"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 rushing 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.

The lads, too, found themselves ready to enjoy rest within doors after their continued violent exertion.

Some quiet games filled up the remainder of the morning and the afternoon. In the evening they were ready for another romp in which the girls might have a share; so Stage Coach, Blind-man's Buff, and similar games were in vogue.

They had been very merry and entirely harmonious, but at length a slight dispute arose, and Capt. Raymond, sitting in an adjoining room conversing with the older guests and members of the family, yet not inattentive to what was going on among the young folks--heard Lulu's voice raised to a higher than its ordinary key.

He rose, stepped to the communicating door, and called in a low tone, grave but kindly, "Lulu!"

"Sir," she answered, turning her face in his direction.

"Come here, daughter," he said; "I want you."

She obeyed promptly, though evidently a trifle unwillingly.

He took her hand and led her out into the hall, and on into a small reception room, bright and cheery with light and fire, but quite deserted.

"What do you want me for, papa?" she asked. "Please don't keep me long; because we were just going to begin a new game."

He took possession of an easy chair, and drawing her into his arms, and touching his lips to her cheek, "Can you not spare a few minutes to your father when your mates have had you all day?" he asked.

"Why, yes, indeed, you dear papa!" she exclaimed with a sudden change of tone, putting her arms about his neck and looking up into his face with eyes full of ardent filial affection. "How nice in you to love me well enough to want to leave the company in the parlors to give a little time to petting me!"

"I love you full well enough for that, my darling," he said, repeating his caresses, "but my call to you was because a tone in my little girl's voice told me she needed her father just at that moment."

She looked up inquiringly, then with sudden comprehension, "Oh! you thought I was in danger of getting into a pa.s.sion, and I'm afraid I was.

Papa, you are my good guardian angel, always on the watch to help me in my hard fight with my dreadful temper. Thank you very, very much!"

"You are entirely welcome, daughter," he said, softly smoothing her hair; "it could hardly be a sadder thing to you than to me, should that enemy of yours succeed in overcoming you again. Try, dear child, to be constantly on the watch against it.

"'Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation,' Jesus said. The moment that you feel the rising of anger in your breast lift up your heart to him for strength to resist."

"I do intend to always, papa," she sighed, tightening her clasp of his neck and laying her cheek to his, "but oh it is so, so easy to forget!"

"I know it, dear child, but I can only encourage you to continue the fight with your evil nature, looking ever unto Jesus for help. Press forward in the heavenly way, and if you fall, get up again and go on with redoubled energy and determination; and you will win the victory at last; for 'in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.'

"Now, if you feel that you are safe in doing so, you may go back to your mates."

There was a very sweet expression on Lulu's face as she rejoined her mates, and her manner was gentle and subdued.

"So you've come back," remarked Sydney. "What did your papa want with you?"

"O Syd," exclaimed Rosie, "that's private, you know!"

"Oh to be sure! I beg pardon, Lu," said Sydney.

"You are quite excusable," returned Lulu pleasantly. "Papa had something to say to me, that was all," and she glanced up at him with such a loving look, as at that instant he entered the room, that no one could suspect the talk between them had been other than most pleasant.

"Well, you have come back just in time; we are going to play the game of Authors," said Herbert, beginning to distribute the cards.