ok resounded like a real war fort under
fire.

"Ouch!" yelled Tom Mason, the first one to bum his fingers. "A sisser
caught me right on the thumb."

But such small accidents were not given much attention, and soon Tom
was lighting the little red crackers as merrily as before.

"Go on back, girls!" called Bert. "You'll get your dresses burnt if you
don't."

The girls were coming too near the battlements then, and Bert did well
to warn them off.

Freddie and Flossie were having a great time throwing their little
torpedoes at Mr. Bobbsey and Uncle Daniel, who were seated on the
piazza watching the sport. Snoop and Fluffy too came in for a scare,
for Freddie tossed a couple of torpedoes on the kitchen hearth where
the kittens were sleeping.

The boys were having such fun they could hardly be induced to come in
for breakfast, but they finally did stop long enough to eat a spare
meal.

"It's time to get ready!" whispered Nan to Bert, for the parade had
been kept secret from the grown folks.

At the girls' place of meeting, the coach house, Nan found all her
company waiting and anxious to dress.

"Just tie your scarfs loose under your left arm," ordered Captain Nan,
and the girls quickly obeyed like true cadets. The broad
red-white-and-blue bunting was very pretty over the girls' white
dresses, and indeed the "cadets" looked as if they would outdo the
"regulars" unless the boys too had surprises in store.

"Where's Nettie?" suddenly asked Nan, missing a poor little girl who
had been invited.

"She wouldn't come because she had no white dress," Mildred answered.

"Oh, what a shame; she'll be so disappointed! Besides, we need her to
make a full line," Nan said. "Just wait a minute. Lock the door after
me," and before the others knew what she was going to do, Nan ran off
to the house, got one of her own white dresses, rolled it up neatly,
and was over the fields to Nettie's house in a few minutes. When Nan
came back she brought Nettie with her, and not one of her companions
knew it was Nan's dress that Nettie wore.

Soon all the scarfs were tied and the flags arranged. Then Flossie had
to be dressed.

She wore a light blue dress with gold stars on it, and on her pretty
yellow curls she had a real Liberty crown. Then she had the cleanest,
brightest flag, and what a pretty picture she made!

"Oh, isn't she sweet!" all the girls exclaimed in admiration, and
indeed she was a little beauty in her Liberty costume.