THE FIRST DAY ON PINE ISLAND

“Can anybody tell me where the—­er—­looking glass is”?

It was William Philander Tubbs who asked the question.  He stood in the middle of one of the tents, gazing helplessly about him.

“Beastly way to live, really now it is,” he continued.  “How is a fellow to arrange his toilet without a glass”?

“Better run down to the lake and look into the water,” suggested Sam, who occupied a cot in the tent.

“Look into the water?  Beastly!” murmured Tubbs.  “Really now, this isn’t like home, is it”? he continued.

“It suits me well enough,” went on Sam, leaping up and beginning to dress.  “You’ll get used to it before long.”

“Never, my dear boy, never!”

As Tubbs spoke he began to put on his coat, but failed to get either of his hands further than the elbows of the sleeves.

“What’s the matter with this coat”? he ejaculated.  “Well, I declare!”

“What’s up now”? asked another cadet.

“Somebody has gone and sewed up the sleeves.”

There was a roar of laughter at this.

“Mustn’t mind a little thing like that,” said Sam, and he sat down on the edge of his cot to put on his shoes.  “Great Scott, what’s this”?

He had forced his foot into one shoe and now withdrew it covered with soft soap.

“Haw! haw!” roared Tubbs.  “Rather fancy the laugh is on you now, Rover.”

“That’s a fact,” muttered Sam, and began to clean out the shoe as quickly as he could.

Several other small jokes had been played, showing that the cadets were “tuning up,” as Major Larry expressed it.

“I guess I’ll have my hands full before the week is out,” he said to Dick, in private.  “Keeping order will be no fool of a job.”

“Well, you must remember that you liked to have your fling too, when you were a private, major,” answered the captain of Company A.

The cooking detail were already preparing breakfast and the aroma of hot coffee floated throughout the camp.  Immediately after roll-call breakfast was served, of fruit, fish, eggs, bread, and coffee, and the cadets pitched in with a will.

“Gives one an appetite to live out in the open,” said Lieutenant Tom.

“As if you didn’t carry your appetite with you wherever you go,” grinned Sam.

“Silence, Private Rover, or I’ll fine you half a day’s pay,” flung back Tom with a similar grin.

“My, but we are some pumpkins,” went on Sam, squaring his shoulders.  “Wonder how soon we’ll get to be a general.”

“Perhaps at the next general election,” suggested George Granbury.

“Lieutenant Granbury is fined a peanut for punning,” said Tom severely.  “Don’t do it again and the fine will be remitted.”

“That’s a fine way to do,” murmured George, and then Sam shied a tin plate at him.

As soon as the meal was over there was a drill lasting half an hour, and then the cadets were permitted to do as they pleased until noon.  Some went boating, some fishing, while others took a swim, or simply “knocked around” as Sam ex-pressed it.