Red, White, Blue Socks. Part Second

On a bright morning in camp, Colonel Freddy's Dashahed Zouaves are full of grand plans and extravagant boasts. Breakfast brings spilled coffee and a brief quarrel, while their first proper drill turns left feet and straight ranks into sources of confusion. The boys have enlisted Jerry Pike, an old soldier and household servant, to teach them the movements they are so eager to master.

Sarah L. Barrow's children's story follows the pleasures and frictions of playing soldiers together. Jerry's recollections move his young listeners, adding a quieter note to their noisy enthusiasm. Soon they are planning a grand review, hoping to gather spectators and win permission from Mr. Schermerhorn. Comic dialogue, childhood rivalries, and the boys' delight in drills and commands give this second part its character. Readers interested in older children's fiction will find a close view of friendship, imagination, and the appeal of military play.