een resting
his weight mainly on the left foot, shifted to the right. Moses Rogers,
whose head was bent over so as to watch his feet, now threw it so far
back that he seemed to be inspecting the ceiling. Frank alone remained
stationary.

Mr. Morton smiled at the changes elicited by his remarks, and proceeded
to give his first command.

"Heels on the same line!" he ordered.

All the boys turned their heads, and there was a noisy shuffling of
feet.

"Quit crowding, Tom Baldwin!" exclaimed Sam Rivers in an audible tone.

"Quit crowding, yourself," was the reply. "You've got more room than I,
now."

"Silence in the ranks!" said the instructor authoritatively. "Frank
Frost, I desire you to see that the boys stand at regular distances."
This was accomplished.

"Turn out your feet equally, so as to form a right angle with each
other. So."

Mr. Morton illustrated his meaning practically. This was very necessary,
as some of the boys had very confused ideas as to what was meant by a
right angle.

After some time this order was satisfactorily carried out.

"The knees must be straight. I see that some are bent, as if the weight
of the body were too much for them. Not too stiff! Rivers, yours are too
rigid. You couldn't walk a mile in that way without becoming very tired.
There, that is much better. Notice my position."

The boys, after adjusting their positions, looked at the rest to see how
they had succeeded.

"Don't look at each other," said Mr. Morton. "If you do you will be
certain to make blunders. I notice that some of you are standing with
one shoulder higher than the other. The shoulders should be square, and
the body should be erect upon the hips. Attention! So!"

"Very well. Haynes, you are trying to stand too upright. You must not
bend backward. All, incline your bodies a little forward. Frank Ingalls
is standing correctly."

"I don't think that's very soldierly," said John Haynes, who felt
mortified at being corrected, having flattered himself that he was right
and the rest were wrong.

"A soldier shouldn't be round-shouldered, or have a slouching gait,"
said the instructor quietly; "but you will find when you come to march
that the opposite extreme is attended with great inconvenience and
discomfort. Until then you must depend upon my assurance."

Mr. Morton ran his eye along the line, and observed that most of the
boys were troubled about their arms. Some allowed them to hang in stiff
rigidity