rded Tip as being one of
the manliest fellows in the world. She abetted his idleness by supplying
him with too much money. Tip dressed well, though a bit loudly, and
walked with a swagger. He was in a fair way to go through life without
becoming anything more than a bully.

Hal Overton, on the other hand, was a quiet though merry young man, just
above medium height, slim, though well built, brown-haired, blue-eyed,
and a capable, industrious young fellow. The elder Overton was a clerk
in a local store. Ill-health through many years had kept the father from
prospering, and Hal, after two years in High School, had gone to work in
the same store with his father at the age of sixteen.

Oliver Terry, too, had been at work since the age of sixteen. Noll's
father was engineer at one of the local machine shops, so Noll had gone
into one of the lathe rooms, and was already accounted a very fair young
mechanic.

Both were only sons; and, in the case of each, the fathers and mothers
had felt sorry, indeed, to see the young men go to work before they had
at least completed their High School courses.

By this time the fathers of both Hal and Noll had found themselves in
somewhat better circumstances. Hal and Noll, being ambitious, had both
felt dissatisfied, of late, with their surroundings and prospects, and
both had received parental permission to better themselves if they
could. So our two young friends, after many talks, and especially with
Sergeant Wright, had decided to serve at least three years in the
regular army by way of preliminary training.

Unfortunately, few American youths, comparatively speaking, are aware of
the splendid training that the United States Army offers to a young
American. The Army offers splendid grounding for the young man who
prefers to serve but a single enlistment and then return to civil life.
But it also offers a solidly good career to the young man who enlists
and remains with the colors until he is retired after thirty years of
continuous service.

Both Hal and Noll had looked thoroughly into the question, and each was
now convinced that the Army offered him the best place in life. Both
boys had very definite ideas of what they expected to accomplish by
entering the Army, as will appear presently.

Tip--even Tip Branders--had something of an ambition in life. So far as
he had done anything, Tip had "trained" with a gang of young hoodlums
who were "useful" to the political machine in one