Barney Breslin was not a popular youth in the Naval School.

His nature was somewhat morose; it seemed to go against him to salute his superiors, and he had never won golden opinions for his studious habits and strict attention to duty.

He had but one intimate in the corps of cadets, and that one was Scott Clemmons, his roommate.

Many wondered how it was that Scott Clemmons had gotten in with Barney Breslin, for, where the one was an aristocrat, the other had just escaped being born in the Emerald Isle, for his parents had set foot upon the “land of the brave and the free” only a week when Barney made his dÉbut in life.

The father of the youth had played his cards so well in the metropolis that he had gotten to be a man of wealth and a politician of influence, and it had been the dream of the mother’s life to see her boy an admiral before she died.

An only son, Barney had gone it a trifle rapid for a youngster, and was sent to the Naval School for training. As he passed his examinations he had the courage, when a full-fledged cadet, to write to his father of certain unpaid debts left behind in New York, and they were promptly settled by the parent, but with an admonition that not a dollar more should be received from the Breslin bank account until he had graduated, and if he failed to do this he had better ship before the mast, and not show up again under the parental roof tree.

Now, Barney was fond of a game of chance, and when he could find a congenial spirit to play with, he often indulged in gambling, generally to his sorrow, for he soon had several I. O. U.’s for various amounts.

It was supposed that Scott Clemmons helped Barney Breslin in his studies, for the former was bright and stood splendidly in his classes.

In return it was hinted that Barney did many little favors for Clemmons, mostly of a menial nature, however.

The inspector always found Clemmons’ wardrobe and half of the room neat as a pin, while Barney was often “spotted” for disorder.

Cadets generally “size up” a man very correctly, and they decided that when examination day came and Barney’s displacement was taken, his tonnage in knowledge would fall short, even though aided by Scott Clemmons.

In other words, Barney could never “bone” hard enough to step across the threshold into the third class.

“He’ll bilge, certain,” was the general way of putting Barney’s prospects by his fellow cadets.

It may, therefore, be inferred that Barney Breslin was as unpopular as his roommate, Scott Clemmons, was popular, for the latter was looked upon as a “good fellow all round,” though a trifle too haughty, perhaps.

From the first Barney had not liked Mark Merrill, and he made no effort to disguise it.

A tall, heavily formed fellow, he possessed great brute strength, and was brave from this very reason, feeling his power over weaker mortals, and inclined to be a bully from nature.

One afternoon the cadets assembled in considerable force in the gymnasium, and many were giving exhibitions of their prowess as athletes, and no mean exhibition it was, either, for the training that they received made iron physiques of the youths.

For some reason an unpleasant feeling rested upon many, which soon became general when it was known that Scott Clemmons had lost a valuable coin that morning.

It was a rare coin, what is known as a fifty-dollar gold piece, octagonal in shape, and always quoted at a large premium on account of the scarcity of such issues of money.

All who had seen Scott Clemmons with it knew that he called it his “luck coin,” and that he prized it most highly.

He had changed his clothes that morning, leaving the coin in the pants he had taken off, and, going for it an hour after, he found it gone.

Barney Breslin had expressed himself boldly about one whom he believed had taken the coin, as he had said that he met a cadet coming out of the room of Scott Clemmons and himself, and unless the gold piece was returned that night, he would make his accusation public.

He would not give a hint as to whom he suspected, but said:

“Wait until night, and then I shall accuse the one I deem the thief,” and he turned away to perform an act which he had won quite a reputation for, which was to walk around the pedestrian track of the gymnasium on his hands.

“Can you do that, Merrill?” asked Scott Clemmons, who stood near him, and there was a sneer in his tone and manner.

“I think so,” was the quiet response, and Mark Merrill threw himself upon his hands and began to go around the track, when suddenly, with a loud ring, the missing gold-piece rolled from his pocket amid almost a roar of amazement from his brother cadets.