Dave Darrins First Year at Annapolis | Page 6

to depend, now, on the verdict of the examining Naval surgeons!
But there was little time for thought. Once inside, they were ushered, by a white-gloved midshipman, into the office of Commander Jephson, commandant of midshipmen.
That gentleman, also in uniform, as were all Navy officers on duty at the Academy, looked briefly as the two young men stood before him.
"Candidates, gentlemen?"
"Yes, sir," replied Dave.
"Your orders?"
Each young man handed over the slip given him by the aide. Commander Jephson scanned each sheet closely, then made some entries on a set of papers of his own.
Next the commandant touched a button on his desk. Almost immediately footsteps were heard outside. Another white-gloved midshipman entered, raising his hand smartly to his cap in salute. This salute the commandant acknowledged in kind.
"Mr. Salisbury, conduct Candidates Darrin and Dalzell outside. Ascertain how soon the surgeons will be ready to examine them, and conduct the candidates to the Board Room at the time assigned for their examination."
"Very good, sir," replied Midshipman Salisbury, in measured tones. Again the inter-change of salutes, after which Midshipman Salisbury led Dave and Dan to an outer office.
"Wait here," directed the midshipman briefly, "I'll let you know when it's time to go to the Board Room."
Five minutes later the midshipman again approached them.
By this time there were seven more candidates in the room. The aide to the superintendent and the commandant were passing the young men quickly through the mill.
"Mr. Darrin, Mr. Dalzell!" called the midshipman master of ceremonies. As Dave and Dan started to their feet their conductor added:
"Follow me to the Board Room."
Down the corridor and into the Board Room the two chums were led. There, awaiting them, they found three Naval medical officers, all in their proper uniform and one of them seated at a desk.
"Strip, with the least delay possible," ordered the senior surgeon.
In a very short space of time Dave and Dan stood forth, minus clothes and, it must be confessed, both very nervous as to what these medical men might or might not find.
Thorough, indeed, was the examination, which began with the heart. But it went much further, including the hair, scalp, eyes, teeth, the condition of the tonsils, the appearance of the tongue, and so on, by regular stages, down to the soles of their feet.
"If there's a square quarter of an inch these fellows have missed, I didn't notice it," muttered Dan to himself.
"You may dress, Mr. Darrin," announced the senior surgeon, and Dave went to the chair on which his clothing lay.
"Mr. Dalzell, come here a moment"
Dan began to feel queer. What had they missed? On what point was his physical condition doubtful?
"Open your mouth," directed one of the surgeons.
Then followed some more exploration of his teeth.
"Oh," murmured Dan, when the medical men gave him a rest for a moment. "It's only my teeth, eh? That's not a vitally important point, is it, sir?"
"We reject candidates for what might seem very slight defects of the teeth," replied the senior surgeon, with emphasis. "Open your mouth again."
The cold ooze stood out on Dan's brow this time. Joke as he might, he did not want to be dropped out of the Navy. Were these medical officers going to find, in his mouth, the clue his disqualification?
"Hm!" said the senior surgeon, watching while another medical officer did the probing and the holding of the dental mirrors.
That "hm!" sent a cold chill of dread coursing down young Daniel's spine.
"Your teeth just about pass," remarked the senior officer. "You may dress, Mr. Dalzell."
It was not long before Dave and Dan both had their clothing on. As Dan was finishing, Dave turned to the senior surgeon.
"Is it improper, sir, for me to ask whether we have passed?" asked Darrin quietly.
"You have both passed," nodded the surgeon. "Mr. Dalzell, however, will do well to take the most wholesome care of his teeth hereafter."
Just then the door opened and two more candidates were shown in.
"Come with me," directed the same midshipman master of ceremonies.
Dan was indiscreet enough to range up alongside their conductor, just missing a vigorous nudge that Dave tried to give him.
"Well, we slipped by the drug-store sign all right," Dan confided to the white-gloved midshipman. "Now, how soon do we get our messenger-boy uniforms?
"Never, I hope," replied their conductor frigidly, "unless you can learn to speak of the uniform of the service with more respect."
Dan fell back abashed. His style of humor, he was fast discovering, did not seem to make a hit at Annapolis.
Back in the same waiting room the two young men lingered until nearly eleven o'clock. More than two score of candidates had passed the medical examiners by this time, and some others had failed to pass. Yet many of these successful candidates had yet to take their scholastic examinations over in Academic Hall, and so