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Dick Prescott's Third Year at West Point, a fiction by H. Irving Hancock |
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Chapter 2. Brass Meets Gold |
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_ CHAPTER II. BRASS MEETS GOLD Neither Dick nor Greg took the trouble to answer the greeting. Dodge's outstretched hand both cadets affected not to see. As it happened, few of the others present noted this brief little scene. A natural break in the crowd left Dick alone for the moment, with Holmes standing not far away and looking coldly in the direction of the ex-cadet, yet not appearing to see him at all. "Well, what's the matter?" hissed Dodge in an undertone that the other guests did not hear. "Are you going to make a fool of yourself, Prescott?" "You'd better execute a right-about face and make double-time away from here," replied Dick in a freezing undertone. "Otherwise I don't believe the guests will fail to observe how West Pointers regard a convicted sneak." "Are you going to open your mouth and do a lot of talking?" whispered Dodge menacingly. "Or are you going to keep your tongue behind your teeth?" "I can't undertake to lower myself by making any promises to a sneak," retorted Dick, still in an undertone. "But I warn you that any further conversation I have with you will be carried on in ordinary conversational tones. And if you undertake to remain, we shall be obliged to inform our hostess that we regret our inability to stay any longer." Conscious that others were probably looking their way, Bert Dodge tried to make his face as expressionless as possible. "See here, Prescott-----" the fellow began coaxingly. But Dick turned and walked away. Greg, very stiff and straight, moved at his friend's side. Afraid of what others might notice, Dodge passed on. He presently reached a door leading into the hallway. Here he remained briefly. Then, when he believed himself to be unobserved, he slipped out, took his hat and got away. A few minutes later, as Dick and Greg passed the door of a little reception room, Susie Sharp called them in quietly. They found her there alone. "Oh, Mr. Prescott! Mr. Holmes! Have I made any mistake, I thought it would be a pleasant surprise to you both if I had Mr. Dodge here to meet you, as you all three were classmates at West Point. But I should have remembered that in the old High School days you two and Mr. Dodge were not the best of friends." There was an agitated catch in Susie's voice. Their young hostess was worried by the thought that she had invited jarring elements to meet. "Why, to be candid, I don't believe Dodge ever admired either Greg or myself very much, replied Cadet Prescott evenly. "But did I make a fearful mistake?" pleaded Susie. "One cannot make a mistake who aims at the pleasure of others," Dick answered smilingly. Somewhat reassured, Susie asked her cadet guests to return with her to the drawing rooms. There they joined a little group, and were chatting when a girl's voice reached them from a few feet away. The girl who was speaking did not realize that her tones carried as far as the ears of Dick and Greg as she explained to two other young women: "Mr. Dodge said he resigned from the Military Academy because he could not stand the crowd there." "I guess that's true," muttered Dick inwardly. "The crowd couldn't stand Dodge, either." But Sam Foss made the conversation general by calling: "How about that, Dick! I always thought West Point was a very select place. Bessie Frost says Dodge left West Point because he thought the fellows there rather below his grade socially." "Perhaps they are," nodded Dick gravely, but in even tones. "I have heard it stated that about sixty per cent. of the cadets are the sons of wage-earners. Indeed, one of the cadets whom I most respect has not attempted to conceal the fact that, until he graduates and begins to draw officer's pay, his mother will have to continue to support herself at the washtub. That young man is now in the first class, and I can tell you that we are all mighty anxious to see that man graduate and find himself where he can look after a noble mother who has the misfortune to be unusually poor in purse." "Then as an American, I'm proud of West Point, if it has fellows with no more false shame than that," cried Foss heartily. "Why, I always thought West Point a very swell place, extremely so," murmured Bessie Frost. "In fact--pardon me, won't you---I have always heard that the young men at West Point are very much puffed up and very exclusive." Dick laughed good-humoredly. "Of course, Miss Frost, the cadet is expected to learn how to become a gentleman as well as an officer. Yet why should any of us feel unduly conceited? We are privileged to secure one of the best educations to be obtained in the world, but we obtain it at public expense. Not only our education, but all our living expenses are paid for out of the nation's treasury, and that money is contributed by all tax-payers alike. If we of the cadet corps should get any notion that we belong to a superior race of beings, to whom would we owe it all? Are the cadets not indebted for their opportunities to all the citizens of the United States?" "Did Bert Dodge have any especial trouble at West Point?" asked another girl. "Mr. Dodge did not make us his confidants," evaded Dick coolly. "What do you say, Mr. Holmes?" persisted the same girl. "About the same that Dick does," replied Greg. "You see, there are several hundred cadets at West Point, and Dick and I were not in the same section with Dodge." "Was he one of the capable students there?" "Why, he was in a much higher section than either Dick or myself," admitted Greg truthfully; but he did not think it necessary to explain the trickery and cribbing by which Dodge had secured the appearance of higher scholarship. At this point the tact and good sense of Miss Susie Sharp caused her to use her opportunities as hostess to break up the group and to start some new lines of conversation. But Susie was uneasy, and presently she found a chance to whisper to Laura Bentley: "Tell me, dear---what lies back of the fact that Mr. Dodge does not seem to be on good terms with Mr. Prescott and Mr. Holmes?" "Did Bert Dodge know that Dick and Greg were to be here!" asked Miss Bentley. "No; I wanted it to be a surprise on both sides." "It must have been, my dear," smiled Laura "The fact is that Dick and Greg are not on friendly terms with Mr. Dodge." "Oh!" murmured Susie, moving away. "I am glad that it was no worse." A large tent had been erected on one of the lawns. To this tent, later in the afternoon, Miss Sharp invited her guests. Here a collation had been served, with pretty accessories, by a caterer, and several waiters stood about to serve. When the guests returned to the house they discovered that the rugs had been removed, and that an orchestra was now at hand to furnish music for dancing. Given music and a smooth floor, young people do not mind exertion on a hot June afternoon. Dancing was at once in full swing. Nor did the young people leave until after six o'clock. Greg escorted Belle Meade home, Dick walking with Laura. The two cadet chums met on Main Street a little later. They stood near a corner, chatting, when Bert Dodge came unexpectedly around the corner. He saw the two cadets, changed color, then halted. Neither Dick nor Greg checked their conversation, nor let it be known that they were aware of the ex-cadet's presence. But Dodge, after looking at the chums sourly for a moment, stepped squarely in front of them. "See here, you fellows-----" he began, his voice sounding thickly. "Have you the impudence to address us," asked Prescott coolly. "Don't talk to me about impudence!" snarled Dodge. "What did you two say about me, after I left this afternoon?" "Oh, I assure you we didn't discuss you any more than was necessary," replied Dick frigidly. "What did you say?" insisted Dodge. "We couldn't say much about you," Greg broke in icily. "You know, you're hardly a fit subject for conversation." "See here, you two fellows," warned Bert angrily, "you want to be mighty careful what you say about me! Do you understand? A single unfriendly word, that does any injury to my reputation, and I'll take it out of you." Prescott would not go to the length of sneering. He allowed an amused twinkle to show in his eyes. "On your way, Dodge that's the best course for you," advised Greg coldly. "We're not interested in your threats of fight, and you ought to know better, too, after some of the thumpings you've had." "Fight?" jeered Dodge harshly. "You fellows seem to think you're still in cadet barracks, and that all you have to do is to call me out, and that my only recourse is to put up an argument before a class scrap committee. But you fellows aren't at West Point just now, and cadet committees don't run things here. You're back in civilization, where we have laws and regular courts. Now, if I find that you fellows are saying a single word against me I'll have you both arrested for criminal libel. I'll have you put through the courts, too, and sent to jail. Then, when you get out of jail, you can find out what your high and mighty West Point friends think of that!" Dodge finished with a harsh, sneering laugh, then turned on his heel. "The cheap skate!" muttered Greg, looking after the retreating fellow. "Humph! I'd like to see him make any trouble for us!" "He may try it," muttered Prescott, gazing thoughtfully after their ancient enemy. "How?" demanded Greg. "We don't think him worth talking about among decent people, so we'll give him not the slightest chance to make any trouble." "We won't give Dodge any real cause, of course," nodded Dick gravely. "But a scoundrel like Dodge doesn't need real cause. That young man has altogether more spending money than is good for his morals. Why, with his money, Greg, Dodge would know how to find people, apparently respectable, who would be willing to accept a price for perjuring themselves." "Humph!" uttered Greg. "If Dodge could get such testimony, and his perjurers would stick to their yarns," continued Dick, "then the young scoundrel might be actually able to carry out his threats." "He wouldn't dare!" "If it were anything high-minded and dangerous, Dodge wouldn't dare," admitted Dick. "But minds like his will dare a good deal to put through anything scoundrelly against people who try to be decent." _ |
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