Dave Darrins Third Year at Annapolis

A free download from http://www.dertz.in

Dave Darrin's Third Year at Annapolis

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Dave Darrin's Third Year at Annapolis
by H. Irving Hancock This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: Dave Darrin's Third Year at Annapolis Leaders of the Second Class Midshipmen
Author: H. Irving Hancock
Release Date: November 27, 2003 [EBook #10319]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DAVE DARRIN ***

Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team

DAVE DARRIN'S THIRD YEAR AT ANNAPOLIS
or
Leaders of the Second Class Midshipmen
By H. IRVING HANCOCK
1911

Illustrated
[Illustration: "There She Goes!"]

CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I.
WHY THE MIDSHIPMEN BALKED.
II. PROVING THEIR TRAINING.
III. THE TROUBLE-MAKING FOP.
IV. IN THE VIEW OF THE NAVY DEPARTMENT.
V. NAVY FOOTBALL IN THE AIR.
VI. THE HATE OF A RIVAL.
VII. "DID JETSON DO IT?".
VIII. DAN TRIES HARD TO KEEP COOL.
IX. A NARROW SQUEAK WITH THE O. C.
X. THE GRIDIRON START.
XI. THE BAND COULDN'T MAKE ITSELF HEARD.
XII. JOYCE IS BITTEN WITH THE TROUBLE BUG.
XIII. HEPSON IS "SOME WILD".
XIV. TWO SIDES OF A STORY.
XV. THE NAVY GOAT WEEPS.
XVI. THE MAN WITH A SCOWL ON TAP.
XVII. AN AFFAIR OF SULKS.
XVIII. THE CLASS MEETING SITS AS JURY.
XIX. DAVE STANDS ON PRINCIPLE.
XX. "DON'T BE A FOOL, DARRY!"
XXI. MIDSHIPMAN JETSON HAS THE FLOOR.
XXII. THE BIRTH OF A GENTLEMAN.
XXIII. "RAGGED" AND NO MISTAKE.
XXIV. CONCLUSION.

Dave Darrin's Third Year at Annapolis
CHAPTER I
WHY THE MIDSHIPMEN BALKED
"So Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton have been here?" demanded Midshipman Dave Darrin.
That handsome young member of the brigade of midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis was now in mufti, or cits,--meaning, in other words, that he was out of his Naval uniform and attired in the conventional clothing of a young American when calling on his sweetheart.
It will make the situation even clearer to the reader to explain that Dave was back in the home town, on his September leave, after just having completed his second summer practice cruise with the three upper classes from Annapolis.
Dave was now a fine looking and "husky" second classman. He was just a shade more than half way through his course of instruction at Annapolis.
Being back in the home town, where would Midshipman Darrin be more naturally found than in the parlor at the home of his sweetheart, Miss Belle Meade?
The first greetings had been exchanged fifteen minutes before.
Since that time the young people, being sweethearts as they were, had naturally talked about themselves.
And Dave, who, in the Naval service, was fast learning to become a good listener, had been content to have Belle do most of the talking, while he sat back watching the motions of her pretty lips and catching glimpses of two rows of pearly teeth.
But now Belle had just mentioned two of Dave's former High School chums.
"So Tom and Harry were really here?" he repeated.
"Yes; they came up from Arizona on leave."
"I wonder why they couldn't have remained here longer?" mused Dave.
"They both told me that they were very young in their profession as civil engineers, and that they had to spend nearly all of their time 'on the job,' as Tom phrased it," replied Belle.
"How did they look?" asked Dave.
"A shade older, of course, than when they were in the High School."
"Are they much taller?" asked Darrin.
"Somewhat; but they have not shot up in height, the way you and Dan, and Dick Prescott and Greg Holmes have done," Belle continued.
"Brown as berries, I suppose, after working down in the alkali deserts?" asked Dave, who felt that he could not hear enough of those dear old chums.
"Meaning Tom and Harry?" smiled Belle. "Or Dick and Greg?"
"Tom and Harry, that time, of course," laughed Dave. "But I'm waiting to hear a whole lot about Dick and Greg as well."
"No; I wouldn't call Tom and Harry exactly as brown as berries," went on Belle, laughing, "for I am not acquainted with many kinds of brown berries."
"Coffee berries?" hinted Darrin.
"I would call Tom and Harry fully as bronzed as Indians," Belle ventured.
"Have you ever seen any Indians?" asked Midshipman Darrin, looking at his sweetheart rather quizzically.
"Oh, haven't I?" laughed Belle Meade, her eyes sparkling. "We had Indians here the early part of this summer. There was a medicine show here, with Indians and cowboys, and that sort of thing. One day the Indians and cowboys got intoxicated and they went through Main Street like a tornado. They were yelling and shooting, and had people all along the street running for cover. Even the chief of police, though he wasn't a coward, ran into safety.
"In the midst of it all Dick Prescott, Greg Holmes, Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton came out of an ice cream parlor. Tom and