Friday, graduation day, dawned beautifully. The sun’s rays that beamed through the midshipmen’s rooms and that glanced merrily up from the sparkling ripples of the water of Chesapeake Bay seemingly danced their congratulations to the hundreds of happy midshipmen, some of whom were to be graduated that morning; and all of the rest were happy or more correctly, all but one sad hearted young man, because they were to be promoted to a higher class.

At six o’clock the morning gun boomed its reverberating roar, shaking window panes for miles, its echoes dying in the far distance. And immediately in midshipmen quarters were to be heard the hoarse notes of the reveille bugle blasting the last moment of slumber of several hundred midshipmen. And then the Academy awakened from quiet restfulness to uneasy, restless, impatient activity.

“Turn out on this floor, turn out, turn out,” were calls that resounded all over the building, and midshipmen of the day’s duty ran from room to room, shouting their cries of, “Turn out,” and throwing open the doors of rooms to see the occupants therein were out and their bedding thrown back. Half an hour later came the bugle call for breakfast formation, the signal for midshipmen to fall in ranks. Some, waiting for the call, went leisurely to their appointed places. In the last few seconds of the five minutes allowed before the roll-call, scores of midshipmen, anxious to avoid demerits for being “late at morning roll,” ran at breakneck speed trying to beat time, to their respective companies. Then came the final blast of the bugle, and where but a second before noise, confusion and disorder reigned, now a body of several hundred young men, in two unwavering ranks, stood silent, quiet and in complete order. And now came the muster of each company; one heard the stentorian shouts of the cadet lieutenants, the last time each was to officiate as such.

“Third company, left dress! Back in the center, carry it along, up a little on the extreme right! Steady, front!”

Soon the adjutant had reported: “Sir, the battalion is formed.”

“Publish the orders, sir,” directed the cadet lieutenant-commander.

“Attention to orders,” rang out the clear, vibrating voice of the adjutant, and unfolding a paper he carried in his hand, he read as follows:

Well, it was all over. There was nothing more to be said or done. Poor Ralph! There was a lump in his throat and an utter forlorn sadness in his heart. He was thus rudely torn from the dearest ambition he had ever had; and until this moment he had not known how dear this ambition was. And he was to give up an association with beloved comrades, and to enter fields in which they had no place.

Yes, it was all over; and Ralph thought bitterly of how he had finally reached the summit of his ambition, to lead his class, only to be completely overthrown and have all of his hopes wrecked. “This is the day the midshipmen get out of the wilderness,” he thought sadly, “but I never expected to get out in this way.”

After breakfast his classmates crowded around him and expressed their sympathy, and many others of all classes came to him with kind words; for Ralph’s frank, kindly nature had made countless friends for him and they left him saying, “Poor Osborn, it’s such hard luck; he’s such a fine fellow,” and like expressions.

The preparations for the great day went busily and merrily on, and Ralph was forgotten for the time. But not by all, for three classmates, Himski, Bollup and Streeter, remained with him, and he felt their warm sympathy. They said but little; their hearts were too full for ordinary talk, but with saddened, deadened spirits, they helped Ralph pack his trunk and get his effects ready to be sent out. Finally they had to leave to put on their full dress uniforms for the graduating ceremonies, and Ralph was left alone. He was dressed in civilian clothes and was looking at his unfamiliar appearance in the mirror when he heard his door thrown open and a voice say: “This is Mr. Osborn’s room, sir.”

He turned around and saw the white gloved officer of the day usher into his room a gentleman of perhaps fifty years old, gray in beard, red in face, with bushy hair inclined to curl, and kindly blue eyes.

“Why, Captain Waddell!” he cried, at once recognizing his visitor.

“Ralph, my dear boy,” said the captain, “I only received your letter yesterday and I took the midnight train last night.” And he shook hands warmly with the young man.

“Why, captain, did you come down to see me, to help me in my trouble?”

“Indeed I did, Ralph, but I don’t like the looks of your civilian clothes; what does it mean?”

Ralph silently handed the captain the acting secretary’s order dismissing him, and the court martial order of his trial.

“Bad, bad,” ejaculated the captain; “how did you happen to do it, Ralph?”

Ralph rapidly related how he had been provoked by Mr. Chappell and how he had lost his temper and had stood Mr. Chappell on his head.

“Who is Mr. Chappell, Ralph?”

“A candidate, sir; he comes up for his entrance examination next week.”

“And where did this hazing occur?”

“In Annapolis, in the state capital grounds, sir.”

Captain Waddell read the court martial order over again, and then opened his eyes wide, and seemed lost in thought. Then turning to Ralph he said quietly: “What I am saying to you now is in the most absolute confidence; you must promise me you will not talk to any one about what I am going to tell you.”

“Yes, sir,” said Ralph, wondering what could be so confidential between an officer of such high rank and himself.

“Ralph, I was assistant in the judge-advocate general’s office for three years and made a deep study of all naval law. I refused the appointment of judge-advocate general, preferring to go to sea. Without undue conceit, judging by the questions that now are occasionally referred to me by the Navy Department, and by the demands continually made upon me by the Naval War College, I judge I am considered an authority on legal questions as they affect the Navy.”

“Yes, sir,” said Ralph, for want of anything better to say.

“Well then. The charges made against you were entirely illegal and never should have been made. The court that tried you were in complete error in finding you guilty; the sentence is ridiculous, and the judge-advocate general made a great mistake in not discovering it. You are just as much a midshipman as you ever were, and I promise you before long you’ll be back in that uniform of yours.” And Captain Waddell thumped the table savagely.

“Captain, captain, what are you saying, what do you mean?” cried Ralph in excitement. “Why is it illegal? Do you mean I may hope for reinstatement?”

“Hope?” said Captain Waddell. “Ralph, I tell you your dismissal is utterly illegal and I shall have no trouble whatever in having that court martial and all that pertains to it declared void.”

This was too much for the lad who had nobly borne up in his grief; he was not prepared for the joy that now overwhelmed him, and he broke down completely with sobbing happiness. Captain Waddell, grim visaged veteran that he was, became affected by Ralph’s emotion. Ralph never thought of questioning the captain’s statement; it entered into his heart naturally that his friend knew exactly what he was talking about and Ralph had entire belief in his words.

“Now, Ralph,” said the captain, “I’m not going to tell you anything more, nor why your sentence is illegal and won’t stand. I’ve told you this much to dispel the woe that had enthralled your soul. You’ll go to Washington with me this afternoon and we’ll find a boarding-place for you till this matter is settled. I don’t want that friend of yours, Short, to know where you are nor what you’re doing. You tell me he’s a millionaire or supposed to be. It may take six weeks or two months to get the decision reinstating you, and I don’t wish anybody to have any idea of what you or I are doing.”

Ralph’s face fell. “I haven’t enough money to pay my board for six weeks, captain,” he faltered; “I have barely enough to pay my railway fare to Toledo.”

“I saw your Uncle George yesterday,” said Captain Waddell, “and showed him your letter. He is much disturbed about you and gave me two hundred dollars to give to you. Here it is. This is a large amount of money to your uncle, but he is a very generous good man. When you get restored you will receive back pay and can return it to him.”

“My Uncle George!” exclaimed Ralph. “Am I never to see or know this good uncle? Can I not go to New York to see him, captain?”

Ralph’s heart overflowed with love for this dear uncle whom he had never known, and whose helpful affection was flowing into the channel of his own life.

“Won’t you tell me about my Uncle George, Captain Waddell? Can’t I see him? Now that my dear father is dead Uncle George is my nearest relation. Why don’t I know him better? Why do I hear from him so seldom?”

“All in good time, Ralph. Your uncle is a splendid man; he has my entire respect. But he left for England this morning to be gone several months. You may write to him care of my address; his own is uncertain. But I promise you one thing, your Uncle George and I will be here a year from now to see you graduate at the head of your class.”

With that Ralph had to be satisfied, for Captain Waddell did not seem disposed to talk any more about the young man’s uncle.

“Now, Ralph, be at the train at four o’clock. I’m stopping with the superintendent and am to be present at the graduation ceremonies. I want you to write out for me a complete history of what you know of that Short and of all of these mishappenings that have occurred to you at different times, and write a full and complete account of that alleged hazing. At Washington I will get a copy of the record of the proceedings of your court. Good-bye; I’ll see you at four o’clock.”

After Captain Waddell had departed Ralph wondered why his court martial and his dismissal were illegal; he had not the slightest notion and soon dismissed that puzzle from his mind, but he had not the faintest doubt of what the captain had told him.

So he danced about the room in a state of happy exhilaration, attending to sending his luggage off, and then he went to the Maryland Hotel where he wrote the account asked for by Captain Waddell and a letter eloquent with love and affection to his Uncle George; he then had a late lunch and afterward went to the Maryland Avenue gate where he had agreed to meet Himski and Bollup and Streeter at three o’clock, to exchange good-byes. Sympathizing deeply with Ralph in his trouble, it was natural that they should be sorrowful and totally unprepared for the rush of happy enthusiastic spirits which Ralph poured over them.

He laughed and rallied them merrily because of their woebegone demeanor.

“What’s the matter with you three chaps?” he cried, as he gave them each a hug. “You look as if you’d been to a funeral instead of a graduation.”

Bollup stared at him in amazement, then got close to Ralph’s mouth with his own nose and sniffed audibly three times. This was too much for Ralph. He burst into peal after peal of laughter; then he drew their heads together and breathed into their faces and said: “There’s nothing there but Maryland Hotel grub. I know what you think, Bollup, but I’ve never taken a drink in my life; but I was never so happy, never so happy.”

There was no doubt that Ralph’s good spirits were perfectly natural and unaffected, and being so they were infectious and soon Himski, Bollup and Streeter bubbled over with happiness and nonsense.

These comrades loved each other, and seeing Ralph so wildly happy the gloom that had so enveloped them was as quickly and as completely dispelled as a northwest wind lifts a thick fog from the Maine coast.

They escorted Ralph to the railway station and good-byes and mutual promises to write were exchanged, and thus Ralph left Annapolis.

And then the amazement returned to the three friends. “What can have happened to Os?” wondered Himski in deep thoughtfulness. “He’s as happy as if he had been reinstated.”

“It’s something big,” remarked Bollup, “and we couldn’t get him to say a word about it; but I’m feeling much better, aren’t you, Himski?”

“You bet I am, and I’ve a queer happy feeling that we’re going to have old Os back with us, and that he knows it.”