"I beg your pardon, sir, but your pronunciation of my name shows
that you do not quite understand the way it is divided. It is Van
der Donk, with an equal emphasis upon each syllable, not Vanderdonk,
with the accent on the first. I am most particular about the
pronunciation of the name, which is that of one of the earliest
settlers of the Hudson valley, and a very distinguished one, I may
say. I am exceedingly proud of my origin, pardonably so, perhaps,
but still most proud."

"Dr. Wise does not care anything about genealogy, Father," spoke
up Miss Margaret, daughter of the proud descendant of the Van der
Donks, "and you should not have spoken of the Academy boys as
boarding school boys. They attend a military Academy, the fame of
which is as great as that of your ancestors. Everybody along the
Hudson valley knows the Hilltop boys and any young gentleman might
be proud to be one of them."

Miss Margaret was a very pretty girl, a bit spoiled, perhaps, but
the idol of her father and the puzzle of her mother, who wished her
to be a young lady of society, and was greatly grieved because she
preferred doing something by which she could earn her living if
necessary.

"Far from saying anything against the character of the Hilltop boys,
my dear," said the father, "I must say that I find them a very fine
set of young gentlemen. Why, we have not had our lawn tramped over
by them, nor our fruit trees pilfered, nor have we suffered from
any annoyances which boarding school boys are prone to commit upon
neighbors. I am really-----"