“How the time has passed, Os; we’ve finished our an exams, and it seems as if it were only yesterday when we were worrying about our semi-ans.”

“You mean when I was worrying, Bollup,” replied Ralph Osborn. “You never got out of the first section in math and have stood well up in French and rhetoric, while four months ago I was worrying about bilging in math.”

“Wasn’t that remarkable? And now you’re the math fiend of the class! How in the world was it that you did so poorly the first three months?”

“I didn’t know how to study for one thing. Another thing the lessons were long and I was more afraid of French and rhetoric and slighted math. I put in all of my time on learning principles and rules and didn’t try to work out probs till I got to the section room, and then I always took too long. I know better now. But these three months have gone quickly, haven’t they? And we’ll be third classmen in ten days; won’t that be glorious?”

“You bet, Os, and we’ll teach some of the plebes who enter how to stand on their heads, sing songs, climb on top of wardrobes, dance jigs and so forth. We’ll know how to teach them all right, won’t we, old chap?”

“Not I, Bollup,” replied Ralph, determinedly.

“Why not? Good gracious, man! Aren’t you going to have a little fun and give the newcomer a few points on naval discipline, rocks, shoals, and hazards? We had our share of it and none of us is the worse for it; all plebes need a little good running and the new ones will feel slighted if they don’t get some; and besides the upper classmen will expect us to do it. That’s part of the Academy training; if we don’t start the new plebes right they’ll be too cheeky and fresh to live with. We’ve got to do it, old man, and you’ll have to do your share.” Bollup spoke earnestly.

“Your ideas are all right, Bollup, but I’m not going to do any running whatever,” remarked Ralph quietly.

“Why not, Os; are you afraid of being spotted?”

“Just so. I wouldn’t dare to.”

“It seems to me you’re not worrying about the rest of your classmates,” said Bollup with a sneer.

“You forget about your watch being stolen and then found on my watch-chain.”

“Well, what on earth has that got to do with your doing a little running?” cried Bollup in evident surprise.

“A great deal. There’s somebody here, I have never been able to imagine who, that wants to get me into trouble. If I should run anybody I’d be sure to be reported for hazing, and that would mean certain dismissal. I’m going to walk a straight line and never so much as speak to a plebe.”

“By George! That watch affair was a most remarkable thing. I don’t blame you, Os. And you have no notion whatever who might have done it?”

“Not the slightest. It must have been a corridor boy or a midshipman; that’s as close as I can get to it.”

“I don’t blame you. Hello! Here’s Creel. Say, Creel, how did you come out on the exams?”

“Pretty well, I think. But I guess Himski will stand number one in the class for the year. But if Os keeps up his record in math I bet he’ll give him a close run for it next year. Say, fellows, we’re going to start the new plebes right, aren’t we?”

“Well, I should hope so, all of us except Os.”

“What’s the matter, Os? Aren’t you going to do your duty by them?”

“Not I, Creel; I’ll talk to you about that later.”

The time between the events of the last chapter and the above conversation had simply flown by for the midshipmen of Ralph’s class. For Ralph it had been an uneventful time. Each day had its hard work of studies, recitations and drills, and the end of his first year was now upon him. The second term was most satisfactory to him. He had developed a remarkable ability of quickly solving mathematical problems and in this subject he was now easily first in his class. Sometimes, with great regret, he thought of his watch; and whenever he thought about it he was always tremendously puzzled. He could not even imagine a solution to the mystery, but no further acts of hostility had developed against him by his unknown foe. Ralph did not worry about this unknown enemy but sometimes he wondered. The only man he could imagine who would harbor ill feelings against him was Short, but the latter was far away and Ralph had never heard of him since his dismissal.

Ralph’s average for the two terms in mathematics was 3.30, which gave him class rank of 17 in that subject. In rhetoric he was number 61, and in French number 73. His final rank in his class was 41. But in the other remaining years mathematics would become more and more important and Ralph had a feeling that by the time he graduated he would have high class rank.

Graduation happened on a bright June morning. The battalion was marched to the tune of: “Ain’t I glad to get out of the Wilderness,” to the chapel where the ceremonies were held. And each midshipman felt with joy he was getting out of the wilderness. At the Naval Academy, this tune has for many years been sacredly kept for that one day, and all midshipmen love it. Ralph and his classmates emerged after the graduation as third classmen, feeling far more important with their promotion than did the young men who had just been graduated. They immediately sat in the seats and walked in parts of the grounds that, as fourth classmen, they had been debarred from. And they enjoyed the great boon of addressing the now second and first classmen by name without the prefix of “mister.” And these young men were delighted to be “plebes” no longer, but “youngsters,” as third classmen are called at Annapolis.

On this night occurred the beautiful graduation ball. Ralph went but proved to be a wall-flower. He did not know any young ladies and would not have dared to dance even if he had, but he enjoyed the beautiful scene. “But I’ll go next year and dance too,” he remarked to his roommate, as they stood in a crowd of midshipmen, watching the dancers.

The next morning the midshipmen embarked aboard different ships for the summer practice cruise. Several ships had been detailed for this purpose, and Ralph with Bollup, Creelton, Himski and others of his class, was assigned to the monitor Puritan.

This was Saturday morning. On the night before not all midshipmen had been at the graduation ball, or at least had not spent the whole evening there, for shortly after ten o’clock a midshipman might have been seen to enter the Maryland Hotel. He did not stop at the desk to make inquiries but immediately ran up-stairs, then down the long corridor, and then knocked at the door of a room.

“Come in,” was heard from the inside, and the midshipman entered.

“Hello, Short!” he cried out. “Gracious, man, what a mustache you are wearing; I wouldn’t have known you. I’m glad to see you.”

“I doubt that. And don’t call me Short; I’ve registered here as Johnson, so call me Tom. I’ve just got here and I’m going to leave by the midnight special. I don’t care to have anybody who knew me a year ago know I’ve been in town.”

“I suppose not; not if you’re still on that lay of hurting Osborn.”

“Of course I’m still on that lay,” said Short in sudden passion, “and I’ll continue on that lay until that fellow gets just as nasty a turn as he did me. When that account is squared I’ll forget him. I’ve come down for the particular reason of telling you I’m not satisfied with the way you’ve handled your part of the job. I’ve come to tell you that you’ve got to take a brace.”

“None could have done it better, Short. If it hadn’t been that he voluntarily took the watch out to show it he never could have explained away his possession of it. I wrote you all about that. I did my part well.”

“Yes, but I planned it,” growled the other; “and it is only success that proves a thing nowadays.”

“You only planned part of it; you didn’t know anything about his uncle sending him the watch as a present, nor of the letter.”

“Neither did you. That should have made things easier for you. I believe you’re welching, that’s my opinion; and look here, if you are, and I don’t get Osborn, why I’ll get you good and hard. And you’d better believe I mean business.”

Short spoke savagely, his temper strongly aroused.

“Now look here, Short,” interposed the other, “I’ve not welched, and you ought to know it. But I’ll admit I’m sick of my job and I’m going to ask you to let me out of it.”

“Why are you sick of it?” inquired Short in a sneering tone.

“For one reason because I like him. He’s a fine, generous, good fellow and he looks upon me as one of his best friends. I’ve not a thing against him; he’s never done me a single ill turn and I’ve no reason to dislike him. This thing is on my mind all the time and I’m sick of the job. Now I want you to let me out of it. I’ll repay you the money you’ve advanced to me——”

“I thought you were a welcher,” cut in Short contemptuously, “and I know what you’ve done is not from any love of me; you’re my man, bought and paid for; do you understand that? And if you fail me I’ll send you to jail, just as sure as I’m sitting here.”

“Sh, Tom, don’t talk so loud; some one may hear.”

“They’ll hear a good deal about you before long if you don’t stand up to your job. Now look here; I’ll be a good boss but you’ve got to do what I tell you to do. You’re my man, now don’t forget that. I suppose I’m a villain; I don’t care anything about that. I don’t want any physical harm to come to Osborn; that isn’t what I’m after. But he had me dismissed in disgrace and I intend that he shall have a dose of the same medicine; you’ve got to do the work, that’s all there is about it.”

“It’s mighty dirty work, Tom,” said the other bitterly.

“Not a bit dirtier than when you deliberately stole two hundred dollars from me. And you’ve taken my money right along without any kicking; it’s too late for you to get tender about the work you’re doing.”

The other turned pale and looked troubled. His voice shook as he replied: “Well, Tom, there’s no use whatever of trying to put Osborn in the soup while the present superintendent and commandant are here. They know somebody is after Osborn—I wrote you all about that. After the letter I sent in signed ‘Indignant Fourth Classman’ Osborn was called to the superintendent’s office. What occurred there none of us know; he has kept mum about it, and of course I couldn’t afford to be inquisitive. Then after that came the superintendent’s order directing the person who signed that letter to report to him; you see there’s no use for us to put up any job on him now. We’d simply defeat our own ends, that’s all. You’d better drop it for the time, Tom.”

“Perhaps you’re right; later on it would come harder to him than now. But that fellow must be dismissed. Look here, can’t you get him on hazing?”

“I could easily if he would haze, but he knows the man that tried to have him accused of stealing and of cheating would report him if he hazed; I’ve heard him say so and he’s not going to do any.”

“I’m not particular about having him go for hazing because that isn’t considered dishonorable, though that would be better than having him graduate. There’s no chance of his bilging in his studies?”

“Not the slightest; he’s a regular math fiend.”

“How about the cruise? Couldn’t you arrange for something to happen there?”

“Look here, Tom, I’m not going to do anything that will fall back on top of me. If I can fix him to your satisfaction and not to be suspected I will. Now if that doesn’t suit you, you had better call for a policeman and have me put in jail. That’s all I’ve got to say.”

“If you don’t do what I tell you to do I most certainly shall put you in jail, depend on that. I won’t force you as to time, and if you can’t do anything while the present superintendent and commandant are here, because of their interest in Osborn, I won’t force you. You must make and take your time. Here’s a couple of hundred dollars——”

“I won’t take any more money from you!” vehemently exclaimed the midshipman.

“Oh, drop that kind of talk. Take the money and go. That’s all; we understand each other. If you welch you are going to be jammed and will be kicked out of the Academy in the same way your friend Thomas G. Short was.”

The midshipman stood irresolute. His eyes glittered; he approached the table where the roll of bills lay; then suddenly grabbing the money, he bolted out of the room.

Short gave a low, harsh laugh as his visitor left. “He’ll stay bought,” he muttered, as he packed his grip preparing to leave.