“There’s the carriage; it’s stopping,” said Bollup to Ralph, as the two
lads emerged from the woods. “Let’s hurry; we’ll get in it and out of
this rain.” And Bollup started on a run. Ralph was behind and to his
left. It was at this moment that Lambo had jumped to the carriage seat.
Bollup yelled at him; Lambo turned half around and perceiving Bollup
shouted back at him defiantly and fired his pistol at him, driving
rapidly at the same time. The desperate negro did not see Ralph, nor
did he know, when he had turned around and was threatening the two
girls inside, that hanging on the rear axle of the old carriage was a
determined, broad-shouldered youth with an ominous looking baseball
bat clutched along the axle. Ralph was soon standing on the axle, and
peering over the top of the carriage at this lawless negro, who was
now lashing his horses into a dead run. Ralph quickly scrambled on top
of the carriage, bat in hand. The noise attracted the negro who turned
around and saw a determined, powerful avenger raising a club with both
hands high over his head. With a howl of rage and fright he started to
aim his pistol at Ralph, but in the same instant the club came down
with deadening force on the negro’s head, sending the pistol off at
the same time. Lambo rolled off the carriage in a heap; his skull was
cracked, and the bullet from his own pistol had gone through his heart.
Without concerning himself with Lambo’s fate Ralph clambered to the
driver’s seat, reached down and gathered up the reins, and soon had
the old horses slowed to a trot. Looking back he saw, some distance
behind, Bollup and a negro, evidently James, bending over a man’s body
lying face down in the road. He then stopped the horses and assured the
girls: “You’re safe, girls; everything is all right. Tom is beckoning
me to come back; I’m going to turn the horses around.”
He turned around and started back. At a little distance Bollup came
running up. “Bully for you, Os,” he cried; “the scoundrel is dead,” he
added lowering his voice; “let me get in, and drive quickly by where he
is lying; I don’t want the girls to see him.”
Ralph stopped long enough for Bollup to jump inside, and then drove off
rapidly, and in half an hour the carriage was back at Hampden Grove. It
was raining furiously now, not a propitious time for conversation, nor
did Ralph attempt any through the aperture to the brother and sisters
in the carriage. He was utterly drenched, and when the horses stopped
in front of the house, he jumped to the ground and said: “I’ll get you
an umbrella and then will change into dry clothes.” He dashed into the
house and returned in a moment with two umbrellas which he handed to
Bollup who was assisting the two girls out of the carriage, and then
Ralph bounded up to his room.
Bollup rushed in a few moments later. “You killed him, Os,” he cried;
“how did you get his pistol?”
“I didn’t have his pistol; I hit him with the ball club just as he
fired at me,” explained Ralph.
“He killed himself then,” said Bollup. “By George, old man, I can’t
express my feelings. When I saw that villain drive off with my sisters,
and saw you climbing up on top of the carriage I was wild with fear and
anxiety. I was afraid he would shoot you. The very happiest instant of
my life seemed to last ages and ages; it was when you were bringing the
club down on the rascal’s head. By gracious, but that was well done!
And I’m thankful the fellow did his own dirty work. I’m glad he spared
some white man the duty of killing him. Come down quickly; father is
wild to see you. Mother is pretty much upset, but you’ll find you own
Hampden Grove and all that’s in it.”
When Ralph went down-stairs, Mrs. Bollup came to him, and said: “My
dear boy----” and then the thought of the danger all of her children
had just passed through almost overcame her, and tears flowed from her
eyes. “My dear Ralph, I shall always love you,” she said, and then
bent forward and kissed him.
“What a hero you are, Mr. Osborn,” said Dorothy; “I am so glad to know
a real hero.”
Gladys thanked Ralph quietly, but with a deep sincerity and
appreciation that went straight to that young man’s heart. There was
much excitement in the family, and Ralph received unmeasured praise and
admiration for his timely action.
The few remaining days of his September leave drew rapidly to a close.
Surrounded by the love and sympathy of this delightful family it had
indeed been a happy visit for him. He was “Ralph” to all of them
now, and when he and Bollup left for Annapolis, on the last day of
September, it was with a full understanding that he would visit them
the next year.
Most of Ralph’s second class year at the Naval Academy can be briefly
told; all but the final catastrophe which caused his expulsion and
brought such bitter sorrow to himself and his friends; because the act
he committed was so utterly foolish, and of his guilt there was no
question.
That Ralph would stand first in his class for this, the third year,
was a foregone conclusion. Until near the end of the year it was a
happy time for him, full of hard work which was well appreciated. At
the end of the first month he led his class in all of the studies;
mathematics, engineering, electricity, seamanship, navigation
and gunnery, all yielded to his bright mentality and presented
no difficulty to him. He did equally well in recitations and in
examinations, and in his outdoor drills he took great zest. He no
longer had a hidden enemy to fear; there was not a question in his mind
as to who had been guilty of the shameful acts against him, and knowing
it was Creelton, he disdained him. He continually felt it was a great
pity that that vicious youth could not be exposed and dismissed, but
beyond Ralph’s and Himski’s suspicions there was no tangible evidence
to connect Creelton with those crimes.
Creelton had no intention whatever of attempting to injure Ralph
further, and he was much relieved that he had successfully defied
Short. Creelton feared Ralph and kept away from him. For a while
Creelton avoided the temptation to steal, but after he became easy in
regard to Ralph he again occasionally gave play to his old thieving
habits. He didn’t take anything very valuable, but took a delight in
stealing stamps and towels and small articles whenever he was certain
he would not be detected.
One morning in February Ralph overslept himself; he didn’t hear the six
o’clock gun or the reveille of the bugle; Himski was on duty in charge
of a floor, so he had left Ralph at a quarter before six. As a result
Ralph received ten demerits; and then as ill luck would have it, he
was also reported twice that month: once for “visiting during study
hours,” and also for “room out of order at inspection”; and so for the
month of March, Ralph was in the second conduct grade and deprived of
many Saturday privileges.
On the last Saturday in March Bollup came to Ralph and said: “Os, I
wish you could come out in town with me to-day. I’ve met a fine lot of
fellows that came down from New York in a private car; I’d like to have
you know them.”
“I’d like to, Tom; bring them in the yard, can’t you?”
“They were in here this morning and have asked some people out to see
them this afternoon. I don’t suppose they’ll come in the yard again.
I’m awfully sorry you’re on the second conduct grade. Well, so long;
I’ll see you at supper.”
Several hours later Bollup joined Ralph as the latter was waiting
for the call to supper formation. Bollup was flushed in face, talked
loudly, and laughed boisterously at nothing. Ralph was startled and
dismayed. He knew what the trouble was; he had once or twice, though
not to the same extent, seen symptoms of the same thing after Bollup
had taken mint juleps at Hampden Grove. But whereas there they might
be harmless, at the Naval Academy drinking them or any kind of liquor
would cause a midshipman to be dismissed.
And so Ralph watched Bollup with keen anxiety, hoping no notice would
be taken of his condition.
“I’m having a bully time, Os, Os, Os, Os, you good old Os, the bulliest
time a midshipman ever had, had, had. And I’m going out to dinner with
my chums. I’ve permission to fall out after formation.”
The bugle call now sounded for formation and all midshipmen fell into
ranks, and all talking stopped. Fear gripped Ralph’s heart; he did not
know what might happen to Bollup, and he himself was powerless to avert
the evil.
After supper he hung around Maryland Avenue gate, questioning different
midshipmen returning from liberty if they had seen or heard anything of
Bollup.
“Why, yes,” at last said a third classman, “I heard Bollup had been
taken sick, and was left at the Maryland Hotel by some New York
friends of his who have just left town,” and the third classman smiled
knowingly at Ralph.
Ralph was now desperate. Bollup was probably unable to take care of
himself; perhaps he was in a deep sleep. He would be reported at ten
o’clock taps inspection for being out of his room and it was absolutely
certain that discovery of his condition would result. This meant but
one thing--Bollup’s dismissal from the Academy. And in Ralph’s mind
rose a picture of the grief and shame that would assail the dear family
in Hampden Grove, and of the blasting of his best friend’s career. It
was now nearly nine o’clock. These thoughts crowded through Ralph’s
mind, and willing to sacrifice almost anything for Bollup, he shot
through the gate and ran down Maryland Avenue.
“Hold on, Osborn, you’re on the second conduct grade; you can’t go
out,” called out the midshipman officer of the day at the gate. But
Ralph heeded him not and ran on. He well knew he would be reported for
“absenting himself from academic limits without authority”; “but I can
better take fifty demerits and a month’s restriction than have Bollup
bilged,” he said to himself. At the corner of Prince George Street
he met the man he most wanted to see, his roommate Himski. In a few
excited sentences he explained the state of affairs to him, and both
hurried to the hotel. Ralph here learned the number of the room Bollup
was in, and after ordering a closed carriage found Bollup who was in a
very sad condition. Himski and Ralph in the meantime had decided upon a
plan and lost no time. They hustled their insensible classmate into the
carriage and quickly drove to Boucher’s boat house. Here they hired a
rowboat, deposited Bollup in it, and then each took a pair of oars, the
boatman steering, and vigorously pulled around the city front to the
Academy sea-wall.
They hurried Bollup, half supporting him, over the grounds and got into
main quarters and into his room unperceived; undressed him and put him
to bed, finishing this at “warning bell,” five minutes before ten.
Himski and Ralph then rushed to their own room.
“You have certainly saved Bollup from dismissal, Os,” remarked Himski,
after taps inspection had been made. “He would have been reported
absent from quarters to-night, an investigation would have followed and
nothing could have saved him. By the way, you had to take French leave,
didn’t you? I hope you’re not spotted for that, old chap.”
“But I am, Himski; Coleman was on duty at the gate and called to me
as I went through. He’ll report me all right. But I could better take
fifty demerits and restriction than have good old Bollup bilge.”
“Certainly, I would have done the same thing; a man must sacrifice
something for his friends.”
“Look here, Himski,” said Ralph after a pause, “I’ll be reported
to-morrow; now if Bollup knows I’m being punished for helping him he
will immediately report himself to try to have my punishment lightened.
He’ll do that regardless of what it might mean to himself; he’s just
that kind of a fellow. Now he doesn’t know what’s happened, no one
else does; suppose we keep this matter entirely to ourselves; if he
should find out why I’m reported our good work will all go for naught.
Let’s keep mum.”
“You’re right, Os. Poor old Bollup! I hope he’ll take a brace; he’ll be
full of remorse to-morrow.”
The next day Bollup had an aching head and an ashamed soul. He had no
recollection of what had happened after eight o’clock of the night
before. He was then engaging in a mad, reckless frolic with his friends
in their private car. After that things were mixed up and confused,
and his mind was entirely bewildered as to just what had happened. It
seemed to him he had taken a rapid journey, that he had been on the
water, and that his two best friends had been with him. He had not the
faintest recollection of how he had got to his bed, and as his roommate
Streeter was in sick quarters, he had no one to tell him.
The next morning Himski and Ralph greeted him naturally as if nothing
had happened. It was on Bollup’s tongue to ask some questions but he
didn’t know what to ask, and was so full of genuine heartfelt remorse
that he hated to bring the subject up; and so he made no inquiries, and
for many months was in ignorance of just what had been done for him.