Part 18 (1/2)

”Yes, I'll lend you mine,” shouted Walter, after them. ”They're up in the play-room;--two drums, two mouth organs and a fife, and a trumpet.”

The boys waited, employing the time in preparing piles of s...o...b..a.l.l.s, and presently the girls came rus.h.i.+ng back bringing the musical instruments mentioned by Walter, and a jews-harp and accordeon beside.

These were quickly distributed and the band struck up--not one tune but several; ”Hail Columbia,” ”Yankee Doodle,” and ”Star Spangled Banner;”--having forgotten in their haste to agree upon a tune.

The music, if music it could be called--was greeted with roars of laughter, and ceased at once.

”Oh this will never do!” cried Maud; ”we must settle upon some one of the national airs. Shall it be 'Yankee Doodle'?”

”Yes,” they all said, and began again, with less discord but not keeping very good time.

Harold and his party were in the fort, a huge heap of b.a.l.l.s beside them.

”Now man your guns, my lads, and be ready to give a vigorous repulse to the approaching foe,” he said.

Chester had drawn up his men in line of battle. Max was among them.

”Wait!” he cried, ”I'm going into the fort.”

”What! going to desert in the face of the enemy?” queried Chester.

”Yes; I can't fight against that flag,” pointing to it with uplifted hand. ”Fire on the stars and stripes? _Never_! 'The flag of our Union forever!'”

”Oh is that all? Well, we're not going to fight against it, my boy; it's ours, and we're going to take it from them and carry it in triumph at the head of our column.”

”No, sir; its ours,” retorted Harold, ”and we stand ready to defend it to the last gasp. Come on; take it if you can! We dare you to do it?”

”Up then and at 'em, boys!” shouted Chester. ”Go double quick and charge right over the breast works!”

The command was instantly obeyed, the works were vigorously a.s.saulted, and as vigorously defended, s...o...b..a.l.l.s flying thick and fast in both directions.

Max leaped over the breast works and seized the flag. Harold tore it from his hands, threw him over into the snow on the outside, and replanted the flag on the top of the breast work.

Max picked himself up, ran round to the other side of the fort, and finding Harold and the other large boys among the defenders, each engaged in a hand to hand scuffle with a besieger, so that only little Walter was left to oppose him, again leaped over the barrier, seized the flag, leaped back and sped away toward the house waving it in triumph and shouting, ”Hurrah! victory is ours!”

”Not so fast young man!” shouted back Herbert, bounding over the breast works and giving chase, all the rest following, some to aid him in recovering the lost standard, the others to help Max to keep out of his reach.

Herbert was agile and fleet of foot, but so was Max. Back and forth, up and down he ran, now dodging his pursuers behind trees and shrubs, now taking a flying leap over some low obstacle, and speeding on, waving the flag above his head and shouting back derisively at those who were trying to catch him.

It was a long and exciting race, but at last he was caught; Herbert overtook him, seized him with one hand, the flag with the other.

Max wrenched himself free, but Herbert's superior strength compelled him to yield the flag after a desperate struggle to retain his hold upon it.

Then with a wild hue and cry Chester's party chased Herbert till after doubling and turning several times, he at length regained the fort and restored the flag to its place.

The next instant Harold and the rest of his command regained and reoccupied the fort, the attacking party following close at their heels, and the battle with the s...o...b..a.l.l.s recommenced with redoubled fury.

All this was witnessed with intense interest by the spectators at the windows and on the veranda; at the beginning of the chase the band forgot to play and dropping their instruments employed themselves in encouraging pursuers or pursued with clapping of hands and shouts of exultation over their exploits.

The contest was kept up for a long time, the flag taken and retaken again and again till the fort was quite demolished by the repeated a.s.saults, and the snow well trodden down all about the spot where it had stood.