---," added Freddy, full of laugh, and highly
enjoying the fun.

"Captin George Washington Kosciusko Peter Bonaparte Solomon Hopkins!"
said the countryman, with an awkward bow; while the boys hardly dared to
look at each other, they were so afraid of bursting out laughing at his
ridiculous name. Its fortunate possessor, nothing abashed, went on,
"But dew tell, wha--at on airth _dew_ you call yourselves?"

"These, sir," replied Freddy, as grave as a judge, though his eyes
sparkled with fun, "are the famous Dashahed Zouaves, First Regiment Long
Island Volunteers; I am the Colonel, this is Major Schermerhorn,
Captains Spicer, Chadwick, Livingston, and Boorman, Sergeant Pringle,
and Adjutant Costar."

"Oh, _light infantry_ regiment, I calculate."

"No, sir, _heavy veterans_!" put in Will Costar.

"Wal I never!" exclaimed Captin George Washington Kosciusko Peter
Bonaparte Solomon Hopkins (here the boat touched the pier of the
Flushing Railroad); "Naow mind, Kurnel Jordan, if ever your regiment
comes to Hempstead, yeou put for Captin Hopkins' farm, and if yeou don't
get the biggest lot of red apples yeou ever _did_ see, I'll be made into
apple pie myself!" and off marched the Yankee, while the boys, as soon
as he was fairly out of sight, indulged rather ungratefully in an
explosion of laughter.

Presently the boat stopped at Ravenswood, and here the old woman got
off; but before she went, she took an immense shiny hunk of gingerbread
out of the great market basket, and bestowed it on Freddy, saying,
"Here, take this, sonny; you air a dear little fellow, so like my
Sammy, too"--and the poor old woman's voice broke, and tears began to
gather under the brass-bound spectacles, as she turned to leave the
boat.

Freddy put down his cake, and ran after her, saying, "Thank you, ma'am,
thank you very much; I am sorry you are distressed."

The old woman stopped, and saying softly, "Bless you, my son!" she
kissed the bright, rosy cheek, and went away quite comforted.

Freddy wasn't ashamed either, not a bit, when they teased him afterward,
but said, "I don't care, she's a real nice old thing; now, there!"

Soon the boat ran up to the wharf at Astoria. Delighted to arrive at
their journey's end, the boys scampered off as soon as the plank touched
the shore, and "formed" on the road in fine style.

"Goodness, Peter!" exclaimed Freddy, "I hope it's not very far to your
father's place; I'm afraid I shall be melted altogether if