"If you had been a year at West Point, you'd eat ice cream out of anything," said Magnus, "and almost with anybody. I am generally careful to keep far away on my own side, and to grow more modest as the partition wall grows thin." "But you had no money," said Mrs. Kindred. "I cannot see where you got ice cream." "Summer girl stands treat. When you see a group of fainting cadets gathered round Delmonico's, you may take your affidavit there's a summer girl inside. Why, the amount of boodle that fair creature smuggles into camp and throws around generally would set a country store up in business." "Boodle?" queried Mr. Erskine. "Contraband sweets of life, sir." "But Magnus, you said 'smuggled,'" said his mother. "Had to be smuggled, mammy, or it could never get in. Tacs would confiscate and eat it up. And it might disagree with some of 'em. Better let any number of cadets suffer from indigestion and go to the hospital than have Towser off duty for a single day." "My dear," said Mrs. Kindred, trying hard to keep a grave face, "I do not like to have you breaking rules." "Don't like it myself," said Magnus virtuously. "They should not make 'em so fragile." "If they are fragile, keep off." "Just can't, mammy. Here we've had breakfast at half past six. Then we go head over heels into math. and heels over head into tan bark; and not another regulation mouthful to be had till one o'clock. Flesh and blood can't stand it, you know. We just _have_ to have a barrel of apples handy, and a box of crackers; and any other trifles we can pick up." "A barrel of apples!" said Rose. "And 'smuggled' in! Wherever in the world do you keep them?" "You are going to be such a favourite with the Tacs next summer, I think I will not tell," said Magnus. "Poor starved boy!" said Rose. "And he has been home two whole days, and not even half a dish of ice cream, yet." "I have had all the ice I want, thank you," said Cadet Kindred, looking up at Cherry, who as I said, had been very silent while all these other girls filled the air. "_Cream_ has been scarce. Perhaps if you two would stir up some sort of stuff to-morrow, Cherry would come down and freeze it." "You shall freeze it yourself," said Violet. "Agreed--with her to help me." And laughing up at her with mischievous eyes, Magnus finished his song: "But never you trust the Summer Girl,-- Or you will find to your sorrow, That just as she smiled on Tubs to-day, She'll smile on Daddy to-morrow." XXXII LAYING FOUNDATIONS There are three short and simple words, the hardest of all to pronounce in any language, but which no man or nation that cannot utter, can claim to have arrived at manhood. Those words are, I was wrong. --JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL.