son, are offered
a special appointment as lieutenant, junior grade, in the United States
Navy. You, Mr. Hastings, and you, Mr. Somers, are offered special
appointments as ensigns. You will all have the privileges of your
ranks except the actual commissions. Yet you will be actual officers,
and entitled to full respect. Moreover, the President promises that,
when you are twenty-one years of age, you shall have regular commissions
promptly. In case the President is not re-elected to his office, he
agrees to urge upon his successor in the White House the fulfilment
of the promise. So, if you accept the special appointments, now,
you are absolutely certain of commissions as soon as you reach the
age of twenty-one. Perhaps it is only just to add that we are aware
that all three of you have already been offered commissions in foreign
navies, and that you have refused. Both the President and myself
appreciate your loyalty to your own Flag. Now, what do you young
gentlemen say to accepting special appointments to run until you are
each twenty-one?"

"Mr. Secretary, it's the brightest, the one great dream with us all,"
Jack Benson replied, hoarsely. "There is just one thing that could
hold us back. We really feel in honor bound to Mr. Farnum and Mr.
Pollard to stand by their interests, for they have been our best
friends."

"What do you say to that, Mr. Farnum?" inquired the Secretary.

From behind a screen stepped Jacob Farnum, the Dunhaven shipbuilder.

"Why, see here, boys," began Farnum, a broad smile on his face, "I
received a long wire from Mr. Sanders yesterday. Dave Pollard and I
talked this thing over, and we decided that the Pollard boat is now
an assured success. You have put the boats where we can now build
and run them without you. You are more needed in the Navy. Now,
Dave and I both urge you to go where we know your hearts are--into
the Navy. And you will go with all our best wishes. The government
needs you, now, to handle the boats that we build up at Dunhaven, and
to train war-crews for those boats. There is only one objection to
your entering the Navy, boys. You will have to pass upon our boats.
We know you will do that honestly and fearlessly; yet there are many
who would sneer at having boats passed on for the government by young
officers who hold stock in our concern. Now, the amount of stock
that each of you holds has been growing steadily with each new success
that you have won fo