"That"s all right, then," nodded Tom. "And the rest will be easier."
Twenty minutes later Dave Darrin join them.
"I"ve pa.s.sed---that part of the trial," he proclaimed.
"Then, until twelve o"clock, there"s nothing to do but go out and kill time," declared Reade.
"Twelve o"clock" repeated d.i.c.k. "You mean one o"clock."
"I mean twelve," retorted Tom, with emphasis. "At twelve you eat; you don"t gorge, but you chew and swallow something nourishing.
Then you"ll be in fit shape for the little game of the afternoon."
Both of the chums had reason to realize the weight of their debt to jovial, helpful Reade; who was banishing care and keeping their minds off their suspense. In fact time pa.s.sed quickly until it was time for d.i.c.k and Dave once more to part, to seek their separate examinations.
Just forty of the boys who wanted to go to West Point had pa.s.sed the doctors as being presumably fit in body and general health.
Twenty-seven of the Annapolis aspirants had pa.s.sed the doctors.
Already three dozen disappointed young Americans were on their way home, their dream over.
Tom Reade chose to walk over to the local High School with d.i.c.k.
Dave found his way alone to his place of examination.
d.i.c.k Prescott and the thirty-nine other aspirants were a.s.sembled in one of the cla.s.s rooms at the High School. On each desk was a supply of stationery. After the young men had been seated the examination papers in English were pa.s.sed around. This examination d.i.c.k thought absurdly easy. He finished his paper early, and read it through three times while waiting for the papers to be collected.
History was a bit harder, but d.i.c.k was not especially disturbed by it. Not quite so with geography. d.i.c.k had had no instruction in this branch since his grammar school days, and, though he had brushed up much of late on this subject, he found himself compelled to go slowly and thoughtfully. Arithmetic was not so hard; algebra a bit more puzzling.
It was after six o"clock when the examinations were finished, and all papers in. As fast as each examination was finished, however, the papers had been hurried off to the examiners and marked.
Faithful Tom was waiting as d.i.c.k came out in the throng.
"Congratulations, old fellow!" cried Reade, holding out his hand.
"You"ve pa.s.sed," announced Tom gravely.
"Why, the examiners haven"t fin-----"
"They don"t have to," snorted Tom. "I don"t have to wait for the opinions of mere examiners. You"ve pa.s.sed, and won out, I tell you. Now let"s go look for Dave."
It had been agreed that the three should meet, for supper, at the same restaurant where they had lunched. Darrin was not there yet. It was nearly seven o"clock when Dave came in, looking f.a.gged and worried.
But Tom was up on his feet in an instant, darting toward Darrin.
"Didn"t I tell you, old fellow?" demanded. Reade. "And my congratulations!"
"If you hadn"t been such a good fellow all day I might be cross,"
sighed Dave. "Whee! But those examiners certainly did turn my head inside out. Don"t you see a few corners of the brain still sloping over outside?"
"Cheer up," quoth Tom grimly. "Nothing doing. You haven"t brains enough to overflow. In fact, you"ve so few brains that I"m going to do the ordering for your supper."
"Everything I can do, now, is over with, anyway," muttered Prescott.
"So I"m going to forget my troubles and enjoy this meal."
Dave tried to, also, but he was more worried, and could not wholly banish his gloom.
Tom succeeded in making the meal drag along until about ten minutes of eight. Then he led his friends from the restaurant and down the street to the town hall.
Here, though most of the young men were already on hand, there was nothing of boisterousness. Some were quiet; others were glum.
All showed how much the result of the examinations meant to them.
But the time dragged fearfully. It was twenty minutes of nine when Congressman Spokes appeared on the platform and rapped for order. He did not have to rap twice. In the stillness that followed the Congressman"s voice sounded thunderous.
"Young gentlemen, I now have the results from all the examiners, and the averages have been made up. I am now able to announce my appointments to West Point and Annapolis."
Mr. Spokes paused an instant.
"For West Point," he announced, "My candidate will be-----Richard Prescott, of Gridley. The alternate will be-----"
But d.i.c.k Prescott didn"t catch a syllable of the alternate"s name, for his ears were buzzing. But now, for the first time, Tom Reade was most unsympathetically silent.
"For Annapolis, my candidate will be-----David Darrin, of Gridley.
The alternate-----"
Neither did Darrin hear the name of his alternate. Dave"s head was reeling. He was sure it was a dream.
"Pinch me, Tom," he begged, in a hoa.r.s.e whisper, and Reade complied---heartily.
"The young men who have won the appointments as candidates and alternates will please come to see me at once, in the anteroom,"
continued Congressman Spokes, who, however, lingered to address a few words of tactful sympathy to the eager young Americans who had tried and lost.
"Come along, now, and let"s get this over with as quickly as possible,"
grumbled Torn Reade. "This Congressman bores me."
"Bores you?" repeated Prescott, in a shocked voice. "What on earth do you mean?"
"I don"t like his nerve," a.s.serted Reade. "Here he is, giving out as if it were fresh, news that I announced two hours ago."
Congressman Spokes was waiting in the anteroom to shake hands with the winners. He congratulated the candidates most heartily, and cautioned the alternates that they also must be alert, as one or both of them might yet have a chance to pa.s.s on over the heads of the princ.i.p.al candidates.
Mr. Spokes then asked from each of the young men the name of his school princ.i.p.al, the address of his clergyman and of one business man. These were references to whom Mr. Spokes would write at once in order to inform himself that the lucky ones were young men of excellent character.
Then the Congressman wished the young men all the luck in the world, and bade them good evening, after informing them that they would hear, presently, from the Secretary of War with full instructions for West Point, and from the Secretary of the Navy for Annapolis.
"Fancy Phin Drayne pa.s.sing in his references for the character ordeal!" chuckled Tom Reade, as the three chums walked down the street.
"What time does the next train leave for Gridley?" suddenly demanded Dave.
"In twelve minutes," answered Tom, after looking at his watch.
"Let"s run, then!" proposed Dave.