An Annapolis First Classman

"Now, Mr. Drake, I'll allow you to remove the present sights of one of my six-pounders; the sights are kept out of the gun, anyway, for that matter; and in their places you may put in new sights. But you are not to alter the gun in any way; you must fix it so that any sights you put in can be immediately replaced by the regular sights. I'll send for the man you want, Lenn, and tell him to give you a hand."

Chief Gunner's Mate Lenn soon appeared, and he and the two midshipmen repaired to the forward starboard six-pounder on the superstructure deck, where Robert explained what he wanted. Lenn grasped the idea with avidity.

"Why, Mr. Drake," he said, "we can fix up what you want with no trouble at all. A sight is a simple thing – the principle is that the centre line of the gun's bore must be exactly parallel to the line of sight at point-blank range with no speed allowance. Now you want a peep-sight. We'll get a hollow cylinder, say an inch in diameter, and an inch or two long; we'll plug the end and drill a fine hole in the end of your plug. There's the peep. And the forward sight will be a ring with cross wires in it. Now your line from the peep-hole to the cross wires must be parallel to the axis of the gun. And while I think of it the rear and front sights should be as far apart as possible; I'll tell you what we'll do; we'll carry the sight at the end of a long piece of brass pipe; I've just the stuff in my storeroom. I'll fit a Y piece to where the present front sight is, pivot it there and hang the forward part of the pipe in its gimbals. I'll just run a quarter-inch pin through the pipe; and I'll drop the rear end of the brass pipe on this rear sight – I'll have to make a slight alteration in this rear sight – "

"You can't change a thing, Lenn, you mustn't," interrupted Robert. "Captain Brice will not allow any changes of the gun – "

"Oh, I've an old condemned rear sight below; I'll use that," smiled Lenn. "Now we'll fasten our new front cross wire and rear peep-sights to the ends of our brass pipe – why, anybody can see at a glance it will be a far better arrangement than the present poor system."

When Robert and Peters left Lenn said: "Come aboard the 'Nevada' in two days from now and you'll find your new sights on this gun ready for business."

On the following Saturday, after supper, Robert and Stonewell were enjoying a pleasant call at the Blunt household. Captain Blunt was telling Stonewell of the last target practice his ship had gone through. "Why, sir," he said, "if my six-pounders had not done so poorly I would surely have won the trophy; my six-inch guns averaged seven hits a minute, each of the best guns making ten hits. If we had had decent sights for our six-pounders the 'New Orleans' would have made the best record of any ship of her class in the navy."

Robert was eagerly listening, and was much interested, but Helen Blunt wasn't.

"Father," she interrupted, "you talk of nothing but guns, guns, guns and hits per minute. Now that isn't nearly so interesting to midshipmen as ice-cream and cake. Robert, come along to the pantry with me and help me get some."

That young man was on the point of asking Captain Blunt a question about six-pounder gun sights, but Helen was already on her way toward the hall; so he thought his question could wait, and he started to join Helen. She had gone to the rear of the house, to the pantry next the kitchen. The passageway was dark, but Robert knew the way, and he hurried after Helen, and soon ran right into her.

"You are a regular blunderer, aren't you, Robert?" she laughed. "I am trying to turn on the light but can't find the key. What a bother it is that in Annapolis all the servants go home at night – and there goes the doorbell. I'll have to go see who it is. Now try to find the switch; it's somewhere near on this wall. Just feel about and you'll find it. I hope you're not afraid to be left in the dark," was her parting shot, "but the kitchen door is locked, so that no burglars can get in." And Helen ran away.

Robert groped about, but could not find the switch to the electric light, and while he was fumbling his ear caught the noise of a click in the kitchen, as if a door had been unlocked. A moment later he heard a door opened, and with it he felt the draft blow on him.

"Some one has let himself into the kitchen," thought Robert. He kept quite still, wondering who it might be. Then he heard footsteps on the kitchen floor; they seemed quite close to him and he felt confident there was an intruder there. He peered through the open door of the pantry into the kitchen, but in the dark could see nothing; suddenly an electric light in the kitchen was turned on, and Robert, himself unseen, looked with fascination on the person he saw.

There standing by a table was a man with a brown slouch hat drawn down over his eyes, a man with a heavy moustache and dark pointed beard; he was dressed in a dark sack coat, buttoned closely across his chest and wore trousers of a dark material.

Robert felt his breath come quickly.

"What can this man be doing here?" he wondered. "I know him; he's the scoundrel who called for three groans for the superintendent and commandant."

Robert had a confused idea that the stranger might be a thief and he was wondering what he had best do, when suddenly a feeling of dismay and horror swept over him. The stranger threw off his hat, and with a quick movement of each hand unhooked from around his ears the support of what was evidently a false beard. And the merry face of Harry Blunt was revealed.

It is difficult to analyze Robert's feelings, but chief among them was an utter detestation for Harry. That a midshipman, himself the son of a splendid officer, should be the miscreant who had so wantonly, so publicly, insulted the highest officers at the Naval Academy, filled Robert with disgust.

For a midshipman to take unauthorized leave was a common offense, so also was it for a midshipman to have civilian clothing in his possession. Such offenses were committed at great personal risk and when detected brought down upon the offender's head severe punishment, and if repeated it meant dismissal. But reprehensible from a military view-point as it was, such an offense was not dishonorable.

Since the event at the Colonial Theatre none at Annapolis had ever had the slightest notion that the perpetrator of the insult of that night could be a midshipman; such an idea never was suggested, never even entered any person's mind. And so to Robert, his recognition of Harry Blunt as the culprit was as astounding as it was painful. He loathed Harry as an utterly unfit, dishonorable person, who had done shameful wrong to the Naval Academy. And immediately there arose in Robert's mind the knowledge that it was his duty to report Harry to the commandant, to report the son of his benefactor.

In agonized perplexity Robert turned and quietly walked through the dining-room to the hall.

"Did you find the cakes and things in the pantry, Robert?" cried Helen seeing him, "or did you get tired waiting for me? Mr. Farnum called, and he comes so seldom I felt I couldn't run away from him. Why, Robert, what's the matter? You have such a strange look on your face. What is it?"

"I – I couldn't find the light, Helen, I – "

"Oh, come back and try it again. But what is the matter, Robert? I'm sure something's the matter."

"I'm not feeling well, Helen. I – I – have to go – I can't stay, – please say good-night to your father and mother – I really must go," and with utter misery showing in every feature, Robert grabbed his hat and bolted out of the house.

CHAPTER XIII

HARRY BLUNT IS REBUFFED

Helen Blunt was grieved and hurt at Robert's strange action. It was incomprehensible to her. The others expressed much surprise at his sudden leaving. After a few minutes Helen got the refreshments, but she was much subdued for the rest of the evening, and it was only too evident that the pleasure of the day had gone for her.

Robert hurried back to the Academy and was soon in his room.

"I can't report him," he reflected. "I know I'm going back on my rank, on my duty, on my principles, on what I've preached ever since I've been at the Academy. The contemptible hound! He ought to be kicked out! It's a shame that such a despicable person should have such a fine father and mother – and – and sister. It's outrageous that he should remain here. But his father saved my father – I can't report him; it would utterly disgrace Captain Blunt – I'm full of gratitude to him – I suppose I have no right to let that gratitude interfere with my duty; but I can't help myself."

For the next hour Robert indulged himself in many bitter reflections, but his conclusions were unchanged, and he deliberately determined to keep to himself what he had learned, neither to report Harry Blunt nor to tell even Stonewell what he had seen.

Stonewell came in a little before ten o'clock. "What's the matter with you, Bob?" he asked almost roughly. "Do you think you treated the Blunts very politely? You spoiled Helen's evening, and I could see Captain and Mrs. Blunt were concerned; they must have thought you acted very queerly, to say the least."

"I'm sorry, Stone – I couldn't help it. Please don't talk about it to me."

Stonewell glanced keenly at his roommate's worried face. "Look here, Bob, when you went out to the pantry did you see young Blunt? Has that scamp been Frenching again?"

"Stone, except once, you have practically never discussed your personal matters with me; I never insist on it, intimate as we are. Now this is a personal matter of a kind that I just can't talk about; please don't expect me to."

"All right, Bob; but it's my opinion you feel you ought to report Blunt for Frenching and you feel you can't because you're under obligation of lasting gratitude to his father; and so you feel you're going back on your principles, and so forth. Now you were not on duty; no reasonable man would expect you to violate your own feelings to that extent. So cheer up, Bob; I'll tell you right now that if when I'm not on duty I find young Blunt Frenching in his father's house, I most certainly shall not report him."

To this Robert made no comment, but in his heart thought that if his roommate knew what a scoundrel Blunt was, that Stonewell would be the very first to report him.

Taps soon sounded, and before long Robert was in bed; but long hours passed before sleep came to him. "What a lot of terrible rogues I've been mixed up with," was one of the thoughts that came to his mind; "there was Hillman, Ramsay, Williams, and now this detestable Blunt. And of them all I fear Blunt is the worst."

The next afternoon Stonewell went to Blunt's room and found that young man there alone. "Hello, Stone," greeted Blunt; "but now that football is over perhaps I should say Mister Stonewell to the five striper."

"Never mind the 'Mister,' Blunt. I thought I'd drop around to tell you that I think you are an unintentional cad."

"Your words are offensive, sir," cried Harry, getting angry immediately; "I'm not aware of any Naval Academy regulation that permits the cadet commander to insult a third classman."

"I don't wish to insult you, Blunt, and I admit my words require explanation. The point is just this: Bob Drake, your company commander, is entirely upset about something. He will not talk about it to me, and has no idea of my seeing you about the matter. He was out at your father's house last night, and I've a notion you were Frenching out there and he saw you. You probably know he has very strict notions of duty. My idea is that he feels he should report you or else go back on every principle he ever had. And for a particular reason he cannot report you."

"Oh," replied Harry disdainfully, "if the reason is that he is currying favor with Helen most people would say Drake is the cad."

"It isn't your sister, Blunt. It's your father, whom he owes a debt of gratitude to."

"Why should Drake be grateful to my father?" exclaimed Harry in evident surprise.

"For personal reasons. I don't feel at liberty to talk about them, except to say that a couple of weeks ago a kind action on your father's part saved Drake from resigning. You see Drake cannot report your father's son; and come now, wouldn't a man be a cad to force a man like Drake to go back on his principles?"

"Good old dad," cried Harry impulsively; "I was a cad, but I'm glad you said unintentionally so. I'd have had no use for Drake if it had been on Helen's account. But really I didn't know Drake saw me last night. Are you sure he did?"

"I have just imagined so; you ought to know whether he did or not. He was at your house last night; at half-past eight he went out in the pantry to get something and all of a sudden bolted out of the house. He won't speak of the matter even to me, but he has been miserable ever since."

"By Jove!" ejaculated Harry. "Perhaps he saw me in the cit's clothes; that would be a bilging spot,[2 - A report involving dismissal.] wouldn't it?"

"I shouldn't wonder," remarked Stonewell, drily.