grasses.  Down came a flaming red, yellow, orange, and green print of an American farm-yard.  Up went various things.  Over the mantel-piece was suspended a picture of Abraham Lincoln, garnished with American flags, and along the mantel-piece was ranged a row of photographs, principally of young ladies, several fans coming at intervals, while about the room, on various brackets, stood more photographs, mostly feminine, and more flags, all American.  It ought to be said in fairness that, while several of the young ladies did not have at all a family look, others did, and were introduced to Aunt Stanshy as Will’s sisters.  He had a flag over his mother’s picture.  Then there was a red-hot chromo of a fire-engine, and a cool one of two white bears on a cake of ice.

“O dear, what a boarder!” said Aunt Stanshy, going into the room twenty-four hours after it had been very orderly arranged by her.  “Things are stirred up now.  It looks like a tornader.”

That was the way it generally appeared, and yet Will Somers, impulsive, careless, thoughtless, but frank, enthusiastic, generous, dashing, and honorable always, was very popular with Aunt Stanshy and Charlie.  In Charlie’s eyes he was a marvelous being.  Such wonderful fires in the city as he told Charlie about!  And then, what did Aunt Stanshy’s boarder do but join the “Cataract” engine company in Seamont!  He made a stir generally in the old place, starting a gymnasium and organizing a “reading circle,” and putting things generally in a whirl.  He had a “voice,” and he had a guitar, so that his “serenades” were famous; and he set Aunt Stanshy’s heart all in a flutter one night when, awaking about twelve, she heard his well-known voice leading off in a serenade, while he twanged his guitar to the tune, “O dearest love, do you remember?” Will Somers was popular in a very short time with every body.  In the club-circle he was the object of an open, undisguised admiration.  They quickly made him an honorary member, and he quickly set them up a “pair of bars,” put in proper position the ladder, and suspended swings, that they might practice gymnastics every day.  Every mother who had a boy in that club expected almost any day that her idol might be brought home stretched on a shutter or bundled up in a wheelbarrow.  No limb though was broken, and there were some wonderful developments of “muscle” (so the club thought).  One day the new honorary member made an offer.

“Boys, I can have the next Saturday afternoon that comes along, and Aunt Stanshy says there is a garrison-house on the other side of the river.  Come, I’ll hire a boat and take you over.”

“O good!” “Yes, we’ll go!” “Three cheers!” “Hurrah for Will Somers!” were some of the outcries greeting the proposition.

“I think, boys, all the honorary members ought to be invited.”

“Certainly,” said Sid, and Aunt Stanshy was invited.

“See me going!  The idea!” she exclaimed.