"Why?" cried Violet. "You know she doesn't like to praise me to my face," said Magnus, carefully planing the aforesaid edge. "Conceited boy!" said Rose. Well, I suppose he was that, just a little; but what can happen to average masculine nature, with three such bits of the feminine to stand round and gaze at its perfections? Magnus brought his board to a nicety of straightness, tossed off the shavings, gave another toss to his brown hair--then looked up at the sweet cluster of faces in the window and laughed. "All's safe up there, so long as I stay down here," he said. The three were silent. "He is such a beauty!" said Rose under her breath. "He grows better and handsomer every day." "But we want to talk to you!" said Violet. "I can wait." "Suppose we cannot?" "Front door's open," said Magnus, falling to work with his hammer, and once more lapsing into the sweets of "Yankee Doodle." "Mother, may we tell him?" said Rose. "May we ask him how he'd like it?" "Why, yes, dear; that can do no harm," said Mrs. Kindred. So the girls went down to the woodshed, perching themselves on some hard places each side of their big brother. "Magnus, how would you like to be a soldier?" "When there's a war, you'll see." That was beginning at the wrong end; the two young faces grew suddenly grave. But, after all, there was no war then, and probably never would be, as their mother had said. "But we mean _now_," Rose went on. "How would you like to go to West Point?" "What for?" "Why, to learn to be a soldier!" said Violet impressively. Magnus laughed in high derision. "Soldiers!" he said--"Popinjays. Parrots and popinjays. There was one of those fellows at Clear Spring last summer, and he had airs enough to fly a kite with a tail a mile long." Again the two young sisters were silent. "But _you_ would not, Magnus, when you came home," said Violet. "Oh, Rose! just think of his coming home on vacation!" "And if all the rest are like that, you could be what mamma calls a 'beautiful example,'" said Rose. "I heard Cherry speak of that 'fellow,' as you call him. She said his uniform was very interesting." "Cherry doesn't care a copper for such stuff!" said Magnus hotly. "I suppose she can admire a uniform," said Rose. But to that Magnus made no reply. II MEANS TO AN END The nightingale flew away, and time flew also. --HANS ANDERSEN. Charlemagne got his appointment. In a very commonplace way, after all, like most other boys; in spite of his long name and his longer list of qualifications. Some relative knew the Congressman of the district, had done business with him in the pre-official days, and in one of the intervals of home rest after Washington fatigues, young Kindred was taken over to the dignitary's whereabouts, and presented as one who was eager to serve his country in another line. There was nothing heroic about the whole proceeding, and the man was not an ideal Congressman; but he answered the purpose.