ear or so ought to keep the country patient."

"You fellows are going to be downright happy, I know," resumed
Tom. "But so are Harry and I. We finish out our High School
work, and then our chance is ahead of us."

"To _find_?" queried Dave.

"No, sir! We've _got_ it," retorted Tom. "It came to us only
recently, and Harry and I have been keeping a bit quiet, but now
it is time to tell the news---just in the circle of Dick & Co."

By dint of great hustling, and backed by recommendations from
the local civil engineer, Reade and Hazelton had secured a chance,
beginning in the coming July, to join as rodmen the engineering
party that was laying a new railroad over the Rockies, in Colorado.

Just before the first of March, Dick Prescott and Greg Holmes
slipped quietly away, and reported at West Point.

But what further happened to Dick and Greg---and there was a lot
of it---must be reserved for the volumes of the new West Point
series.

The first volume will appear under the title, "_Dick Prescott's
First Year at West Point; Or, Two Chums in the Cadet Gray_."

Later on Dave Darrin and Dan Dalzell left Gridley and home for
Annapolis. Their adventures will be followed up in the new Annapolis
series.

The first volume in this series will be entitled: "_Dave Darrin's
First Year at Annapolis; Or, Two Plebes at the Naval Academy_."

Nor did Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton fail of some very extraordinary
adventures in their chosen career of engineering. Their career
led them into some of the wild spots of the earth. It will all
be told in the Young Engineer series.

The first volume in this series will appear shortly under the
caption: "_The Young Engineers in Colorado; Or, at Railroad Building
in Earnest_."

How about the other Gridley folks whose acquaintance has been
so enjoyable? Fred Ripley? Well, as to Fred---when we first
made his acquaintance, he was anything but an agreeable fellow,
but he learned his lesson in time, and, under the wholesome influence
of Dick & Co., but especially of Dick Prescott himself, Fred had
become a different boy. Such is the effect of good example.

As to the rest, many of them are bound to appear again, as we
follow the fortunes of our Gridley boys through the tales of West
Point, the annals of Annapolis and the doings of the Young Engineer
Boys.

So here we will leave them all for the moment, soon to renew the
acquaintance of all who had any future share in the lives or