Part 10 (2/2)

The boys couldn't help being struck with the generosity of this offer, coming from Tom after their late rather unkind treatment of him; and the older ones especially were very particular to thank him for his present.

As soon as dinner was over, he started for the house to ask Mr.

Schermerhorn to carry his message. As he hurried along the road, his bright black eyes sparkling with the happiness of doing a good action, he heard trotting steps behind him, felt an arm stealing round his neck, schoolboy fas.h.i.+on, and there was Freddy.

”I ran after you all the way,” he pantingly said. ”I want to tell you, dear Tom, how much we are obliged to you for giving us your crackers, and how sorry we are that we acted so rudely to you the other day.

Please forgive us; we all like you so much, and we would feel as mean as anything to take your present without begging pardon. George, Peter, and I feel truly ashamed of ourselves every time we think of that abominable court martial.”

”There, old fellow, don't say a word more about it!” was the hearty response; and Tom threw his arm affectionately about his companion. ”It was my fault, Freddy, and all because I was mad at poor old Jerry; how silly! I was sorry for what I said right afterward.”

”Then we are friends again?” cried Freddy, joyfully.

”Yes; I'll like you as long as I live! and ever so much longer.” And so we will leave the two on their walk to the house, and close this abominably long chapter.

CHAPTER IV.

A GRAND REVIEW.

THERE are really scarcely words enough in the dictionary properly to describe the immense amount of drill got through with by the Dashahed Zouaves between three o'clock that afternoon and twelve, noon, of the following day. This Friday afternoon was going to be memorable in history for one of the most splendid reviews on record. They almost ran poor old Jerry off his legs in their eagerness to go over every possible variety of exercise known to ”Hardee's Tactics,” and nearly dislocated their shoulder blades trying to waggle their elbows backward and forward all at once when they went at ”double quick;” at the same time keeping the other arm immovably pinioned to their sides. Then that wonderful operation of stacking the rebellious guns, which obstinately clattered down nine times and a half out of ten, had to be gone through with, and a special understanding promulgated in the corps as to when Jerry's ”'der arms!” meant ”shoulder arms,” and when ”order arms” (or bringing all the muskets down together with a bang); and, in short, there never was such a busy time seen in camp before.

Friday morning dawned, if possible, still more splendidly than any of the preceding days, with a cool, refres.h.i.+ng breeze, just enough snowy clouds in the sky to keep off the fiery summer heat in a measure, and not a headache nor a heartache among the Zouaves to mar the pleasure of the day. The review was to come off at four o'clock, when the July sun would be somewhat diminished in warmth, and from some hints that Jerry let fall, Mrs. Lockitt, and the fat cook, Mrs. Mincemeat, were holding high council up at the house, over a certain collation to be partaken of at the end of the entertainments.

As the day wore on the excitement of our friends the Zouaves increased.

They could hardly either eat their dinners, or sit down for more than a moment at a time; and when, about three o'clock, Mr. Schermerhorn entered the busy little camp, he was surrounded directly with a crowd of eager questioners, all talking at once, and making as much noise as a colony of rooks.

”Patience, patience, my good friends!” laughed Mr. Schermerhorn, holding up a finger for silence. ”Every one in turn. Tom, here are your 'double headers,' with love from your mother. Fred, I saw your father to-day, and they are all coming down to the review. George, here is a note left for you in my box at the Post Office, and Dashahed Zouaves in general--I have one piece of advice to give you. Get dressed quietly, and then sit down and rest yourselves. You will be tired out by the end of the afternoon, at all events; so don't frisk about more than you can help at present;” and Mr. Schermerhorn left the camp; while the boys, under strong pressure of Jerry, and the distant notes of a band which suddenly began to make itself heard, dressed themselves as nicely as they could, and sat down with heroic determination to wait for four o'clock.

Presently, carriages began to crunch over the gravel road one after another, filled with merry children, and not a few grown people besides.

Mr. and Mrs. Jourdain, with Bella, were among the first to arrive; and soon after the Carltons' barouche drove up. Jessie, for some unknown reason, was full of half nervous glee, and broke into innumerable little trilling laughs when any one spoke to her. A sheet of lilac note paper, folded up tight, which she held in her hand, seemed to have something to do with it, and her soft brown curls and spreading muslin skirts were in equal danger of irremediable ”mussing,” as she fidgetted about on the carriage seat, fully as restless as any of the Zouaves.

Mr. Schermerhorn received his guests on the piazza, where all the chairs in the house, one would think, were placed for the company, as the best view of the lawn was from this point. To the extreme right were the white tents of the camp, half hidden by the immense trunk of a magnificent elm, the only tree that broke the smooth expanse of the lawn. On the left a thick hawthorne hedge separated the ornamental grounds from the cultivated fields of the place, while in front the view was bounded by the blue and sparkling waters of the Sound.

Soon four o'clock struck; and, punctual to the moment, the Zouaves could be seen in the distance, forming their ranks. Jerry, in his newest suit of regimentals, bustled about here and there, and presently his voice was heard shouting, ”Are ye all ready now? SQUAD, 'SHUN! HARCH!” and to the melodious notes of ”Dixie,” performed by the band, which was stationed nearer the house, the regiment started up the lawn! Jerry marching up beside them, and occasionally uttering such mysterious mandates as, ”Easy in the centre! keep your fours in the wheel! _Steady_ now!”

Oh, what a burst of delighted applause greeted them as they neared the house! The boys hurrahed, the girls clapped their hands, ladies and gentlemen waved their hats and handkerchiefs; while the Dashahed Zouaves, too soldierly _now_ to grin, drew up in a long line, and stood like statues, without so much as winking.

And now the music died away, and everybody was as still as a mouse, while Jerry advanced to the front, and issued the preliminary order:

”To the rear--open order!” and the rear rank straightway fell back; executing, in fact, that wonderful ”tekkinapesstoth'rare” which had puzzled them so much on the first day of their drilling. Then came those other wonderful orders:

”P'_sent_ humps!

”_Der_ humps!

”Gr'_nd_ humps!”

And so on, at which the muskets flew backward and forward, up and down, with such wonderful precision. The spectators were delighted beyond measure; an enthusiastic young gentleman, with about three hairs on each side of his mustache, who belonged to the Twenty-second Regiment, declared ”It was the best drill he had seen out of his company room!” a celebrated artist, whose name I dare not tell for the world, sharpened his pencil, and broke the point off three times in his hurry, and at last produced the beautiful sketch which appears at the front of this volume; while all the little boys who were looking on, felt as if they would give every one of their new boots and gla.s.s agates to belong to the gallant Dashahed Zouaves.

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