A CHRONIC PAP FRAPPER
Another week had passed.
By this time all of the new midshipmen had had a very strong taste
of what the "grind" is like at the U.S. Naval Academy.
If the lessons had seemed hard at the outset, the young men now
regarded the tax demanded on their brains as little short of inhuman.
The lessons were long and hard. No excuse of "unprepared" or
otherwise was ever accepted in a section room.
The midshipman who had to admit himself "unprepared" immediately
struck "zip," or absolute zero as a marking for the day. Many such
marks would swiftly result in dragging even a bright man's average
down to a point where he would fall below two-five and be "unsat."
"I thought we plugged along pretty steadily when we were in the
High School," sighed Dave Darrin, looking up from a book. "Danny
boy, a day's work here is fully three times as hard as the severest
day back at the High School.
"David, little giant," retorted Dalzell, "your weak spot is arithmetic.
It's just seven times as hard here as the worst deal that we ever got
in the High School."
"Oh, well," retorted Darrin doggedly, "other men have stood this
racket before us, and have graduated into the Navy. If they did
it, we can do it, too. Mr. Trotter was telling me, yesterday,
that the plebe year is the hardest year of all here."
"Mr. Trotter is a highly intelligent individual, then," murmured
Dan Dalzell.
"He explained that the first year is the hardest just because the
new man has never before learned how to study. After our first
year here, he says, we'll have the gait so that we can go easily
at the work given us."
"If we ever live through the first year," murmured Dan disconsolately.
"As for me, I'm hovering at the 'unsat.' line all the time, and
constantly fearing that I'm going to be unseated. If I could
see myself actually getting through the first year here, with
just enough of an average to save me, I'd be just as happy as
ever a fourth class man can hope to be here."
"Remember the old Gridley spirit, Danny boy," coaxed Dave. "We
can't be licked--just because we don't know how to take a licking.
We're going to get through here, Danny, and we're going to become
officers in the Navy. It's tough on the way--that's all."
"And we green young idiots," sighed Dalzell, "thought the life
here was just a life of parading, with yachting thrown in on the
side. We were going to feel swell in our gold lace, and puff
out our chests under the approving smiles of the girls. We were
going to lead the german--and, say, Dave, what were some of the
other fool things we expected to find happiness in doing at Annapolis?
"It served us right," grunted Darrin, "if we imagined that we
were going to get through without real work. Danny boy, I don't
believe there's a single thing in life--worth having--a fellow
can get without working hard for it!"
"There goes the call for mathematics, Dave. We'll tumble out and
see whether we can get a two-six today.
"Or a two-seven," suggested Darrin hopefully. "My, but how far
away a full four seems!
"Did anyone ever get a full four?" asked Dan, opening his eyes
very wide.
As each, with his uniform cap set squarely on, and his book and
papers carried in left hand, turned out, he found the corridor
to be swarming with midshipmen fully as anxious as were this pair.
A minute later hundreds of midshipmen were forming by classes.
Then the classes parted into sections and the little groups marched
away in many directions, all going at brisk military gait.
Dave got through better, that forenoon, than usual. He made
a three-one, while Dalzell scored a two-eight.
Then this section, one of many, marched back.
As Dave and Dan swung down the corridor, and into their own room,
they halted, just inside the door, and came quickly to attention.
Lieutenant Hall, the officer in charge for the day, stood there,
and with him the midshipman who served as assistant cadet officer
of the day.
"Mr. Darrin," spoke Lieutenant Hall severely, "here is your dress
jacket on the floor, and with dust ground into it."
"Yes, sir," replied Dave, saluting. "But I left it on its proper
hook--I am sure of that."
Up came Dan's hand in quick salute.
"May I speak, sir?"
"Yes, Mr. Dalzell," replied the officer in charge.
"I remember seeing Mr. Darrin's coat hanging properly on its hook,
sir, just before we marched off to math. recitation."
"Did you leave the room, Mr. Dalzell, after Mr. Darrin, or even
with him?" questioned Lieutenant Hall.
"No-o, sir. I stepped out just ahead of Mr. Darrin."
"That is all, then, Mr. Dalzell. Mr. Darrin, there is a pair
of your shoes. They are in place, but one of them is muddy."
Dave glanced at the shoes uneasily, a flush coming to his face.
"I am certain, sir, that both shoes were in proper condition when
I left to go to the last recitation."
"Then how do you account for the dust-marked dress jacket on the
floor, and the muddy shoe, Mr. Darrin?"
"I can think of no explanation to offer, sir."
"Nor can I imagine any excuse," replied Lieutenant Hall courteously,
yet skeptically.
Lieutenant Hall made a further inspection of the room, then turned
to Dave.
"Mr. Darrin, you will put yourself on the report for these two
examples of carelessness of your uniform equipment."
"Very good, sir."
Saluting, Dave crossed to the study table, laying his book and
papers there. Then, once more saluting, he passed Lieutenant
Hall and made his way to the office of the officer in charge.
Taking one of the blanks, and a pen, Dave Darrin filled out the
complaint against himself, and turned it over.
"Dave, you didn't leave your things in any such shape as that?"
burst from Dan as soon as Dave had returned to his room.
"I didn't do it--of course I didn't," came impatiently from Darrin.
"Then who did?"
"Some fellow may have done it for a prank."
Dan shook his head, replying, stubbornly:
"I don't believe that any fellow in the Naval Academy has a sense
of humor that would lead him to do a thing like that, just as
a piece of what he would consider good-natured mischief. Dave,
this sort of report against you on pap means demerits."
"Fortunately," smiled Darrin, "the pap sheet is so clear of my
name that I can stand a few demerits without much inconvenience."
But at breakfast formation, the next morning, Dave's name was
read off with twenty demerits.
"That's a huge shame," blazed forth Dan, as soon as the chums were
back in their room, preparing to march to their first recitation.
"Oh, well, it can't be helped--can it?" grimaced Dave.
Within the next fortnight, however, Darrin's equipment and belongings
were found to be in bad shape no less than five other times.
With a few demerits which he had received in the summer term Dave
now stood up under one hundred and twenty demerits.
"I'm allowed only three hundred demerits for the year, and two
hundred by January will drop me," muttered Dave, now becoming
thoroughly uneasy.
For, by this time, he was certain that some unknown enemy had
it "in for him." Darrin felt almost morally certain that some
one--and it must be a midshipman--was at the bottom these troubles.
Yet, though he and Dan had done all they could think of to catch
the enemy, neither had had the least success in this line.
"Eighty demerits more to go," muttered Dave, "and the superintendent
will recommend to the Secretary of the Navy that I be dropped
for general inaptitude. It seems a bit tough, doesn't it, Danny
boy?"
"It's infamous!" blazed Dalzell. "Oh, if I could only catch the
slick rascal who is at the bottom of all this!"
"But both of us together don't seem to be able to catch him,"
replied Darrin dejectedly. "Oh, well, perhaps there won't be
any more of it. Of course, I am already deprived of all privileges.
But then, I never care to go into Annapolis, and I am never invited
to officers' quarters, anyway, so the loss of privileges doesn't
mean so very much. It's the big danger of losing my chance to
remain here at the Naval Academy that is worrying me."
Yet outwardly, to others, Dave Darrin was patient. His surplus
irritation he vented in extraordinary effort in the gymnasium,
where he was making a remarkable record for himself.
But of course his worries were reflected in his studies and recitations.
Dave was dropping steadily. He seemed soon destined to reach
the "wooden section" in math. This "wooden section" is the section
composed of the young men who stand lowest of all in a given study.
The men of the "wooden section" are looked upon as being certain
of dismissal when the semiannual examinations come along.
Now, for five days, things went along more in a better groove.
Nothing happened to Darrin, and he was beginning to hope that
his very sly persecutor had ceased to annoy him for good.
On the sixth day, however, the chums returned from recitation
in English.
"Nothing seems to be wrong here," remarked Dave, with a sigh of
satisfaction.
"Umf--umf!" sniffed Dan, standing still in the middle of the
room. "Doesn't it smell a little as though some one had been
smoking in here?"
"Don't even suggest the thing!" begged Dave turning white at the
thought.
Tap-tap! sounded at the door. In walked the white-gloved cadet
assistant officer of the day.
"Mr. Darrin, you will report immediately to the officer in charge."
"Very good, sir," Dave answered.
This was again Lieutenant Hall's day to be in charge. Dave walked
into that gentleman's office, saluted, reported his presence under
orders and then stood at attention.
"Mr. Darrin," began Lieutenant Hall, "I had occasion to inspect
your room. The air was quite thick with tobacco smoke. I felt
it necessary to make a very thorough search. In the pocket of
your rain-coat I found"--Lieutenant Hall produced from his desk
a pouch of tobacco and a well-seasoned pipe--"these."
The officer in charge looked keenly at Darrin, who had turned
almost deathly white. Certainly Dave had the appearance of one
wholly guilty.
"Have you anything to say, Mr. Darrin?" continued the officer in
charge.
"I have never, in my life, sir, smoked or used tobacco in any form,"
Darrin truthfully answered.
"Then how did these articles come to be in your possession?"
"They were _not in my possession_, sir, were they?" Darrin asked,
with the utmost respect.
Lieutenant Hall frowned perceptibly.
"Mr. Darrin, do not attempt any quibble. The circumstances under
which these articles were found place them sufficiently in your
possession. What have you to say that will clear you?"
"I can offer, sir, the testimony of my roommate, Mr. Dalzell,
who will declare most positively that he has never known me to
use tobacco."
"Did Mr. Dalzell leave your room with you when you went to your
last recitation?"
"No, sir; he left fifteen minutes before, by permission, to go
to his locker in the gymnasium to look over certain articles there."
"Then you are unable to call your roommate to support your assertion
that you did not smoke before going with your section to recitation
in English?"
"I have only my unsupported word, sir, as a midshipman and a gentleman,
to offer."
"Under almost all circumstances, Mr. Darrin, a midshipman's word
of honor should be sufficient. But you have been reported several
times of late, and with apparent justice. You will make in writing,
Mr. Darrin, at once, such report as you wish to hand in on this
incident, and the report against you will be considered in the
usual way."
Dave returned to his room. Though he was discouraged his face looked
grim, and his air was resolute.
Taking pen and paper he began to prepare his report on this latest
charge.
Having finished and signed, Dave next picked up a bit of exercise
paper and began to figure.
"What are you doing, old chap?" asked Dan sympathetically.
"My head is in too much of a whirl for me to trust myself to any
mental arithmetic," Darrin answered. "I have been figuring how
much further I have to go. First offense of having tobacco in
possession calls for twenty-five demerits. That brings the total
up to one hundred and forty-five. Dave, I have a lease of life
here amounting to fifty-four more demerits in this term. The
fifty-fifth signs my ticket home!
"The next trick of this kind attempted," cried Dalzell, his face
glowing with anger, "must sign, instead, the home ticket of the
rascal who is at the bottom of all this!"
"But how?" demanded Dave blankly. "He has been entirely too slick
to allow himself to be caught."