[Illustration: cover]
[Illustration: _HE GLANCED AT THE WRITTEN ORDER_]
AN
ANNAPOLIS
FIRST CLASSMAN
_by_
LT. COM. EDWARD L. BEACH
U.S. NAVY
Author of
"AN ANNAPOLIS PLEBE"
"AN ANNAPOLIS YOUNGSTER"
"AN ANNAPOLIS SECOND CLASSMAN"
Illustrated by Frank T. Merrill
THE PENN PUBLISHING
COMPANY PHILADELPHIA
MCMX
[Illustration]
Introduction
This is the fourth and last book of the "Annapolis Series." It has been
the purpose of the author faithfully to portray the conditions in which
our midshipmen live at the Naval Academy. The training given at
Annapolis is regulated by the needs of the Fleet, and the Naval Academy
in all of its departments is entirely directed and controlled by
seagoing naval officers. After the Fleet's world-encircling cruise, many
of the officers attached to it were sent to the Naval Academy to
instruct midshipmen in navigation and electricity and gunnery and
seamanship.
In the navy it is believed that the officer who is fresh from drilling a
twelve-inch turret or a battery of broadside guns at record and battle
target practice, should be well qualified to initiate midshipmen in the
beginnings of naval gunnery. It is for this reason that the training at
Annapolis reflects the needs of the Fleet, and every officer on duty
there has either seen recent sea service or is looking forward to an
early sea assignment.
Stonewell and Robert Drake by name never existed, but the same thoughts
and ambitions that animate them have animated many hundreds of
midshipmen; and incidents similar to those described have happened
countless times. From this point of view these stories are true stories.
The names of their chief characters may be found in no navy list, but
the truth of the Annapolis books does not depend upon that. Stonewell
and Robert Drake have actually lived many times, and to-day are living
at Annapolis.
The author hopes he has presented in this book and its three
predecessors, "An Annapolis Plebe," "An Annapolis Youngster," and "An
Annapolis Second Classman," a fair picture of the life of American
midshipmen; and not only of the naval atmosphere which surrounds them,
but of that inner life which for the time dominates their relations to
each other and to the institution made famous as the alma mater of many
names illustrious in naval history.
EDWARD L. BEACH,
_Lieutenant-Commander, U.S. Navy_.
Contents
I. GLASSFELL, DRAKE AND STONEWELL 9
II. THE COMMANDANT OF MIDSHIPMEN 22
III. A HAPPY SURPRISE 36
IV. ACADEMY LIFE BEGINS 46
V. A MYSTERIOUS CRY 61
VI. THE GATES FORWARD PASS 77
VII. THE WEST POINT GAME 88
VIII. "THE MAN WORE A SLOUCH HAT" 101
IX. ROBERT GETS BAD NEWS 111
X. ROBERT GETS GOOD NEWS 124
XI. "THREE GROANS FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT" 133
XII. ROBERT MAKES A DISCOVERY 142
XIII. HARRY BLUNT IS REBUFFED 155
XIV. A MYSTERY SOLVED 166
XV. STONEWELL RECEIVES A LETTER 181
XVI. BLIGH MAKES A FRIEND 194
XVII. AN ILL-FAVORED, RED-BEARDED ROGUE 205
XVIII. AN OLD COLORED MAN IS IN TROUBLE 217
XIX. THE KIDNAPPERS 227
XX. SIX-POUNDER TARGET PRACTICE 237
XXI. A GOOD SHOT WITH THE SIX-POUNDER 255
XXII. GRICE APPEARS AGAIN 265
XXIII. ROBERT RESIGNS 275
XXIV. IT WAS STONEWELL 287
XXV. JOHN 15:13 298
XXVI. COMMANDER DALTON BECOMES ANGRY 305
XXVII. ROBERT FINALLY ANSWERS 320
XXVIII. "BLIGH, BLIGH, BLIGH!" 334
XXIX. THE END OF A LONG DAY 343
XXX. GRADUATION 350
Illustrations
PAGE
HE GLANCED AT THE WRITTEN ORDER _Frontispiece_
AROUND THE END 68
THE STRANGER THREW OFF HIS HAT 152
HE HALF AROSE FROM HIS SEAT 200
HE SAW TWO DARK FIGURES 272
"THAT WILL DO, GENTLEMEN" 296
IT MUST HAVE BEEN A VERY PRETTY SPEECH 355
An Annapolis First Classman
CHAPTER I
GLASSFELL, DRAKE AND STONEWELL
"Hello, Stone! Hello, Bob! By George, but I'm glad to see you!"
"Hello, Glass, you old sinner, I can just imagine you've led those dear
old aunts of yours a lively life the last two weeks."
"You'll win, Stone, but you ought to get them to tell you about it; ha,
ha, ha! the dear old ladies never dropped once."
Explosively enthusiastic greetings were exchanged between three stalwart
young men in the Union Station, Chicago, on the twentieth of September,
of the year nineteen hundred and something. Passers-by noticed them and
smiled, and in approving accents said, "College boys!" All three were
tall, broad-shouldered, bronzed in face, and possessed a lithesomeness
of movement that betokened health and strength.
Glassfell, Drake and Stonewell were midshipmen on leave from the United
States Naval Academy. It was evident that they had met in the Union
Station by appointment. Glassfell had just arrived from Wisconsin, and
Drake and Stonewell were to leave in two hours for Annapolis.
"You two chaps are martyrs!" exclaimed Glassfell; "here you are giving
up ten days of glorious leave just to go and train for the football
team. Now here I am, cheer leader, head yeller, or whatever you call me,
far more important than either of you, you'll admit, and I'm not due at
Annapolis until October first."
"'Daily News,' last edition," droned a newsboy near by.
"Don't bother me, boy; Chicago news doesn't interest me. Some new
sandbagging on Wabash Avenue, I suppose, and nothing else. Get out."
"A fine cruise, wasn't it, Glass?" remarked Robert Drake. "By George!
I'd had some troubles on my previous cruises, but this went like
clockwork; not a single thing happened to worry me, and I certainly had
troubles enough on my plebe and youngster cruises."
"You did indeed, Bob," remarked Stonewell, "but you'll have to admit you
were fortunate in the wind up. Now Glass, here----"
"'Daily News,' last edition," was shouted close to their ears.
"Stuff that boy. Put a corn-cob down his throat," said Glassfell with an
amused glance at the persistent newsboy. "Say, fellows, wasn't that a
good one I worked on old 'I mean to say'? Ha, ha, ha!"
"Which one, Glass?" asked Robert Drake.
"Oh, the best one, the time I hoisted up two red balls to the masthead
when he was on watch in charge of the deck, during drill period. And
didn't the captain give him the mischief?"
An outburst of wild hilarious laughter greeted this reminiscence, as
evidently a very humorous episode was recalled. In seagoing language two
red balls means that the ship carrying them is not under control; and at
the time referred to by Glassfell the red balls had no business to be
hoisted, and their presence brought down upon Lieutenant-Commander
Gettem, nicknamed "I mean to say" by the midshipmen, a wrathful
reprimand from his captain.
"That was pretty good, Glass," laughed Stonewell, "but you had to own
up, and got sanded well for it."
"'Daily News,' last edition!" screamed a voice interrupting the
midshipmen.
"Look here, boy, how many papers have you to sell?" inquired Glassfell.
"Twenty-five, boss; here's yours, and only one cent."
"All right. I'll buy your twenty-five papers and give you twenty-five
cents besides if you'll make a hundred yard dash for the outside. Give
me your papers; here's fifty cents."
"I'm your man, boss," cried the newsboy, handing over his papers,
grabbing the fifty-cent piece and making a tremendous bolt toward the
exit.
"He's afraid of a recall," laughed Robert. "Say, Glass, are you going to
start a wholesale newspaper business?"
"Let's see what the news of the day is," replied Glassfell, unfolding
one of the papers and laying the others down on a seat.
"Here's an alderman up for graft; a bank cashier has gone wrong; hello!
My heavens, here's a naval war-ship goes to the bottom with all on
board."
"What ship? what ship?" simultaneously cried out Stonewell and Robert,
in affrighted tones.
"The submarine boat 'Holland'! Ha, ha, ha, I got you both that time,
didn't I? You chaps will nab any bait that comes along."
All three laughed heartily. "You're an incorrigible wretch," smiled
Robert; "I shudder at the idea of spending another year with you at the
Academy." But the friendly hug that accompanied these words left no
doubt of the affection Robert bore to the jovial Glassfell.
"By George, fellows, here is an interesting item, 'New cadet officers at
the Naval----'"
"You don't sell me again to-day, Glass," grinned Robert. "You'll be
giving yourself five stripes and Stone a second class buzzard."
"Pick up a paper and read for yourself," cried out Glassfell excitedly.
"Farnum gets five stripes!" Glassfell read no further, but with an
expression of intense disgust threw the paper down and stamped on it.
Stonewell and Robert were now eagerly reading the paper. "Cadet
Commander, commanding the Brigade of Midshipmen, Farnum," read Robert.
"Cadet Lieutenant-Commanders, commanding first and second battalions,
respectively, Stonewell and Sewall; Cadet Lieutenant and Brigade
Adjutant, Ryerson. Cadet Lieutenant, commanding first company,
Blair----"
A look of blank astonishment mingled with disdain was to be seen on
Robert's face. "Well, Stone," he said, "the officers have done it again,
and I guess they can be relied upon to make chumps of themselves as
regularly as they assign the brigade officers. You should be our cadet
commander, Stone, our five striper; you know it, every midshipman in the
brigade knows it, the officers ought to know it! 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 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."
"You know why you don't get five stripes, don't you?" asked Robert
vehemently; "it's because you took French leave a year ago, and reported
yourself for it! And didn't Farnum jump ship at the same time? Only he
didn't get spotted for it. You reported yourself for the purpose of
explaining my deliberate neglect of duty last year. You were reduced to
ranks as a result and Farnum was then given your position as acting
senior cadet officer of the summer detail. If he'd had any sense of
fitness he would have reported himself rather than have accepted it;
that was only a temporary affair, however, and didn't amount to much;
but because of that same report it's outrageous that you should be
shoved out of the five stripes you've earned by a man who was equally
guilty, but didn't have the manhood to report himself when you did."
"It's rotten," remarked Glassfell. "Well, Stone, old chap," he
continued, "I'm sorry; everybody will be; we all thought you had a cinch
on five stripes. But I wouldn't be in Farnum's shoes; everybody will
know he is a fake. But as long as they didn't make Stonewell cadet
commander I'm rather surprised they didn't give the job to me."
"Look here, Bob," said Stonewell, "I have been hoping you would get
three stripes--but I'm sorry not to see you down for anything."
"That's too bad; isn't Bob down for anything?" inquired Glassfell.
"Not even for a second class buzzard, the lowest thing in cadet rank at
the Naval Academy," replied Stonewell.
"I'm sorry to hear that," remarked Glassfell, much concerned. "Bob ought
to have three stripes, anyway."
"Don't you worry, fellows," said Robert, cheerily, "I haven't expected a
thing and am not a bit disappointed. A midshipman cannot live down a
'deliberate neglect of duty' report in one year."
"Yes, Bob, I know, but I had hoped that your conduct at the fire a year
ago and that remarkable trip of yours last June would----"
"Now, Stone, please don't; you know that is not to be talked about."
"Of course, but at the same time in spite of that report you ought to
get three stripes."
"That's right," commented Glassfell. "The officers only see one side of
a midshipman's character; here I am, another martyr to their ignorance;
I'm one of the best men in the class, the band master thinks so, and
he's the grandest thing I've ever seen at Annapolis; and I'm a private
in ranks for another year. But perhaps this report isn't authentic;
let's see, the paper says that it is likely that these recommendations
will be made to the superintendent by the commandant; the former is
away, will not arrive at Annapolis for two days yet--hurrah, I may still
get five stripes."
"Stone, I still hope you may command the brigade of midshipmen our last
year," said Robert thoughtfully. "This newspaper account does not
pretend to be official; it says 'it has leaked out' that the commandant
of midshipmen's recommendation of the assignment of cadet officers of
the brigade will be so and so. Now the superintendent evidently has not
seen these recommendations, so they are not as yet finally decided upon.
Probably this newspaper list is correct in the main, but it is not
final; the superintendent is away on leave and has not yet acted; he has
not even seen the commandant's recommendations. If either the
superintendent or the commandant were to know that Farnum had been
guilty of the same offense which is now to deprive you of the five
stripes you otherwise, by every count, had earned, you would never be
set aside in favor of a man equally guilty but not so square. It's
shameful, that's what it is."
Robert boiled over with angry thoughts. Strong feelings dominated his
expressive features, and it was with difficulty that he controlled
himself. His classmate Stonewell was at once his joy and pride, and he
loved him with brotherly affection. Stonewell in his studies towered
above all of his classmates; he was the leader in athletics, captain of
the football team, and captain of the Academy crew. He was class
president and his own class and all midshipmen confidently expected he
would be cadet commander in his last year at the Naval Academy.
But Robert Drake more than wished for it. Until this moment he had not
realized how he longed for it. In the preceding three years at Annapolis
Robert had had perhaps more than his own share of troubles, and in them
all Stonewell had been to him a mountain of strength and a deep well of
affectionate wisdom.
"Farnum for our five striper! Faugh! The thought of it makes me sick!
I'll not stand for it," cried Robert.
"How can you help it, Bob?" queried Glassfell, himself much
disappointed, though not nearly so vehement as Robert.
"I'll tell you what I'm going to do," almost shouted the latter; "Stone
and I will be in Annapolis the day after to-morrow, and I'm going
straight to the commandant and convince him that he's made a big bust.
That's what I'm going to do!"
"No, you're not, Bob," said Stonewell, quietly, yet determinedly;
"you'll do nothing of the kind. The commandant isn't going to give me
five stripes just because you want me to have them. You've had some
troubles at the Academy, partly due perhaps to a sort of unrestrained
impetuosity. Sometimes you are apt to mix up in matters that other
people don't admit concern you. You'll do me more harm than good if
you're not careful; and as a friend of mine I demand you do nothing
whatever about this matter."
Robert knew that Stonewell meant exactly what he said, yet he could not
give in at once. "Look here, Stone," he doggedly maintained, "some one
ought to do this, and I'm the man. Why don't you wish me to?"
"I've given you one good reason, Bob, and I'll give you another. It
wouldn't be fair to Farnum."
"It wouldn't be fair to Farnum!" ejaculated Robert. "It wouldn't be fair
to Farnum," he again repeated, in astonished accents. "Will you please
tell me why it would be unfair to that sneak? How could it be unfair to
him for me to make a plain statement of facts to the commandant, a
statement that would prevent Farnum from being put into a high position
which is utterly undeserved?"
"I'll tell you, Bob; to begin with you've made a mistake about Farnum;
he's not at all the poor character, the sneak, you think him to be. You
don't know him. You've good reason to know how unfair it is to be
misunderstood. Your action would be particularly unfair to Farnum
because the first thing he will do when he gets to Annapolis will be to
go to the commandant and tell him just what you have said you intended
doing."
"You've a better opinion of Farnum than I have, Stone," rejoined Robert,
shortly. "If he does that I'll apologize to him. But if he
doesn't--well, he'll have a mighty uncomfortable year, in spite of his
five stripes, that's all I've got to say."