Dave Darrin"s Third Year at Annapolis.
by H. Irving Hanc.o.c.k.
CHAPTER I
WHY THE MIDSHIPMEN BALKED
"So Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton have been here?" demanded Midshipman Dave Darrin.
That handsome young member of the brigade of midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis was now in mufti, or cits,--meaning, in other words, that he was out of his Naval uniform and attired in the conventional clothing of a young American when calling on his sweetheart.
It will make the situation even clearer to the reader to explain that Dave was back in the home town, on his September leave, after just having completed his second summer practice cruise with the three upper cla.s.ses from Annapolis.
Dave was now a fine looking and "husky" second cla.s.sman. He was just a shade more than half way through his course of instruction at Annapolis.
Being back in the home town, where would Midshipman Darrin be more naturally found than in the parlor at the home of his sweetheart, Miss Belle Meade?
The first greetings had been exchanged fifteen minutes before.
Since that time the young people, being sweethearts as they were, had naturally talked about themselves.
And Dave, who, in the Naval service, was fast learning to become a good listener, had been content to have Belle do most of the talking, while he sat back watching the motions of her pretty lips and catching glimpses of two rows of pearly teeth.
But now Belle had just mentioned two of Dave"s former High School chums.
"So Tom and Harry were really here?" he repeated.
"Yes; they came up from Arizona on leave."
"I wonder why they couldn"t have remained here longer?" mused Dave.
"They both told me that they were very young in their profession as civil engineers, and that they had to spend nearly all of their time "on the job," as Tom phrased it," replied Belle.
"How did they look?" asked Dave.
"A shade older, of course, than when they were in the High School."
"Are they much taller?" asked Darrin.
"Somewhat; but they have not shot up in height, the way you and Dan, and d.i.c.k Prescott and Greg Holmes have done," Belle continued.
"Brown as berries, I suppose, after working down in the alkali deserts?" asked Dave, who felt that he could not hear enough of those dear old chums.
"Meaning Tom and Harry?" smiled Belle. "Or d.i.c.k and Greg?"
"Tom and Harry, that time, of course," laughed Dave. "But I"m waiting to hear a whole lot about d.i.c.k and Greg as well."
"No; I wouldn"t call Tom and Harry exactly as brown as berries,"
went on Belle, laughing, "for I am not acquainted with many kinds of brown berries."
"Coffee berries?" hinted Darrin.
"I would call Tom and Harry fully as bronzed as Indians," Belle ventured.
"Have you ever seen any Indians?" asked Midshipman Darrin, looking at his sweetheart rather quizzically.
"Oh, haven"t I?" laughed Belle Meade, her eyes sparkling. "We had Indians here the early part of this summer. There was a medicine show here, with Indians and cowboys, and that sort of thing. One day the Indians and cowboys got intoxicated and they went through Main Street like a tornado.
They were yelling and shooting, and had people all along the street running for cover. Even the chief of police, though he wasn"t a coward, ran into safety.
"In the midst of it all d.i.c.k Prescott, Greg Holmes, Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton came out of an ice cream parlor. Tom and Harry got a glimpse of the very Wild West looking company of yellers and shooters. Tom and Harry have seen enough Indians and cowboys to know the real thing--and that these were only poor imitations. All of a sudden Tom and Harry and d.i.c.k and Greg charged into that howling, shooting crowd and knocked them right and left. Your four old-time chums simply disarmed the "bad" ones and turned the weapons over to the chief of police."
Belle went on, describing the famous incident, while Dave leaned back, laughing heartily.
"How I wish I had been on hand! I"d like to have helped, too," he added.
"Those four youngsters didn"t need any help," laughed Belle.
"Which was the most surprised crowd--the "bad" Western outfit or the police department?" chuckled Dave.
Readers of our "WEST POINT SERIES" will find the "Wild West" scene fully narrated in "d.i.c.k PRESCOTT"S THIRD YEAR AT WEST POINT."
"Isn"t it outrageous," demanded Dave, "that the West Point and the Annapolis leave of absence should be so arranged that midshipmen and cadets who are old, old friends never get a chance to meet each other on furlough!"
"I don"t suppose," replied Belle, "that it often happens that one little city often has the honor of furnishing, at the same time, two midshipmen for Annapolis and two cadets for West Point."
"Very likely not," nodded Dave. "But it seems too bad, just the same.
What wouldn"t I give to see Tom or Harry? Or Greg or d.i.c.k? And now that I"m here d.i.c.k Prescott and Greg Holmes are but just barely gone."
"Yes; they have been but four days gone," a.s.sented Belle. "It does seem too bad that you and your West Point chums couldn"t have been one day together."
"I haven"t seen a blessed one of the good old four since I left for Annapolis, more than two years ago," muttered Dave complainingly. "What wouldn"t I give--just to see what they look like in these days?"
"Well, what would you give?" demanded Belle, rising and hesitating.
"They"ve given you their photos, then!" asked Dave Darrin guessing.
"Please be quick--let me see the photos."
Belle glided from the room, to return with a large card.
"They were taken altogether," she explained, handing the card over to Darrin. "There they are--all in one group."
Dave seized the card, studying eagerly the print mounted thereon.
"Whew! What a change two years make in a High School boy, doesn"t it?"
demanded Darrin.
"Of course," answered Belle Meade. "Do you imagine that you and Dan Dalzell haven"t changed any, either?"