Part 28 (1/2)

In the winter's basket ball they did not intend to take part.

For the baseball nine, that would begin practice soon after the new year, there was plenty of fine material in the lower cla.s.ses.

”I feel almost as if I had been to a funeral,” snorted Darrin, when he came away from the gym. after having turned in all his togs and paraphernalia.

”It's time to give the younger fellows a show,” sighed d.i.c.k.

”You talk as though we were old men,” gibed Dave.

”In the High School we are,” laughed d.i.c.k. ”We're seniors. In a few short months more we shall be graduates, unless-----”

There he stopped, but Darrin didn't need to look at his chum.

Both knew what that pause meant.

CHAPTER XVIII

The Would-Be Candidates

The big stir came earlier than it had been expected.

Every boy who has followed such matters in his own interest will appreciate what the ”big stir” means.

Congressman Spokes, representing the district in which Gridley lay, had a vacant cadets.h.i.+p at West Point within his gift, and also a cadets.h.i.+p at Annapolis.

_”On December 17, at nine A.M., at the town hall in Wilburville, I will meet all young men who believe themselves to possess the other proper qualifications for a cadets.h.i.+p at either West Point or Annapolis.”_

So ran the Congressman's announcement in the daily press of the district.

Every young man had to be of proper age, height, weight and general good bodily condition. He must, of course, be a citizen of the United States.

Every young man was advised to save himself some possible trouble and disappointment by going, first of all, to his family physician for a thorough examination. If serious bodily defects were found, that would save the young man from the trouble of going further in the matter.

But at the Wilburville town hall there was to be another physical examination, which every young man must pa.s.s before he would be admitted to the mental examinations, which were to last into the evening.

d.i.c.k Prescott read this announcement and thrilled over it.

For two years or more he had been awaiting this very opportunity.

Every Congressman once in four years has one of these cadets.h.i.+ps to give to some young man.

Sometimes the Congressman would give the chance to a boy of high social connections, or else to the son of an influential politician.

A cadets.h.i.+p was a prize with which the Congress man too often paid his debts.

Good old General Daniel E. Sickles was the first Congressman to formulate the plan of giving the cadets.h.i.+p to the brightest boy in district, the young man proving his fitness by defeating all other aspirants in a compet.i.tive examination.

Since that time the custom had grown up of doing this regularly.

It is true, at any rate of most of the states of the Union.

In some western and some southern states the cadets.h.i.+p is still given as a matter of favor.