THE CLASS MEETING "SIZZLES"
That Sunday, save Greg, none of the cadets addressed Prescott.
Anstey, however, thought up a new way of getting around the "silence."
As he passed Dick, the Virginian winked very broadly. Other cadets
were quick to catch the idea. Wherever Dick went that Sunday he was
greeted with winks.
Monday Dick was in a fever of excitement. For once he fared badly
in his marks won in the section rooms.
When evening came around every member of the first class, save
Prescott, hurried off to class meeting. For the first time in
many months, Greg attended.
As the cadets began to gather, excitement ran high. The room
was full of suppressed noise until President Douglass rapped sharply
for order.
Then, instantly all became as still as a church.
"Will Mr. Fullerton please take the chair?" asked the class president.
"The present presiding officer wishes the privileges of the floor."
Amid more intense silence Fullerton went forward to the chair, while
Douglass stepped softly down to the floor.
"Mr. Chairman," called Douglass.
"Mr. Douglass has the floor."
Douglass was already on his feet, of course. He plunged into
an accurate narrative of what had happened, and what he had overheard,
on Saturday night. He told it all without embellishment or flourish,
and wound up by calling attention to Jordan's plain enough desertion
from the corps.
Durville then obtained the floor. He corroborated all that the class
president had just narrated.
"May I now make a motion, sir?" demanded Durville, turning finally
toward the class president.
"Yes," nodded Cadet Douglass.
"Mr. Chairman, I move that the first class, United States Military
Academy, remove the Coventry and the silence that have been put
upon our comrade, Mr. Richard Prescott. I move that, by class
resolution, we express to him our regret for the great though
unintentional injustice that has been done Mr. Prescott during
these many months."
"I second the motion!" shouted Douglass.
It was carried amid an uproar. If there were any present who
did not wish to see Dick thus reinstated, they were wise enough
to keep their opinions to themselves.
"Mr. Chairman!" shouted another voice over the hubbub.
"Mr. Mallory," replied the chair.
"I move that Messrs. Holmes and Anstey be appointed a committee
of two to go after Mr. Prescott and to bring him here---by force,
if necessary."
Amid a good deal of laughter this motion, too, was carried. The
two more than willing messengers departed on the run.
"Mr. Chairman!"
"Mr. Douglass."
The class president rose, waving his right hand for utter silence.
Then, slowly and modestly, he said:
"I have greatly enjoyed the honor of being president of this class.
But I can no longer take pride in holding this office, for, in
common with the rest of you, I realize that I secured the honor
through a misapprehension. I therefore tender my resignation
as president of the first class."
"No, no, no!" shouted several.
"Thank you, gentlemen," replied Douglass with feeling. "I appreciate
it all, but I feel that I have no longer any right to the presidency
of the class, and I therefore resign it---renounce it! Gentlemen,
comrades, will you do me the favor of accepting my resignation at
once?"
"On account of the form in which the request is put," said Durville,
as soon as he had secured the chair's recognition, "I move that
our president's resignation be accepted in the same good faith in
which it is offered."
"Thank you, Durry, old man!" called Douglass in a low voice.
A seconder was promptly obtained. Then Chairman Fullerton put
the motion. There were cries of "too bad," but no dissenting
votes.
In the meantime Greg and Anstey all but broke down a door in their
effort to reach Dick quickly.
"Come on, old chap!" called Greg, pouncing upon his chum. "It's
all off! Savvy? We have orders to drag you to class meeting, if
force be necessary. Come on the jump!"
"Won't I, though?" cried Dick, seizing his fatigue cap and hurrying
on his uniform overcoat.
A smaller mind might have insisted on taking slowly the request
from the class that had unintentionally done him such an injustice.
But Cadet Prescott was made of broader, nobler stuff. He realized
that, without exception, the manly fellows in his class were heartily
glad to do him justice, now that they knew how blameless he had
been. Dick was as anxious to meet his class as they were to reinstate
him.
So he hurried along between the jubilant Holmes and Anstey.
The meeting had just quieted down again by the time that the three
cadets entered the room.
But in an instant Halsey was on his feet, regardless of rules of
parliamentary procedure.
"Give old ramrod the long corps yell!" he shouted.
With hardly the pause of a second it came, and never had it sounded
sweeter, truer, grander than when some hundred powerful young
throats sent forth the refrain:
_"Rah, rah, ray! Rah, rah, ray! West Point, West Point, Armee
Ray, ray, ray! U.S.M.A.!_"
_"Prescott!"_
Dick Prescott's chest began to heave, though he strove to conceal
all emotion. It was sweet, indeed, to have all this enthusiasm over
him, after he had so long been the innocent outcast of the class.
Tears shone in either eye. Ashamed to raise a hand to brush the
moisture away, Dick tried to wink them out of sight.
But Douglass, Durville and the others gave him no time to think.
They came crowding about him faster than they could reach him,
each with outstretched hand.
Little was said. Soldiers are proverbially silent, preferring
deeds to words. So, for nearly ten minutes, the handshaking proceeded.
At last Douglass, with a warning nod and several gestures, brought
the temporary chairman to his senses.
Rap! rap! rap! rang the gavel on the desk.
"The class will please come to order," called Chairman Fullerton.
"Now, gentlemen, is there any further business to come before
the class?"
"Mr. Chairman," called Douglass, "I move that we proceed to the
election of a class president."
"Second the motion," cried Durville.
The motion was carried with a rush.
"Mr. Chairman!" called the tireless ex-class president.
"Mr. Douglass."
"Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, I am going to make a mistake that
has become time honored among public speakers, that of telling
you what you already know as well as I do. This is that Mr. Prescott
ought never to have been deposed from the class presidency. I
move, therefore, sir, that we rectify our stupidity and blindness
by making Mr. Prescott once more our president. I beg, sir, to
place in nomination for the class presidency the name of Richard
Prescott, first class, U.S.M.A."
"I second the nomination, suh!" boomed out the voice of Anstey.
"Other nominations for the class presidency are in order," announced
Chairman Fullerton.
Again silence fell.
"Mr. Chairman!"
"Mr. Douglass."
"Since there are no more nominations, I move you, sir, that Mr.
Prescott be elected president of this class by acclamation."
"Sir, I second the motion," came from Durville's throat.
There was wild glee as a volley of "ayes" was fired.
"Those of a contrary mind will say 'no,'" requested the chair.
Not a "no" could be heard.
"The chair will now withdraw, after appointing Mr. Douglass, Mr.
Durville, Mr. Holmes and Mr. Anstey a committee of honor to escort
the new-old class president to the chair."
While the little procession was in motion the windowpanes rattled
more than ever, with the long corps yell for Prescott.
The instant his hand touched the gavel, Dick rapped for order.
"Gentlemen of the first class," he said quietly, "I thank you
all. Little more need be said. I am sure that mere words cannot
express my great happiness at being here. I will not deny that
I have felt the injustice of the cloud that has hung over me for
the last few months. Anyone of you would have felt it under the
same circumstances. But it is past---forgotten, and I know how
happy you all are that the truth has been discovered."
There was a moment's silence. Then Dick asked, as he had so often
done before:
"Is there any further business to come before the class meeting?"
Silence.
"A motion to adjourn is in order."
The motion was put, offered and carried. Dick Prescott stepped down
from the platform, a man restored to his birthright of esteem from
his comrades.