must come off to-morrow. Does that suit your ideas?”

The boys gave a delighted consent to this arrangement, and now the only thing which dampened their enjoyment was the prospect of such a speedy end being put to their camp life. ”Confound it! what was the fun for a fellow to be poked into a stupid watering place, where he must bother to keep his hair parted down the middle, and a clean collar stiff enough to choke him on from morning till night?” as Tom indignantly remarked to George and Will the same evening. ”The fact is, this sort of thing is _the_ thing for a _man_ after all!” an opinion in which the other _men_ fully concurred.

But let us return to the piazza, where we have left the party. After a few moments more spent in chatting with Mr. Schermerhorn, it was decided to accept Colonel Freddy's polite invitation, which he gave with such a bright little bow, to inspect the camp. You may be sure it was in apple-pie order, for Jerry, who had taken the Zouaves under his special charge, insisted on their keeping it in such a state of neatness as only a soldier ever achieved. The party made an extremely picturesque group--the gay uniforms of the Zouaves, and light summer dresses of the ladies, charmingly relieved against the background of trees; while Mr.

Schermerhorn's stately six feet, and somewhat portly proportions, quite reminded one of General Scott; especially among such a small army; in which George alone quite came up to the regulation ”63 inches.”

Little Jessie ran hither and thither, surrounded by a crowd of adorers, who would have given their brightest b.u.t.tons, every ”man” of them, to be the most entertaining fellow of the corps. They showed her the battery and the stacks of s.h.i.+ning guns--made to stand up by Jerry in a wonderful fas.h.i.+on that the boys never could hope to attain--the inside 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 ”gla.s.s 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, because I might have put out my eyes.”

”Well, we must take it out in marching, then,” said Freddy, with a tremendous sigh.

”No, hold on; I'll tell you what we can do!” cried Tom, eagerly. ”I have some 'double headers' left from the Fourth; we might fire them out of the cannon; they make noise enough, I'm sure. I'll write to my mother this afternoon and get them.”