and pride, and telling him that until he was a father himself he could
never know the joy and happiness such a report of a son's behavior and
improvement of his opportunities could give.

"Ah," thought the boy, "I'll try harder than ever since it gives such
pleasure to my kindest and best of fathers. How glad I am to have the
chance! How thankful I ought to be! I doubt if there was ever a more
fortunate boy than myself."

Max and his room-mate, Hunt, liked each other from the first, and seldom
had the slightest disagreement.

According to the rules they took turns, week about, in keeping their
room in order, each trying to outdo his mate in the thoroughness with
which he attended to all the minutiæ of the business.

They were good-natured rivals too in other matters connected with the
course of instruction they were going through: gymnastic exercises,
fencing and boxing, and the drill called fire-quarters, in which the
whole battalion is formed into a fire-brigade, and when the fire-bell is
sounded each cadet hastens to his proper place in the troop, and the
steam fire-engine and hose-carriages belonging to the Academy are
brought out and used as they would be in case some building were in
flames and the cadets were called upon to assist in extinguishing the
blaze.

Max and his chum had become quite expert at that exercise, when one
night they were roused from sleep by the sound of the fire-bell, and
springing up and running to their window saw that a dwelling several
squares from the Academy was in flames.