t the very words Violet had said to her, thought Billie, as she
tried to swallow a sob and only succeeded in turning it into a funny
little cough.

"He will, won't he?" Ferd was insisting, while Violet watched them with
troubled eyes.

"Why--why--I don't know, Ferd," Billie stammered, trying to make her
voice sound natural. "I do know one thing, and that is that Chet is crazy
to go and will if he gets half a chance."

"Then I guess it's all right," said Ferd, leaning back with a sigh of
relief. "Gee, I was afraid you were going to say he couldn't go, and so
spoil everything. Say, can't you see the good times we're going to have
with you girls at Three Towers Hall and we fellows such a little way off
that we can see each other every once in a while? I can't make up my
mind that it's real yet--" And so on and on, rapturously, while
Billie's heart sank lower and lower and Violet's own warm one ached for
her friend.

Then just as Ferd started to go he spied Chet coming up the street and
hailed him joyfully.

"Just the fellow I wanted to see," he declared fervently. "Come on up
here, old man, and hear the glad news."

Billie groaned inwardly and seemed about to speak, but Violet stopped her
with a hand on her arm.

"Might as well get it over with," she whispered. "Chet is sure to hear
of it later if he doesn't now."

So Billie waited, but her heart ached as she watched Chet march up
smilingly to hear "the glad news."

"We're going to Boxton Military Academy." Ferd fairly shouted it at him.
"How about it, old timer, are you going with us, or are you going to
leave us in the lurch?"

The glad tidings staggered Chet for a minute, but he came on quietly and
perched himself upon the railing, one foot swinging idly.

"You said you were going to the military academy?" he asked, his voice as
quiet as his manner, but Billie noticed that the smile was gone. "By that
I suppose you mean you and Teddy."

"And you," added Ferd, beaming upon him. "Billie said you were
crazy to go."

Chet looked at Billie's unhappy face and tried to smile.

"Crazy to go!" he repeated. "I'll say I am. But--"

"But me no buts, Chet, my lad," broke in the impetuous Ferd. "I didn't
ask you anything. I merely stated a fact."

"I--I'd give almost anything I own to make it a fact," said Chet, his
eyes on the ground. "But I'm very much afraid you'll have to guess
again, old man."

"Guess again? Well, I should say not!" cried Ferd, getting to