t between Dick and Laura Bentley?"
asked Dan curiously.

"Why, the strange part of it is, I don't believe there ever has been
any formal affair between Dick and Laura," Greg went on. "That is,
no real understanding between them. And now-----"

"Yes?" urged Dan.

"A merchant over in Gridley, a rather decent chap, too, has been
making up to Laura pretty briskly, I hear by way of home news,"
Greg continued.

"Does the yardstick general win out?" demanded Dan.

"From all the news, I'm half afraid he does."

"How does Dick take that?" Dan was eager to know.

"I can't tell you," Greg responded solemnly, "for I have never
ventured on that topic with old ramrod. But if he loses out with
Laura, I feel it in my bones that he'll take it mighty hard."

"Poor old Dick!" sighed Dan, loyal to the old days. "Somehow,
I can't quite get it through my head that it's at all right for
anyone to withhold from Dick Prescott anything he really wants."

Greg sighed too.

"Any idea what arm of the service you're going to choose?" asked
Dan presently.

"I believe I'll do better to wait and see what my class standing
is at graduation," laughed Greg. "That is the thing that settles
how much choice I'm to have in the matter of arm of the service."

"Any liking for heavy artillery?" asked Dan.

"Not a whit. Cavalry or infantry for mine."

"Not the engineers?"

"Only the honor men of the class can get into the engineers,"
grunted Greg. "Neither Dick nor I stand any show to be honor
men. We feel lucky enough to get through the course and graduate
at all."

Dick and Dave, too, were talking earnestly about the future, though
now and then a word was dropped about the good old past, as described
in the _High School Boys' Series_.

Ten minutes before the train time two chums in Army gray and two
in Navy blue reached the platform of the railway station. The
other middies were there ahead of them. In the time that was
left Dick and Greg were hastily introduced to the other middies.
A few jolly words there were, but the other members of the Army
nine and still other cadets were on hand, and so the talk was
general.

Amid noisy, heartfelt cheering the middy delegation climbed aboard
the incoming train. Amid more cheers their train bore them away
and then some sixty West Point cadets climbed the long, steep road,
next hastening on to be in time for supper formation.

For the members of the first class West Point athletics ha