ALGY COMES TO A CONCLUSION
HINKEY, secure in his new retreat, with a new-found "friend" who wanted
the services of a man of Hinkey's stripe, was not found.
The evening programme of the military tournament was carried out before
all the spectators who could wedge themselves into the grounds, and once
more the big circus played to a small crowd.
In the morning the Thirty-fourth entrained and returned to Fort Clowdry.
While in Denver, Lieutenant Ferrers, though he had accompanied the
battalion, had been employed in duties that kept him out of the public
eye.
Once back at the post, however, Ferrers was warned by both battalion and
regimental commanders that he must buckle down at once to learn his
duties as an officer.
"I had an idea that being an officer was a good deal more of a
gentleman's job," Algy sighed to Lieutenant Prescott.
"An officer's position in the Army is a hard-working job," Prescott
rejoined. "However, there's nothing in that fact to make it difficult
for an officer to be a gentleman, too. In fact, he must be an all-around
gentleman, or get out of the service."
"But gentlemen shouldn't be expected to work--at least, not hard,"
argued Algy Ferrers.
"Now, where on earth did you get that idea?" laughed Lieutenant
Prescott.
"All the fellows I used to know were gentlemen," protested Algy, "and
none of them ever worked."
"Then what were they good for?" demanded Lieutenant Prescott crisply.
"Eh?" breathed Ferrers, looking puzzled.
"If they didn't work, if they didn't do anything real in the world, what
were they good for? What was their excuse for wanting to live?" insisted
Prescott.
"Prexy, old chap, I'm afraid you're an anarchist," gasped Algy, looking
almost humanly distressed.
"No; you're the anarchist," laughed the other lieutenant, "for no
anarchist ever wants to work. Come, now, Ferrers, buck up! Go over the
drill manual with me."
For two days Algy did seem inclined to buckle down to the hard work of
learning how to command other men efficiently. Then one night he fell.
That is to say, he went off the reservation without notifying any of his
superior officers.
At the sounding of drill assembly the next morning, every officer on
post was present with the one exception of young Mr. Ferrers.
"Where's that hopeless idiot now?" muttered Colonel North peevishly, for
he had come down to see the battalion drill.
"I haven't the least idea, sir," replied Major Silsbee.
"Send an orderly up to his quarters, Major."
"Very good, sir."
But, as both major and colonel had suspected, Ferrers wasn't in his
quarters. Nor was he anywhere else on post apparently.
It was five o'clock that afternoon when Lieutenant Ferrers, in civilian
dress, passed the guard house in returning on post.
"Wanted--at the adjutant's office--am I?" queried Algy. "Oh, yes; I
imagine I am. Queer place, this Army."
With a sigh of resignation, but appearing not in the least alarmed,
Ferrers went to the office of the regimental adjutant.
"You've been away again without leave, and skipped battalion drill and
several other duties," said the adjutant dryly.
"Yes," admitted Ferrers promptly. "But I've got a good excuse."
"You'll find Colonel North in the next room ready to hear what your
excuse can be."
"I suppose he'll scold me again," murmured Algy resignedly.
"Yes; all of that," admitted the adjutant dryly. "Better go in at once,
and take your medicine, for the colonel is about ready to leave and go
over to his house."
As Algy entered Colonel North's office the older man lifted his head and
looked rather coldly at Mr. Ferrers.
Algy brought up his hand in a tardy salute, then stood there.
But the colonel only continued to look at him. Ferrers fidgeted until he
could endure the silence no longer.
"You--you wanted to speak to me, sir?" stammered Algy, the frigid
atmosphere disconcerting him.
"I never wanted to speak to a man less in my life," rejoined Colonel
North icily.
"Thank you, sir. Then I'll be going."
"Stop, sir!"
"Eh, sir?"
"Mr. Ferrers, I'll listen to whatever you have to say."
"It's all about my being away to-day, I suppose, sir," Algy went on
lamely. What he had considered a most excellent excuse on his part now
suddenly struck him as being exceedingly lame.
Again Colonel North's lips were tightly compressed. He merely looked at
this young officer, but Algy found that look to be the same thing as
acute torment.
"Y-yes, sir; I was away to-day sir."
"Further than Clowdry, Mr. Ferrers?"
"Oh, dear, yes, sir," admitted Algy promptly. "Took the train, in fact,
sir, and ran up to Ridgecrest. The Benson-Bodges have a new mountain
estate of their own up there. Just heard about it the other day, sir.
Wrote Benson-Bodge himself, and got a letter yesterday evening. Old
Bense invited me to come up and visit himself and family, and not to
stand on ceremony. So I didn't."
"No; you didn't stand on any ceremony, Mr. Ferrers," was the colonel's
sarcastic response. "Not even the ceremony of formality of obtaining
leave."
"But it was all right this time, sir. Quite all right, sir," went on
Algy Ferrers with more confidence. "I rather think you know who the
Benson-Bodges are, sir? Most important people. A man in the Army can't
afford to ignore them, sir--so I didn't."
"I don't know anything about the people you name, Mr. Ferrers, and I
don't want to."
"Pardon me, sir, won't you?" demanded Algy beamingly, "but for once I am
quite certain you are wrong, sir. Really an Army man can't afford not to
know the Benson-Bodges. Old Bense is a cousin of the President. Old
Bense has tremendous influence at Washington."
"Then I wonder, Mr. Ferrers, if your friend has influence enough at
Washington to save your shoulder-straps for you?"
"Eh, sir? What's that? What do you mean, sir?" asked Algy, again looking
puzzled and uneasy.
"I am going to make my meaning very clear, Mr. Ferrers. To-day's conduct
is merely the winding up affair of many discreditable pieces of conduct
in your part. You have proved, conclusively, that you are not fit to be
an officer in the Army."
"Not fit to----" repeated Algy slowly. Then broke into a laugh as he
added: "That's a good joke, sir."
"Is it?" inquired Colonel North, raising his eyebrows. "Then I trust
that you will enjoy every chapter in the joke, Mr. Ferrers. I am going
to order you to your quarters, in arrest. And, as I'm afraid you don't
really know what arrest means, I'm going to place a sentry before your
door to see that you don't go out."
"For how long, sir?"
"For as long as may be necessary, Mr. Ferrers. Having placed you in
arrest I shall report your case through the usual military channels and
recommend that you be tried by a general court-martial. I am of the
opinion, Mr. Ferrers, that the court-martial will find you guilty and
recommend that you be dishonorably dismissed from the service."
"Dishonorably dis----" gasped Algy, feeling so weak that he suddenly
dropped down into a chair, unbidden. "Gracious! But that will strike the
guv'nor hard! See here, sir," the impossible young officer went on, more
spiritedly, as he realized the impending disgrace, "if you're going to
do anything as beastly and rough as that, sir--pardon, sir--then I won't
stand for it!"
"What will you do, then?" demanded North.
"Sooner than stand for being tried, like an ordinary pickpocket,
Colonel, I'll resign!"
"It is not usual, Mr. Ferrers, to allow an officer to resign when he's
facing serious charges."
"But I'll resign just the same, sir. Pardon me, sir, but I don't care
what you say, now. Things have come to a pass where I've simply got to
strike back for myself, sooner than see my family troubled by the idea
of my being tried."
"But if your resignation is not accepted, Mr. Ferrers?"
"It will have to be, won't it, if I say that I simply won't bother to
stay in the beastly old Army any longer?"
"No; a resignation doesn't have to be accepted, and the fact that you
are under charges will operate to prevent the consideration of your
resignation until after your trial."
Algy Ferrers looked mightily disturbed over that information.
"Are you serious about wanting to resign and getting out of the Army,
Mr. Ferrers?"
"Yes, sir; very much in earnest."
Colonel North thought for a few moments. Then he replied:
"Very good, Mr. Ferrers. You are of no service whatever in the Army, I
am sorry to say, though I doubt if you could possibly understand why you
are of no use here. If you write your resignation before leaving this
room, I will see that the resignation is forwarded, and I will then drop
all idea of preferring charges against you."
Colonel North made room at his own desk, after providing the stationery.
Algy wrote his resignation as an officer of the Army, signing it with a
triumphant flourish.
"I am very glad to have this resignation, Mr. Ferrers," declared
Colonel North, speaking more gently at last.
"You can't be any more glad than I am to write it, sir," Algy replied,
his face now beaming. "I am glad to cut loose from it all. From the very
first day I've been coming more and more to the conclusion, sir, that
the Army is no place for a gentleman!"