l that kind of talk by the baggage train," ordered Cadet
Holmes. "What we want to talk about are the dear old personal
affairs."

"You youngsters are through here, after not so many more days,
aren't you?" began Darrin.

"Yes; and so are you, down at Annapolis," replied Prescott.

"Not quite," rejoined Dave gravely. "There's this difference.
In a few days you'll be through here, and will proceed to your
homes. Then, within the next few days, you'll both receive your
commissions as second lieutenants in the Army, and will be ordered
to your regiments. You're officers for all time to come! We
of the first class at Annapolis will receive our diplomas, surely.
But what beyond that? While you become officers at once, we
have to start on the two years' cruise, and we're still midshipmen.
After two years at sea, we have to come back and take another
exam. If we pass that one, then we'll be ensigns---officers at
last. But if we fail in the exam, two years hence then we're
dropped from the service. After we've gone through our whole
course at Annapolis we still have to guess, for two years, whether
we're going to be reckoned smart enough to be entitled to serve
the United States as officers. I can't feel, Dick, that we of
Annapolis, get a square deal."

"It doesn't sound like it," Prescott, after a moment, admitted.
"Still, you can do nothing about it. And you knew the game when
you went to Annapolis."

"Yes, I knew all this four years ago," Darrin admitted. "Still,
the four years haven't made the deal look any more fair than it
did four years ago. However, Dick, hang all kickers and sea-lawyers!
Isn't it grand, anyway, to feel that you're in your country's
uniform, and that all your active life is to be spent under the
good old flag---always working for it, fighting for it if need be!"

"Then you still love the service?" asked Dick, turning glowing eyes
upon his Annapolis chum.

"Love it?" cried Dave. "The word isn't strong enough!"

"Are you engaged, old fellow?" asked Greg of Dan Dalzell.

"Kind of half way," grinned Dan. "That is, I'm willing, but the
girl can't seem to make up her mind. And you?"

"I've been engaged nine times in all," sighed Greg. Yet each and
every one of the girls soon felt impelled to ask me to call it off."

"Any show just at present?" persisted Dalzell.

"Why, strange to say," laughed Greg, "I'm fancy free at the present
moment."

"How did the old affair ever come ou