n neither toiling
nor spinning, and yet how ashamed he must make them of their inferior
rainment."

"Faugh! it makes me sick to see a dunghill like that strutting around in
feathers that belong to game birds."

"O, no; no game bird ever wore such plumage as that. You must be
thinking of a peacock, or a bird-of-paradise."

"Well, then, blast it, I hate to see a peacock hatched all at once out
of a slinking, roupy, barnyard rooster."

"O, no; since circuses are out of the question now, we ought to be glad
of so good a substitute. It only needs a brass band, with some colored
posters, to be a genuine grand entry, with street parade."

Alspaugh's triumphal march had now brought him within a few feet of
them, but they continued to lounge indifferently on the musket box upon
which they had been sitting, giving a mere nod as recognition of his
presence, and showing no intention of rising to salute.

The glow of satisfaction faded from Alspaugh's horizon, and a cloud
overcast it.

"Here, you fellers," he said angrily, "why don't ye git up an' saloot?
Don't ye know your business yit?"

"What business, Jake?" asked Kent Edwards, absently, paying most
attention to a toad which had hopped out form the cover of a budock
leaf, in search of insects for his supper.

Alspaugh's face grew blacker. "The business of paying proper respect to
your officers."

"It hasn't occured to me that I am neglecting anything in that line,"
said Kent, languidly, shifting over to recline upon his left elbow, and
with his right hand gathering up a little gravel to flip at the toad;
"but maybe you are better acquainted with our business than we are."

Abe contributed to the dialogue a scornful laugh, indicative of a most
heartless disbelief in his superior officer's superior intellectuality.

The dark cloud burst in storm: "Don't you know," said Alspaugh, angry in
every fiber, "that the reggerlations say that 'when an enlisted man sees
an officer approach, he will rise and saloot, and remain standin' and
gazin' in a respectful manner until the officer passes five paces beyond
him?' Say, don't you know that?"

Kent Edwards flipped a bit of gravel with such good aim that it struck
the toad fairly on the head, who blinked his bright eyes in surprise,
and hopped back to his covert. "I am really glad," said he, "to know
that you have learned SOMETHING of the regulations. Now, don't say
another word about it until I run down to the company quarter