BRASS MEETS GOLD
Neither Dick nor Greg took the trouble to answer the greeting.
Dodge's outstretched hand both cadets affected not to see.
As it happened, few of the others present noted this brief little
scene.
A natural break in the crowd left Dick alone for the moment, with
Holmes standing not far away and looking coldly in the direction
of the ex-cadet, yet not appearing to see him at all.
"Well, what's the matter?" hissed Dodge in an undertone that the
other guests did not hear. "Are you going to make a fool of
yourself, Prescott?"
"You'd better execute a right-about face and make double-time
away from here," replied Dick in a freezing undertone. "Otherwise
I don't believe the guests will fail to observe how West Pointers
regard a convicted sneak."
"Are you going to open your mouth and do a lot of talking?" whispered
Dodge menacingly. "Or are you going to keep your tongue behind
your teeth?"
"I can't undertake to lower myself by making any promises to a
sneak," retorted Dick, still in an undertone. "But I warn you
that any further conversation I have with you will be carried
on in ordinary conversational tones. And if you undertake to
remain, we shall be obliged to inform our hostess that we regret
our inability to stay any longer."
Conscious that others were probably looking their way, Bert Dodge
tried to make his face as expressionless as possible.
"See here, Prescott-----" the fellow began coaxingly.
But Dick turned and walked away. Greg, very stiff and straight,
moved at his friend's side.
Afraid of what others might notice, Dodge passed on. He presently
reached a door leading into the hallway. Here he remained briefly.
Then, when he believed himself to be unobserved, he slipped out, took
his hat and got away.
A few minutes later, as Dick and Greg passed the door of a little
reception room, Susie Sharp called them in quietly. They found
her there alone.
"Oh, Mr. Prescott! Mr. Holmes! Have I made any mistake, I thought
it would be a pleasant surprise to you both if I had Mr. Dodge here
to meet you, as you all three were classmates at West Point. But I
should have remembered that in the old High School days you two and
Mr. Dodge were not the best of friends."
There was an agitated catch in Susie's voice. Their young hostess
was worried by the thought that she had invited jarring elements
to meet.
"Why, to be candid, I don't believe Dodge ever admired either Greg
or myself very much, replied Cadet Prescott evenly.
"But did I make a fearful mistake?" pleaded Susie.
"One cannot make a mistake who aims at the pleasure of others,"
Dick answered smilingly.
Somewhat reassured, Susie asked her cadet guests to return with
her to the drawing rooms. There they joined a little group, and
were chatting when a girl's voice reached them from a few feet
away. The girl who was speaking did not realize that her tones
carried as far as the ears of Dick and Greg as she explained to
two other young women:
"Mr. Dodge said he resigned from the Military Academy because
he could not stand the crowd there."
"I guess that's true," muttered Dick inwardly. "The crowd couldn't
stand Dodge, either."
But Sam Foss made the conversation general by calling:
"How about that, Dick! I always thought West Point was a very
select place. Bessie Frost says Dodge left West Point because
he thought the fellows there rather below his grade socially."
"Perhaps they are," nodded Dick gravely, but in even tones. "I
have heard it stated that about sixty per cent. of the cadets
are the sons of wage-earners. Indeed, one of the cadets whom
I most respect has not attempted to conceal the fact that, until
he graduates and begins to draw officer's pay, his mother will
have to continue to support herself at the washtub. That young
man is now in the first class, and I can tell you that we are
all mighty anxious to see that man graduate and find himself where
he can look after a noble mother who has the misfortune to be
unusually poor in purse."
"Then as an American, I'm proud of West Point, if it has fellows
with no more false shame than that," cried Foss heartily.
"Why, I always thought West Point a very swell place, extremely
so," murmured Bessie Frost. "In fact--pardon me, won't you---I
have always heard that the young men at West Point are very much
puffed up and very exclusive."
Dick laughed good-humoredly.
"Of course, Miss Frost, the cadet is expected to learn how to
become a gentleman as well as an officer. Yet why should any
of us feel unduly conceited? We are privileged to secure one
of the best educations to be obtained in the world, but we obtain
it at public expense. Not only our education, but all our living
expenses are paid for out of the nation's treasury, and that money
is contributed by all tax-payers alike. If we of the cadet corps
should get any notion that we belong to a superior race of beings,
to whom would we owe it all? Are the cadets not indebted for
their opportunities to all the citizens of the United States?"
"Did Bert Dodge have any especial trouble at West Point?" asked
another girl.
"Mr. Dodge did not make us his confidants," evaded Dick coolly.
"What do you say, Mr. Holmes?" persisted the same girl.
"About the same that Dick does," replied Greg. "You see, there are
several hundred cadets at West Point, and Dick and I were not in
the same section with Dodge."
"Was he one of the capable students there?"
"Why, he was in a much higher section than either Dick or myself,"
admitted Greg truthfully; but he did not think it necessary to
explain the trickery and cribbing by which Dodge had secured the
appearance of higher scholarship.
At this point the tact and good sense of Miss Susie Sharp caused
her to use her opportunities as hostess to break up the group and
to start some new lines of conversation.
But Susie was uneasy, and presently she found a chance to whisper
to Laura Bentley:
"Tell me, dear---what lies back of the fact that Mr. Dodge does
not seem to be on good terms with Mr. Prescott and Mr. Holmes?"
"Did Bert Dodge know that Dick and Greg were to be here!" asked
Miss Bentley.
"No; I wanted it to be a surprise on both sides."
"It must have been, my dear," smiled Laura "The fact is that Dick
and Greg are not on friendly terms with Mr. Dodge."
"Oh!" murmured Susie, moving away. "I am glad that it was no
worse."
A large tent had been erected on one of the lawns. To this tent,
later in the afternoon, Miss Sharp invited her guests. Here a
collation had been served, with pretty accessories, by a caterer,
and several waiters stood about to serve.
When the guests returned to the house they discovered that the rugs
had been removed, and that an orchestra was now at hand to furnish
music for dancing. Given music and a smooth floor, young people do
not mind exertion on a hot June afternoon. Dancing was at once in
full swing. Nor did the young people leave until after six o'clock.
Greg escorted Belle Meade home, Dick walking with Laura. The two
cadet chums met on Main Street a little later. They stood near a
corner, chatting, when Bert Dodge came unexpectedly around the
corner.
He saw the two cadets, changed color, then halted.
Neither Dick nor Greg checked their conversation, nor let it be
known that they were aware of the ex-cadet's presence.
But Dodge, after looking at the chums sourly for a moment, stepped
squarely in front of them.
"See here, you fellows-----" he began, his voice sounding thickly.
"Have you the impudence to address us," asked Prescott coolly.
"Don't talk to me about impudence!" snarled Dodge. "What did
you two say about me, after I left this afternoon?"
"Oh, I assure you we didn't discuss you any more than was necessary,"
replied Dick frigidly.
"What did you say?" insisted Dodge.
"We couldn't say much about you," Greg broke in icily. "You know,
you're hardly a fit subject for conversation."
"See here, you two fellows," warned Bert angrily, "you want to
be mighty careful what you say about me! Do you understand?
A single unfriendly word, that does any injury to my reputation,
and I'll take it out of you."
Prescott would not go to the length of sneering. He allowed an
amused twinkle to show in his eyes.
"On your way, Dodge that's the best course for you," advised Greg
coldly. "We're not interested in your threats of fight, and you
ought to know better, too, after some of the thumpings you've had."
"Fight?" jeered Dodge harshly. "You fellows seem to think you're
still in cadet barracks, and that all you have to do is to call
me out, and that my only recourse is to put up an argument before
a class scrap committee. But you fellows aren't at West Point
just now, and cadet committees don't run things here. You're
back in civilization, where we have laws and regular courts.
Now, if I find that you fellows are saying a single word against
me I'll have you both arrested for criminal libel. I'll have
you put through the courts, too, and sent to jail. Then, when
you get out of jail, you can find out what your high and mighty
West Point friends think of that!"
Dodge finished with a harsh, sneering laugh, then turned on his
heel.
"The cheap skate!" muttered Greg, looking after the retreating
fellow. "Humph! I'd like to see him make any trouble for us!"
"He may try it," muttered Prescott, gazing thoughtfully after
their ancient enemy.
"How?" demanded Greg. "We don't think him worth talking about
among decent people, so we'll give him not the slightest chance
to make any trouble."
"We won't give Dodge any real cause, of course," nodded Dick gravely.
"But a scoundrel like Dodge doesn't need real cause. That young
man has altogether more spending money than is good for his morals.
Why, with his money, Greg, Dodge would know how to find people,
apparently respectable, who would be willing to accept a price for
perjuring themselves."
"Humph!" uttered Greg.
"If Dodge could get such testimony, and his perjurers would stick
to their yarns," continued Dick, "then the young scoundrel might
be actually able to carry out his threats."
"He wouldn't dare!"
"If it were anything high-minded and dangerous, Dodge wouldn't
dare," admitted Dick. "But minds like his will dare a good deal
to put through anything scoundrelly against people who try to
be decent."