David Darrins Second Year at Annapolis | Page 4

go, just to save one of our class."
"Is a fellow who has turned opium fiend worth saving to the class!"
demanded Dave, looking straight into Hallam's eyes.
"Well, er--er--" stammered the other man.
"You see," smiled Dave, "the doubt hits you just as hard as it does me!"
"Oh, of course, a fellow who has turned opium fiend is no fellow ever
to be allowed to reach the bridge and the quarter-deck," admitted
Hallam. "But see here, are you going to report this affair to the

commandant of midshipmen, or to anyone else in authority?"
"I've no occasion to report," replied Dave dryly. "I am not in any way
in command over Pennington. But I mean to persuade him to report
himself for what he has done!"
"But that would ruin him!" protested Hallam, aghast. "He wouldn't
even be allowed to start on the cruise. He'd be railroaded home without
loss of a moment."
"Yet you've just said that an opium-user isn't fit to go on in the
brigade," retorted Darrin.
"Hang it, it's hard to know what to do," rejoined Hallam, wrinkling his
forehead. "Of course we want to be just to Pen."
"It doesn't strike me as being just exactly a question of justice to
Pennington," Darrin went on earnestly. "If this is anything it's a
question of midshipman honor. We fellows are bound to see that all the
unworthy ones are dropped from the service. Now, a fellow who has
fastened the opium habit on himself isn't fit to go on, is he?"
"Oh, say, but this is a hard one to settle!" groaned Hallam.
"Then I'll take all the responsibility upon myself," said Dave promptly.
"I don't want to make any mistake, and I don't believe I'm going to.
Wait just a moment."
Going to the rear room, Dave faced his three comrades there with the
question:
"You three are enough to take care of everything here for a few minutes,
aren't you?"
"Yes," nodded Dan. "What's up?"
"Hallam and I are going for a brief walk."
Then, stepping back into the front room, Darrin nodded to his

classmate, who followed him outside.
"Just come along, and say nothing about the matter on the street,"
requested Dave. "It might be overheard."
"Where are you going?" questioned Hallam wonderingly.
"Wait and see, please."
From Chow Hop's wretched establishment it was not far to the other
building that Dave had in mind as a destination.
But when they arrived, and stood at the foot of the steps, Hallam
clutched Darrin's arm, holding him back.
"Why, see here, this is the police station!"
"I know it," Dave replied calmly.
"But see here, you're not--"
"I'm not going to drag you into anything that you'd object to," Darrin
continued. "Come along; all I want you for is as a witness to what I am
going to say."
"Don't do it, old fel--"
"I've thought that over, and I feel that I must," replied Dave firmly.
"Come along. Don't attract attention by standing here arguing."
In another instant the two midshipmen were going swiftly up the steps.
The chief of police received his two callers courteously. Dave told the
official how their attention had been called to the fact that one of their
number was in an opium joint. Dave named the place, but requested the
chief to wait a full hour before taking any action.
"That will give us a chance to get out a comrade who may have
committed only his first offense," Dave continued.

"If there's any opium being smoked in that place I'll surely close the
joint out!" replied the chief, bringing his fist down upon his desk. "But
I understand your reasons, Mr.--"
"Darrin is my name, sir," replied Dave quietly.
"So, Mr. Darrin, I give you my word that I won't even start my
investigations before this evening. And I'll keep all quiet about the
midshipman end of it."
"Thank you very much, sir," said Dave gratefully.
As the two midshipmen strolled slowly back in the direction of Chow
Hop's, Dave murmured:
"Now, you see why I took this step?"
"I'm afraid not very clearly," replied Midshipman Hallam.
"That scoundrelly Chow made his boast that other midshipmen
patronized his place. I don't believe it. Such a vice wouldn't appeal to
you, and it doesn't to me. But there are more than two hundred new
plebes coming in just now, and many of these boys have never been
away from home before. Some of them might foolishly seek the lure of
a new vice, and might find the habit fastened on them before they were
aware of it. Chow's vile den might spoil some good material for the
quarter-deck, and, as a matter of midshipman honor, we're bound to see
that the place is cleaned out right away."