I'm sure it'll help me."

"Nevertheless," continued the colonel, "there must be courage and
persistency as well as tactics, if battles are to be won. You
understand?"

"Yes, grandfather."

The old man turned away, but turned back again.

"A--Penfield," he said, "when you are absent from your room will you
kindly have the book in such a locality that your Aunt Millicent will
not readily discover it?"

"Yes, grandfather."

The winter weather at Chestnut Hill was not favorable for war. The
mercury lingered in the neighborhood of zero day after day. Snow
fell, drifted, settled; but did not melt. It was plain that ammunition
could not be made of such material. So the battle was delayed. But the
opposing forces nevertheless utilized the time. There were secret
drills. There were open discussions. Plans of campaign were regularly
adopted, and as regularly discarded. Yet both sides were constantly
ready.

A strange result of the situation was that there had not been better
feeling between the factions for many months. Good-natured boasts
there were, indeed. But of malice, meanness, open resentment, there
was nothing. Every one was willing to waive opportunities for
skirmishing, in anticipation of the one big battle.

It was well along in February before the weather moderated. Then, one
night, it grew warm. The next morning gray fog lay over all the
snow-fields. Rivulets of water ran in the gutters, and little pools
formed in low places everywhere. War time had at last come. Evidently
nature intended this to be the battle day. It was Saturday and there
was no session of the school.

The commander of the Hilltops called his forces together early, and a
plan of battle was definitely formed. Messengers, carrying a flag of
truce, communicated with the Riverbeds, and it was agreed that the
fight should take place that afternoon on the vacant plot in the rear
of the school building. It was thought best by the Hilltops, however,
to reconnoiter in force, and to prepare the field for the conflict.
So, sixteen strong, they went forth to the place selected for the
fray. They saw nothing of the enemy; the lot was still vacant. They
began immediately to throw up breast-works. They rolled huge snowballs
down the slightly sloping ground to the spot selected for a fort.
These snowballs were so big that, by the time they reached their
destination, it took at least a half dozen boys to put each one into
place. They squared them up,