"Now, boys," said Mr. Morton, "when I say 'attention!' you must
all look at me and follow my directions implicitly. Attention and
subordination are of the first importance to a soldier. Let me
say, to begin with, that, with one exception, you are all
standing wrong."
Here there was a general shifting of positions. Robert Ingalls,
who had been standing with his feet fifteen inches apart,
suddenly brought them close together in a parallel position. Tom
Wheeler, who had been resting his weight mainly on the left foot,
shifted to the right. Moses Rogers, whose head was bent over so
as to watch his feet, now threw it so far back that he seemed to
be inspecting the ceiling. Frank alone remained stationary.
Mr. Morton smiled at the changes elicited by his remarks, and
proceeded to give his first command.
"Heels on the same line!" he ordered.
All the boys turned their heads, and there was a noisy shuffling
of feet.
"Quit crowding, Tom Baldwin!" exclaimed Sam Rivers in an audible
tone.
"Quit crowding, yourself," was the reply.
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