Edward L. Beach

“ Robert Drake found Farnum a formidable opponent. The latter played with an impetuosity and spirit that took no heed of possible injury, and before October first he was regularly playing on the first team, much to his satisfaction. The midshipmen of the football squad by October first had had much exercise and were pretty well hardened; most of them were old players, and in the first real game, against Lehigh, the Naval Academy team played with a dash and spirit that delighted the hearts of hundreds of midshipmen on the bleachers as well as scores of officers. ”

“ You know, sir, that midshipmen do lots of things that are not discovered; if a fellow would cheat or do anything dishonorable, none of his classmates would speak to him; but if he were to 'French' as I have done, he would not lose caste. There are many offenses here of a military nature that a midshipman might commit which would be severely punished by the authorities if he were detected, and yet at which most midshipmen would smile. Well, sir, I have never cheated nor done anything dishonorable; but I did have this disguise and 'Frenched' out in Annapolis several times with it on. ”

“ But Stonewell did not come. The moonlight faded away; the silence was broken only by the striking of bells and the monotonous call of sentries. The first gleam of dawn found Robert still wide awake, hopeless and dejected. Mechanically he prepared his room and himself for Sunday inspection. Finally reveille was sounded, the gun thundered and Bancroft Hall burst into life. Later came breakfast formation and Robert, against his inclination, had to mix with the other midshipmen.
"What's the matter, Bob?" inquired Peters, with friendly concern; "you're not looking well." ”

“ Robert felt his breath come quickly.
"What can this man be doing here?" he wondered. "I know him; he's the scoundrel who called for three groans for the superintendent and commandant."
Robert had a confused idea that the stranger might be a thief and he was wondering what he had best do, when suddenly a feeling of dismay and horror swept over him. The stranger threw off his hat, and with a quick movement of each hand unhooked from around his ears the support of what was evidently a false beard. And the merry face of Harry Blunt was revealed. ”

“ And it may be that I will want to talk something over with you later, but just at present, Bob, there is nothing I could say—you must excuse me." And with that Stonewell picked up his hat and strode from the room.
Robert was full of surprise and worry. It was plainly evident that Stonewell was under deep emotion, and just like him, he could not or would not speak of the matter that so affected him.
"I wish he would talk it over with me," thought Robert; "it always makes a fellow feel better if he tells his worries to a true friend. ”

“ First Petty Officer Peters smartly stepped off to the right of the company, Cadet Lieutenant Drake at the same time going to the company's left. Down the line could be heard shouts of different company officers, aligning their companies. And then the midshipmen of the first company heard a ringing order, not too loud, but in a tone that before the end of the year became entirely familiar to them and in which each man learned to have entire trust. ”

“ CHAPTER XVII AN ILL-FAVORED, RED-BEARDED ROGUE
"Bob, I think I've got the flag this year," remarked Cadet Lieutenant Blair, to his fellow three striper, Robert Drake; "everybody says my company is better than yours in artillery; I've an even chance with you at infantry—members of my company have had part in baseball and football games, fencing, rowing, tennis, gymnasium and all other contests. The second company, I think, will get the most points in seamanship, and I have more trained marksmen than you have. I've got you beaten, Bob, old boy." ”

“ And as an important duty of graduated midshipmen is to teach and train enlisted men, Robert, in common with the rest of his classmates, was drilled at many different things. He commanded his own company at infantry and artillery manœuvres and felt proud and important in this position, but at other times he was to be found at a forge, dirty with grime and sweat, or taking the place of a fireman at a boiler. He could now turn out a fair piece of work at the lathe, shaper, or drill-press; and he was quite at home in sailing a boat, running an engine or manipulating a twelve-inch gun turret. ”

“ You know he is in my company."
"If you find him Frenching I want you to report him," savagely rejoined Captain Blunt. "Don't have any false notions on that subject, Mr. Drake."
"That is a matter of great concern to me, captain," replied Robert in tones of anxiety. "I'd almost prefer to bilge than to report your son for a serious matter. He is a splendid fellow; everybody likes him and admires him. But he is undoubtedly reckless and careless. The great trouble to me is that he won't let me speak to him except officially. He is impatient of advice and won't listen to any from me." ”

“ I'm going to try to live right from now on, to make a point of deserving friends."
"You're all right, Harry," replied Frank Stonewell; "you just needed to get a good grip on yourself; you had the academic regulations and standards on the brain when I first met you; you were actually morbid about them. Perhaps I pushed my defiance of them a little too far when I played the last trick, but I love to dare. However, it's all a phase of life. But, I say, Bligh, look out there! What are all those midshipmen running into the station for?"
"Oh, that's Blunt and a lot of third and fourth classmen. ”

“ Frank Stonewell that I am on the square."
"What is your purpose in telling me all of this stuff, Mr. Bligh?"
"Sir, I want to get a fresh grip on myself; I hope to live a self-respecting life, to make an honorable place for myself in civil life. Can't you see, sir, that I don't want the stigma, the disgrace of dishonorable expulsion from here just as I commence civil life? Sir, [326] I request to be allowed to resign instead of being dismissed. I want a chance, sir; I've done mean things here, but even if it is the last moment, I've repented; I've done what I could to clear Mr. Blunt." ”

“ I give you fair warning that if you are caught at it you'll be kicked off the team without ceremony."
Bligh looked uncomfortable and commenced to bluster. "Who says I've broken training; just let me know who it is! Don't I play quarter well enough for you, Mister Stonewell?" he continued sneeringly.
"Blunt can take your place any time," replied Stonewell shortly. "He's playing better every day, and your playing is at a standstill. Now get busy."
"Oh, you're one of the mighty Stonewell's pets," muttered Bligh to Harry Blunt. "Your bootlicking begins to draw interest." ”

“ You have for long years been drilled in the duties of the private in the ranks, of the fireman at the furnace, of the machinist at the lathe, of the electrician at the switchboard, of the gun pointer in the turret, of the helmsman at the wheel—there is no duty that an enlisted man can be called upon to do aboard ship that you have not been drilled in at this institution. ”

“ I don't know of any more uninteresting place in the whole Academy."
"You know that our company is going to try hard to win the flag, don't you?"
"Of course we are. And so is every other company. Don't think for a minute, Bob, that you're the only cadet lieutenant who has picked out the girl who's going to present it. But what has the gun shed to do with our company winning the flag?"
"It all counts, Pete; you know part of the grand multiple each company makes is made up of its record at target practice with six-pounder guns, don't you?" ”

“ Anger must find an object, and Bligh's directed its full force upon Stonewell and Blunt. The former, so he believed, had been the cause of all of his troubles; the latter had supplanted him at football, had defeated him in a personal fight.
On that first night when the midshipmen of Bancroft Hall had been so startled by the awful cry of "Save me," Bligh had been in the basement; he heard the cries and found Farnum, out of his head, seated in the boatswain's chair at the bottom of the ventilating shaft. Bligh of course immediately knew what had happened, but he kept this knowledge to himself. ”

“ Paul Pioneer Press's' All Northwestern team for last year; I guess you'll find they know who I am out there, mister."
"We'll give you a chance to show what you can do, Mr. Henry Bligh. Now take a ball and punt for a while."
It wasn't long before Stonewell said: "That fellow knows football; he's a find. We need a good quarter and will try him for it. You can see by the way he handles the ball that he's an old hand at it. But I don't like his manners, though we'll forget that if he plays good football. He's a good deal of a brag."
"Good-morning, Mr. Drake," said a pleasant voice behind Robert. ”

“ Bligh's leaving the field was not understood by anybody but our own players. If he be put in 'coventry' or thrashed or reported or disciplined for what he did to-day the matter might leak out. West Point scouts were present watching our play, and Harvard plays Yale soon. The only thing to do is to keep absolutely mum; in this case the ends of justice and of discipline must give way to football necessities. We must keep faith with our friends of Yale."
"But is such a hound to be permitted to remain a midshipman?" burst out Harry Blunt. ”

“ Well, Bob, we'll be back here as instructors some day. Perhaps one of us may be officer-in-charge. By the way, I'm going to say good-bye to you for a couple of days. I've leave to go to Washington. I'm going to take the five o'clock train to-night and I'll be back Sunday morning at about ten o'clock."
Robert looked at his roommate with unconcealed amazement.
"Well, Stone, you'll excuse my being astonished. But for an intimate chum you are the most remarkably secretive, non-communicative, open-hearted fellow that ever lived. Why, to go to Washington is an event for a midshipman. ”

“ I was sworn in September first, and then got leave, a grandmother died and the estate had to be settled—ha, ha, ha,—any excuse would have done—but I'm going to go back to-day for football. I know something about the game, and expect to make the team from the start. My name is Henry Bligh. What are yours?"
"Young man," said Stonewell, in forbidding tones, "after you've been a midshipman for a while you will notice that other midshipmen are a bit slow in proclaiming who they are to strangers in public places. You are excused." ”

“ Drake," Captain Blunt was saying to Robert later the same day; "your feeling for your father is natural and does you credit. I was really glad to be of service to him and to you; but aside from all that, the Light House Board is glad to get your father for its chief clerk; he is just the man we need. So we are all pleased. How is my boy Harry coming along? By George! I could have sworn I saw him ahead of me on Maryland Avenue to-day; you don't think Harry is Frenching, do you?" ”

“ You are number one man in the class, the leader in Academy athletics, head and shoulders above us all. And here they've picked out a regular 'snide,' a sneak, and have given him the place that belongs to you." Robert spoke passionately; he was intensely disappointed.
"You are entirely wrong about Farnum, Bob," remarked Stonewell quietly; "he's a far [15] better man than you give him credit for. You don't understand Farnum; he'll do credit to his five stripes. I'm entirely satisfied with my four stripes; to be cadet lieutenant-commander is as much as I have any right to expect." ”

“ I've been brought up to believe a midshipman could not do a dishonorable thing and remain a midshipman; is Bligh to do a scoundrelly act and not only go unpunished but also to have the secret of it kept by us who would have been disgraced if he had succeeded in his purpose? ”

“ Now you were not on duty; no reasonable man would expect you to violate your own feelings to that extent. So cheer up, Bob; I'll tell you right now that if when I'm not on duty I find young Blunt Frenching in his father's house, I most certainly shall not report him."
To this Robert made no comment, but in his heart thought that if his roommate knew what a scoundrel Blunt was, that Stonewell would be the very first to report him. ”

“ Toward the close of the second half Annapolis had the ball seventeen yards from the Harvard goal line, and now Stonewell realized, too late, that his men were exhausted, that Harvard had better staying powers. Twice Stonewell threw the entire strength of his team against Harvard, but the latter stood the shock easily. The midshipmen were worn out. And then on the third down, Stonewell whispered to Bligh, the quarter-back, to try a goal from the field. "Our best and only hope is to tie the score," he said. ”

“ Drake," he began, "if a midshipman persists in disobedience to the commandant's orders, if he persists in refusing to answer the commandant's questions, he must be dismissed; no other action is possible. You have been asked certain questions which you have not yet answered; and by now you have had plenty of time to decide your answers. I will repeat my questions. Did you last night detect Cadet Commander Stonewell in an attempt to steal an examination?"
"Sir?" gasped Robert, a flood of joy surging through him. ”