Dave Darrins First Year at Annapolis | Page 3

fellows returned to the first floor.
"I suppose this hotel is full of young men like ourselves, wondering what tomorrow will bring them, when they get before the sawbones," muttered Dan.
"Candidates, like ourselves, you mean?" suggested Darrin. "We'll inquire." With that, he approached the clerk and made the inquiry.
"Oh, no," replied the clerk, in answer to Dave's question. "There are only two other candidates besides yourselves stopping here. There are a good many young men in town, of course, but most of them have been here for some weeks, and are in lodging houses. A good many young men come here, you know, to attend the Naval preparatory schools before they go up for their examinations."
"We've had our academic examinations, and have passed," announced Dan.
"What about supper, sir?" asked Dave, who, in his short trip through the South, had noticed that in this part of the country the "sir" is generally employed.
"You'll find supper ready, gentlemen," replied the clerk, pointing the way to the dining room.
So the two young men passed in and enjoyed their first sample of southern cookery.
At this hour there were only a half dozen other people in the dining room--none of them interesting, Darrin decided, after hastily surveying the other diners.
The meal over, the two young candidates sauntered again out into the hotel office.
"Any midshipmen out around the town, sir?" Darrin asked.
"Hardly, sir," replied the clerk, with a smile. "At this hour the young gentlemen are in their rooms at Bancroft Hall."
"What does a midshipman look like?" ventured Dalzell.
"Like a human being, of course," Dave laughed.
"You mean the uniform?" inquired the clerk. "A midshipman, sir, wears a dark blue uniform, like an officer's, and a visored cap, Naval pattern. He also wears the anchor insignia on each side of his coat collar."
Dave and Dan soon walked over to the open doorway and stood looking out upon the street, in which, at this time, few people were passing. Hearing a step in the office, Dan quickly turned. He saw a young man coming through the office, holding himself very erect. This young man was in dark blue uniform, with visored cap, and on each side of his collar was the anchor insignia. Past the anchor were two bars, but Dalzell didn't notice that at the moment.
"There's a real midshipman," whispered Dan, plucking at Dave's sleeve. "I'm going to speak to him."
"Don't you do it," warned Dave, in an undertone. "You may make a mistake."
"Mistake?" echoed Dan. "With that anchor on his collar?"
Hastily Dan Dalzell slipped back into the office, going up to the young man in uniform, who had stopped before the desk.
"Good evening," began Dan politely. "I'd like to introduce myself. 'Tomorrow I expect to be one of the crowd. You're a midshipman, aren't you?"
"I'm an officer of the Navy," replied the uniformed stranger coldly, as he half turned to glance briefly at Dalzell. "You are a candidate, I suppose? Then I fancy you will report at the superintendent's office in the morning."
With that the Naval officer turned away, leaving poor Dalzell feeling decidedly dumfounded.
"Wasn't that a midshipman?" gasped Dan, in a whisper.
"That gentleman is a lieutenant in the Navy," replied the clerk, with a slight smile.
Crestfallen Dan hurried back to Darrin, brushing off his sleeves with his hands as he walked.
"Served you right; you must get over being fresh," Dave Darrin rebuked his chum. "But what is the matter with your sleeves?"
"I'm brushing the frost off of them," murmured Dan dejectedly. "Did you notice the ice-bath that fellow threw over me?"
"Come out for a walk," urged Dave. "But be careful where you step and what you say to others."
The two young men strolled down the street.
"Well," smiled Darrin, "I must say, Dan, that you appear to be getting all over your nervousness."
"No; I'm still nervous," protested Dan. "Before, I was afraid I wouldn't get into the Naval Academy. Now, I'm only afraid that I shall."
"What nonsense are you talking now?" demanded Darrin, giving his chum a sharp look.
"Why, if they're all going to be as chesty as that near-officer I spoke to in the hotel," blinked Dan, "I'm not so sure that I want to go in with the bunch."
"That officer wasn't either chesty or snobbish," rejoined Darrin.
"Then you will kindly explain what he tried to do to me?"
"That's easy enough. That Naval officer recognized in you a rather common type--the too-chummy and rather fresh American boy. Down here in the service, where different grades in rank exist, it is necessary to keep the fresh greenhorn in his place."
"Oh!" muttered Dan, blinking hard.
"As to your not wanting to go into the service," Dave continued, "if you should fail, tomorrow, in your physical examination, you would be as blue as indigo, and have the blue-light signal up all the way back home."
"I don't know but that is