nt."

"Indianapolis and Blue Point are far away," murmured Belle, purposely
misnaming both famous places.

"_Ann_-apolis!" flared Dave

"_West_ Point!" protested Dick hotly.

"Don't mind Belle," begged Laura quietly. "She's the worst tease
I know."

"If I get the appointment to Annapolis," continued Darrin, "you'll
be asking me, next, if I expect to be promoted, after a while,
to he helmsman, or fireman, on some cruiser."

"Well, would you expect to be!" asked Belle, with an appearance
of great innocence.

"Don't, Belle," pleaded Laura. "The boy are too much in earnest.
It isn't fair to tease them, now. Wait until they've been at
West Point and Annapolis a couple of years. Then ask them."

"What would be the use then?" asked Belle dryly. "By that time
our young cadets will have met so many girls that they would have
to think back quite a while before they could remember our names."

Laura's pretty color lessened for an instant.

"Don't you believe it," broke in Dick promptly. "Just as soon
as I have a right ask for cards for a West Point hop I'm going
to ask for cards for Miss Bentley and Miss Deane, and their chaperon."

"The same here, for Annapolis," promised Dave solemnly. "So you
see, girls, you'll have to be prepared to do some traveling in
the near future.

"But you won't get to Annapolis, anyway, until June," replied
Belle, a bit more gently. "So you won't have any Annapolis hops
until next fall, will you?"

"Probably not," Dave admitted.

"But you won't go to Annapolis, anyway," suggested Laura, turning
to Prescott. "There may be some West Point hops between then
and June."

"I feel pretty sure there will be," nodded Dick cheerily. "And
you girls may be sure of my keeping my promise."

"And I'll keep mine for the very first hop that comes off at Annapolis
after I get there," Darrin assured them.

The laugh was on both young men, though neither they nor their
fair young companions knew it.

The poor "plebe," as the first year's man at either West Point
or Annapolis is known, would be in for a terrible experience at
the hands of his comrades if, during his "plebe" year, he had
the "cheek" to seek to attend a cadet hop. He must wait until
he has entered his second year before he has that privilege.

This is a wise regulation. In his first year the poor "plebe"
has so bewilderingly much to learn that he simply couldn't spare
any time for the cultivation of the graces of the ba