Army and Navy Weekly — page 21: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ARMY AND NAVY “Ves, but what? and when ?’’ “To-night!’’? cried Bull! ‘‘To-night! And I want you to help us.”’ Murray sprang up in excitement and joy. Bull hushed his exclamations, and after glancing cautiously about him to make sure that no one was near in that now black and shadowy glade, went on in a low, muttering tone. ‘‘Tt’s very simple,’’ he whispered. ‘‘It’s because it’s so simple it’s sure to work. It .won’t leave Mallory the ghost of a chance. I’m just as sure, man, sure as I stand on this spot of ground, that Mal- lory will be court-martialed in a week.”’ ‘“What is it??? cried Murray. ““Tisten. Meg’s going to write hima letter to-night, send it to him about mid- night, asking him to come to her. Then ») ‘*But will he come ?’’ ‘‘Certainly. Wecan make it strong. She will. She can say she’s dying, any- thing to make sure. He’ll go. She lives beyond cadet limits.. Some of us’ll be there, catch him, tie him, kill] him—any- thing, I don’t care. And I know the girl don’t. I think she’d tear his eyes out. Anyhow, we’ll fix him there, beyond limits, and then back to camp we go, make some infernal racket and have the tac outin notime. Then there’l] be an inspection, and Mallory’ll be ‘‘hived’’ absent after taps. They’ll ask him next morning where he’s been, and he?]] tell.”’ ‘He may lie.”? ‘He won’t. Hecouldn’t. I know him too well. And he’ll be court-martialed, and there you are!’’ And‘Gus Murray leaped up with a cry of joy. He seized his companion by the hand. ‘“That’s it! he cried. ‘“That’s it! By Heaven, it’l] do him! And if there’s any blame to bear that fool of a girl shall bear it.”? eee CHAPTER’ IT. IN WHICH THE PLOT SUCCEEDS. That beautiful July evening, while those precious rascals sat whispering and discussing the details of their plan, while first classmen and yearlings were all down in the Academy Building at the ‘‘hop,”’ a certain plebe sat in a tent of Company A, all by himself. A candle flickered be- 1075 side him, and he held a writing pad in his hand. The plebe was Mark Mallory, his clearcut, handsome features shining in the yellow light. ‘‘Dear Mother,’’ he was writing. ‘‘Itis hard for one to get time to write a letter here. We plebes have so much to do. But I have promised you to write once a week, and so I have stolen off from my friends to drop you a line. ‘“This is the fifth letter I have written now, the close of the fifth week. And I like West Point as much as I ever did. You know how much that is. You know how I have worked and striven for this chance I have. West Point has always been the goal of all my hopes, and I am still happy to have reached it. If I should forfeit my chance now it would be by my own fault, I think; I know that it would - break my heart. ‘“We plebes have to work hard nowa- days. They wake us up at five witha big gun, and after that it is drill all day. But I like it, for I am learning lots of things. Ifyou could see me sweeping and dusting I know you would laugh. Texas says if ‘the boys’ saw him they’d lynch him ‘sho.’ “I told you alot about Texas the last time I wrote. Heisthe most delightful character I have ever met in my life. He is just fresh from the plains, and his cow- boy ways of looking at things keep me laughing all day. But he is just as true as steel, and as fine a friend as I ever knew. “‘T believe I told you all about the Seven Devil, the secret society we have gotten up to stop hazing. Well, we are having high jinks with ‘the durnation ole ya’rlin’s,’ as Texas calls them. We have outwitted them at every point, and I think they are about ready to give up in despair. We plebes even went to the hop the other night. I can hear the musie of the hop now as it comes over the pa- rade ground. It 1s very alluring, so you must appreciate this letter all the more. ‘I shan’t tell you about the fight I had, for it would worry you. And I haven’t time to tell you how I saved the life of a girl last week. I inclose a news- paper clipping about it, but you mustn’t believe it was so absurdly heroic. The eirl’s father 1s a very rich man here, and, Gomicbooksrecom