The second year began with Mark Merrill in the lead for honors.
He had not only won a badge for a gallant act at sea, but he had
received “honorable mention” for his services as pilot under
circumstances where only skill and nerve alone could have saved the
cruiser from a very dangerous position.
Then, too, he held the honors of his class for the first year, and that
was in his favor.
He had enemies, of course--what really good fellow has not?--yet he was
generally popular, and the officers all liked him.
Scott Clemmons was still distantly polite, and his clique of toadies
imbibed his manner toward Mark Merrill.
But of their treatment Mark was severely indifferent.
Scott Clemmons had given out that he meant to win the honors of his
second year.
He had thrown this challenge, or rather defiance, in the face of
Merrill, and at once he set about his task to win.
But those who made the situation a study were convinced that Scott
Clemmons would never stand number one, though he had a strong chance
for position number two.
There were more who said it was very bad form for him to attempt to
take first honors away from a man to whom he owed his life, but Mark
Merrill seemed not to regard it in that light.
One afternoon Mark received a letter which seemed to give him a great
deal of worry.
At last he sought Bemis Perry, and said:
“See here, Perry, you have got a very level head, and I wish to ask
your advice.”
“Fire away, old man, for I am at your service from truck to keelson.”
“I have a letter here from Miss Virgene Rich, whom you met at my
mother’s.”
“Ah! I see; but you are over-young to marry yet, Mark. Flirt all
you wish to, have a sweetheart in every port, which is a sailor’s
prerogative, but don’t let any girl get her grappling irons on you too
securely to shake off.”
“My dear Perry, you generally speak with the wisdom of Solomon, but
just now you are on the wrong tack, so go about and know your course
before you set full sail.”
“My anchor’s down, Merrill, and hatches closed,” and Perry dropped into
his chair and placed his finger upon his lips.
“It concerns Clemmons, and places me in an awkward position.”
“Ah! more of his deviltry, eh?”
“I’ll read you Miss Virgene’s letter.” And taking it from his pocket,
Mark read aloud as follows:
“MY DEAR MARK: A letter from me will doubtless surprise you, but
I write for Silly Sam, who is not gifted with a superior style of
penmanship.
“Let me first tell you that all at Spook Hall jogs on in the same
easy way, and I am still under your sweet mother’s kind charge,
though I am spending Sunday, to-day, at home with father, so I can
send no message from your mother, and, in fact, my letter to you is a
secret known only to the writer, Silly Sam, and the recipient.
“Now to Sam’s letter. He begs me to say to you that he is in the
employ of Merchant Clemmons, and that the other day, when asleep
in the little room adjoining the office, Mr. Clemmons came in,
accompanied by a young man whom he had met at his door.
“Sam did not make his presence known, and through the door, he being
back in the dark, he saw that the young man presented a very seedy,
dissipated look, but had a very defiant air.
“Then, as near as I could get it from Sam, the young man demanded
money from the merchant, and was refused.
“Then he told him that he would go to the Naval Academy, where he had
been a cadet, and make a clean breast of it to the commandant that
his son, Scott Clemmons, had led him into a plot against _you_.
“Scott had paid him well for his services, said services being to
persecute you in any way in his power, to cause you demerit marks,
and that Scott Clemmons had arranged a plan by which you should
be found with a gold fifty-dollar coin, which he, Clemmons, had
pretended was stolen from him.
“The plot did not turn out a success, as you had thwarted him in some
way, and he had been dismissed from the academy.
“To keep him quiet and accept his dismissal, Scott Clemmons had paid
him well, and he had all the proofs of what he said, and knew that
it was the intention of Scott Clemmons to get you dismissed from the
academy by some foul means, notwithstanding that you had saved his
life, for he treated you with the bitterest venom.
“Then, Sam says, the visitor, who gave his name as Barney Breslin,
boldly demanded two thousand dollars from Merchant Clemmons, or he
would go to the commandant and give proof of Scott’s villainy and
have him dismissed in disgrace.
“Sam says that Mr. Clemmons was deeply moved, when convinced that
the young man told the truth, and told him that he would give him the
money, and more, on condition that he should give into his hands all
proofs and then leave the country.
“This the young man promised to do, and when Mr. Clemmons sent to
the bank for the money, he handed over to him a bundle of papers,
letters, which Scott Clemmons had written, and other documents, which
the merchant seemed glad to get.
“Such is Sam’s story, and you now know what a foe you have in Scott
Clemmons, and can govern yourself accordingly, Mark.”
Such was the letter, and Bemis Perry listened to every word of it with
the deepest attention.
“Now, Perry, you have the facts.”
“Yes, and you asked my advice?”
“I did, and I wish it, for, though I do not fear Clemmons’ open
hostility, I do not care to be on guard constantly against his blow in
the dark, nor do I wish a scandal, for of that there has been enough
with Breslin.”
“So I think; but my idea is to save a scandal, and to keep the secret
between ourselves, while I force Clemmons to resign, for it will come
better from me than from you. If you will trust me with that letter I
will act.”
Mark handed it over without a word, and, rising, Bemis Perry went to
his desk and took out a paper he had locked therein.
“I will soon return,” he said, and he left the room.
He went straight to the quarters of Scott Clemmons, whom he found alone.
Scott Clemmons looked up with some surprise as he entered, for they
were upon barely speaking terms; but Perry gave him no time to
consider, but said:
“I have come to see you, Clemmons, upon a matter of vital importance to
you, and we must be alone.”
“Well, sir, we are not likely to be disturbed.”
“Mr. Clemmons, I have come to ask you to do yourself a favor.”
“In what way?”
“To resign.”
“What do you mean, sir?” angrily asked Clemmons.
“Be patient, extremely patient, and you shall know. I am here to do you
a favor, if you will so consider it; to do my duty by the service, the
academy, and my brother cadets, if you do not obey my wishes.”
“Your words are inexplicable to me, sir!”
“Well, I’ll be more explicit than you can wish, sir. You had as a
friend here one Barney Breslin, a cadet who became your tool, for you
paid him well to persecute Mark Merrill in every manner possible--hold!
I have here Breslin’s confession, and more, I hold other papers to
criminate you in that gold coin affair, which you professed to have had
stolen from you for the purpose of disgracing Merrill. Now the paper
I handed to you, which you left upon the table in the Astor House, I
allowed three cadets to read, and I took a copy of it. That shows that
Breslin blackmailed you out of six hundred dollars. He did not leave
the country, but on the contrary has forced money from your father, who
has feared to have you disgraced by his coming to the commandant.”
“My father?” gasped Clemmons.
“Yes, your father paid him over two thousand dollars to prevent his
coming here, and so, as I hold all proofs of your villainy----”
“Sir!”
“I repeat it, of your criminal scoundrelism toward Merrill, I tell you,
that if you do not this day send in your resignation to the commandant
I shall place the whole matter before him, and the result will be your
utter disgrace. See, I am blackmailing you now, threatening, forcing
you to resign, for if you do not, I shall do as I say; if you do, I
shall keep your secret, upon my honor. What will you do?”
“Resign,” and the word was hardly audible.
“When?”
“To-day.”
“You are wise.”
“You will keep my secret?”
“Yes; write your resignation now.”
It was done, and Bemis Perry said:
“Now, good-by, Clemmons; but permit me to say that I pity one of your
splendid attainments who was not man enough to fight a rival openly.”
And Bemis Perry left the room, while soon after Scott Clemmons went
over to the quarters of the commandant and handed in his resignation.
It was a surprise to the commandant, a wonder to all, the resignation
of Scott Clemmons, but all questioning as to the cause went unanswered,
for Bemis Perry kept his word and the secret.