Dick Prescotts Third Year at West Point | Page 4

Holmes, tall, muscular, erect and looking as
though he had just come from the tailor's iron, stepped cheerily into the
store.
"Morning, old ramrod," hailed the other cadet. "I know you don't mind
that kind of talk, Mrs. Prescott. It's our term of affection for Dick at
West Point. Going through your invitations, are you? Aren't they the
bore, though. Especially as we had very few invitations when we were
High School boys in this same old town."
"You received one from Susie: Sharp, of course?"
"Yes," Greg assented. "And I'm going---not!"
"You are going---yes!" Dick retorted.
"Oh!" nodded Greg. "Am I entitled to any explanation?"
"Laura wishes it."
"That's a whole platoon of reasons boiled down into one file-closer,"
grinned Greg. "Yes; I am going to visit Miss Sharp this afternoon."
"Have you heard that Bert Dodge is in town at present?"
"No!" muttered Greg. Then added tersely: "The b.j.(fresh) rascal! I
wonder what folks here think of a sneak who was forced to resign by a
cadet committee on honor?"
"Folks here don't know that Dodge was forced out of the Academy."

"Thank you for telling me," nodded Greg. "Then I shall know how to
keep my mouth shut. Laura will be a Miss Sharp's this afternoon, of
course?"
"Naturally. And Belle Meade, also."
"Then," proposed Greg, "suppose we 'phone the girls and ask if we may
call this afternoon and escort them to Miss Sharp's. We must do
something to show that we appreciate their loyalty in remaining at
West Point last winter until your name was cleared of disgrace."
"Yes; we'll 'phone them," nodded Dick.
On both days, so far, that he had been home, Dick had called at Dr.
Bentley's to see Laura. In fact, that was the only calling he had done,
though he had met scores of friends on the street.
Both young ladies were pleased to accept the proffered escort.
"By the way," proposed Greg, "what are you going to do this
morning?"
"Going out for a walk, for one thing," replied Dick. "I've talked to
mother until she must have ear-ache on both sides, and feel tired of
having me home."
"What do you saw if we trot around and extract handshakes from some
of the follows we used to pack schoolbooks with?" hinted Holmes. "For
instance, Ennerton is down at the bank, in a new job. Foss is
advertising manager in Curlham & Peck's department store. I know
he'll be glad to see us if we don't take up too much of his employer's
time. Then Ted Sanders-----"
And so Greg continued to enumerate a lot of the old Gridley High
School boys of whose present doings he had gotten track. Dick and
Greg left the bookstore and started on the rounds to hunt up the best
remembered of their old schoolmates.

And a pleasant morning they had of it. Thought the sun poured down
its heat over the little city, these two cadets, who had drilled for two
summers on the blistering plain and the dusty roads at West Point, did
not notice the warmth of the day.
In the afternoon, in good season, Dick called for Laura, waiting there
until Belle Meade arrived under the escort of Greg.
"These West Pointers make the most correct and attentive escorts
imaginable," laughed Belle. "But there's just one disadvantage
connected with them."
"I hadn't noticed it," smiled Laura.
"Why, when Greg walks beside me, and holds my parasol, I feel as
though I were in the street with my parasol tied to the Methodist steeple.
Where's your rice powder, Laura? I'm sure the sun has made a sight of
my nose and neck."
Laughing merrily, the young people set off for Miss Sharp's. The home
was a comfortable one, with attractive grounds, for the elder Sharp was
a well-to-do merchant. Some three score of young people were present,
and of these nearly two thirds had belonged to the High School student
body in the old High School days of Dick and Greg. Naturally, the
young ladies outnumbered the young men by more than four to one.
"Oh, I am delighted that you two have come," cried Susie, moving
forward to greet her cadet visitors. This was wholly true, for Miss
Sharp had planned the affair solely in order to have the distinction of
entertaining the young West Pointers. Had Dick and Greg remained
away, Susie, without doubt, would have been both disappointed and
humiliated.
Through the connecting drawing rooms Dick and Greg moved with a
grace and lack of consciousness greatly in contrast with their
semi-awkwardness in their earlier High School days. Many pleasant
acquaintances were renewed here.

Suddenly, Susie, catching a glimpse of the front walk, hastened out into
the hallway. Then she came in, smiling eagerly, a well-dressed,
pompous-looking young man at