.AYDON BEGINS - L pose © f. = Z. < x © te = .Y A NEW SERIAL BY WILLIAM MUR- A Z R 4404004000040400 BLICATIONS. ; Pu NILE es ‘THE MONARCH oF JUV Density——e 0.04 0.09 015 022 0.36 051 THE MESS HALL, WEST POINT MILITARY ACADEMY. RADUATES from West Point have a certain fondness for the gray stone building situated back of the Academic Headquarters and Cadet Barracks. In that building many happy moments have been passed, moments of good cheer and good food. In all the monotony of West Point life, one of the most agreeable breaks is the bugle signal which calls the battalion to mess formation three times daily. Every graduate can look back over his career at the ‘Point’ and say with truth that the very last of the four thousand and odd times he answered that call was just as welcome and pleasing as the first. The battalion marches to the Hall and on entering takes its place behind the chairs ranged along the tables. The command ‘‘A Company, take seats” is given, then the members of A Com- pany all sit down promptly. Then comes ‘‘B Company, take seats,” and so on until -all. are seated. Each table has seats for twenty-two persons, and there are a number of tables. The waiters are attentive but they simply bring water, bread, etc., when needed. The cadet corporals do the carving while those cadets at the center of the long tables pour the water. The cadets have seats according to rank, and they always occupy the same seats. First classmen sit near the end called the head of the table, second classmen next, third, and then fourth classmen last. Conversation is freely permitted, but no undue levity or noise. After the meal is concluded, the battalion forms again and is dismissed at the proper place. wr ARMY AND NAVY. A WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR OUR BOYS. Issued weekly. By subscription, $2.50 per year. Entered as Second-Class Matter at the New York Post Office STREET & SMITH, 238 William Street, New York. Copyrighted 1897. Editor, - - - ARTHUR SEWALL, December 18, i897. None M027, Price, Five Cents. CONTENTS OF THIS NUMBER: Clif Faraday’s Gallantry (Complete story), Ensign Clarke Fitch, U. S. N. : <2 B86 Mark Mallory’s Bargain (Complete story), Lieut. Frederick Garrison, U. S. A. 221968 ‘The Cryptogram (Serial), William Murray Graydon ; - ‘ q ° e274 What the School Bell Says (poem) James Buckham ; : : p ; 1278 A Young Breadwinner (Serial) Matthew White, Jr. : i : é : ~ 2O) Billy’s Desperate Device (Short Story) Charles Edwardes 3 : : ; S84 Tom Fenwick’s Fortune (Serial), Frank H. Converse. ; ; ; ; eae Editorial Chat and Correspondence ; : : ; : : Department 1291 i Athletic Sports, —. : : : : ; : : 2 ‘ Department 1292 AN : Items of Interest all the World Over : ; : : ‘ : Department 1293 : 4 Amateur Journalism ; : : : ; ; Department 1294 i) Our Joke Department . : : : : ‘ ; . : : 2 ASO 3 ee Letters from Prize Winners . ‘ : : : ; : : SA oO5 5 . | f) x i, : i @ . # 5 A NEW CGONFESI: l i st HE results of our previous prize competitions have proved i their great popularity among ARMY AND NAVY i readers, A new contest is now being prepared, the details of which will shortly be published on this page. Watch for it. - o eS Ek i cl nS cs nina te leh iat a meee CHAPTER J. THE MIDDIES AND THE BULL. ‘Bet you two dollars you can’t ride it, Trolley.’ He, he! You lose, Chi.” ‘‘Ym willing to take the chance, my boy.’ “Vou no think Iam plenty warm, eh? You no see me steaming.’’ a ‘*Tust listen to that, will you, Trolley’s command of American slang is something teriinc. ‘*We are not talking about slang now, Joy. The question is, can Trolley ride that bull. I’ve got a two dollar bill that says he can’t. How is it, Trolley?”’ “You just watch me.”? Four lads clad in the picturesaue cos- tuines worn by American naval cadets were leaning over a stone fence enclosing a broad field just outside of St. George’s, Bermuda. They were laughing and chatting mer- rily, and at the same time watching a large black bull beyond the fence. The animal, a magnificent beast, was returning their gaze with evident curi- osity. He stood with head thrown back, tail curved, and one forefoot pawing the earth, sending clouds of dust into the air. He did not appear to be a very safe mount, but to the careless, erry cadets his threatening actions only added zest to the promised sport. “‘T say, Clif, I think his hullship is contemplating an attack on us,’’ laughed the fourth member of the party, a slight youngster called Nanny by his shipmates. Clif Farada “make the bet three dollars ys Gallantry : BALKING A CONSPIRACY. Bs Bnsion Ctarixe Muiteh, U. S- N- “Phat animal all right,’’ giggled Trol- — ley. ‘‘Him what you call bull-y.” His three companions groaned dismally at the pun. Trolley himself, who wasa Japanese youth admitted to the United States Naval Academy by the courtesy of the government, enjoyed his remark im- mensely. Joy, a lad with a funeral cast of coun- tenance and a perpetual sigh, which, however, only masked a nature bubbling over with good-huimor, snatched the Jap’s jaunty cap and sent it sailing into the field. Trolley was not to be outdone. Spring- ing upon Joy befere that. youth could escape, lhe performed a like service with his headdress. Both caps struck the earth within a yard of the bull. The animal stalked forward, and after a suspicious sniff at the two strange objects, pawed at one and sent it into the air. In falling it landed squarely upon one of the bull’s horns and remained there, dangling like a trophy of victory. The boys cheered and laughed. ‘Thats a direct challenge,’’ said Chif, ‘“Wecan’t back out now. Trolley, V1 instead of two.” ‘CWhat’s the matter with having a reg- ular Spanish bull-fight?” suggested Nanny with a burst of enthusiasm. ‘“Not bad,’’ agreed Joy. “Vou can bet the picadore, Trolley,” continued the little cadet. “What that ?v ‘The picador is the man on horseback who sticks the bull with a lance.”’ ARMY AND NAVY 1251 ‘‘ Where I get horse ?’’ ‘‘Ride Joy,’’ laughed Nanny. ‘‘He’s a jackass, and that’s next door to a horse.’’ “What will I do?’’ asked Clif, entering into the fun. “You can be the matador, who is the star of the whole performance. He kills the bull and receives the plaudits of the fair ladies.’ ; ‘‘Nanny is getting poetical,’’ sighed Joy. “It’s a bad sign. It’s worse than the measles. If it strikes in, there’l] be trouble.’? ‘What part are you to take, xidlets,?’ laughed Clif. / Ob, I'll be the audience. It’s the safest place. Now go aliead and start the show.”’ ‘The bull is ready,’ said Joy, eyeing the animal dubiously. ‘‘He looks as if he could give us a pretty good——”’ He was interrupted by a bellow and the great beast started on arun for the fence. Coming toa stop within a short distance of the boys, he glared at them as if inviting them to enter. _ Trolley snatched up a rock, and sent it with a resounding thump against the bull’s ribs. “How that for high?’’? he exclaimed. Peon no much, ‘You can’t bulldoze tis. 7° Whether it was the missle or the pun that caused it, anyway, the bull made a charge for the fence, bringing up with a crash against the firm stone barrier. The four cadets, rather startled; beat a hasty retreat. Clif-was the first to come to a halt. He glanced back at the enraged animal, which was making efforts to paw the fence down, and laughed. EF say, chums,’ he called out. ‘‘We are pretty naval officers, running from the enemy like that. Trolley, you yellow rascal, come back here and perform that feat of bullmanship you promised us.”’ ‘The Japanese youth rejoined Clif with a doubtful shake of his head. “I guess I pay you the bet, and take no chances,’ he said. ‘‘My neck worth mote than that.’’ ‘*But maybe you won’t got it in the meck,’’ erinned Nanny, coming up. “Especially if you are trying to beat him back to the fence.”’ ‘He may get it in the bul-warks,’’ be- gan Joy with a sigh, but a collision with Clif’s toe stopped him short in the midst of the perpetration. ‘‘T no leave my cap anyway,’’ declared Trolley after a brief consideration. ‘Tl want tmine,’’ said Joy. “it’s my muster cap, and there aren’t any more on board——”? ‘‘Small enough,”’ finished Nanny with a chuckle. ‘It’s getting late, fellows,’’ said Clif, glancing toward the western sky. ‘‘We’ve got a dinner on at the hotel for six, and then I promised to see the parade at the barracks. The English troops stationed here in Bermuda are worth seeing.” ‘They can’t do any better than the cadets on board the old Monongahela,’’ answered Nanny, with creditable patriot- ism. ‘*‘When the commander of the forces here saw us drilling yesterday on board, he was amazed and delighted.”’ ‘““That’s where he showed his good taste,’ sighed Joy. ‘‘But what are we going to do about this bull ?”? ‘*T teli- you, chums,’’ suddenly spoke up Clif. “li you want> your caps, Vii hold him by the tail while you get then? His three companions stared at him in ainazement for a moment, then Trolley and Joy promptly emptied the contents of their pockets upon the ground. A varied collection of English silver and an American banknote or two was the result. ‘“We’ll bet that against a dollar you don’t do it,’’ exclaimed Joy. ‘‘Done,’’ was Clif’s equally prompt re- ply, tossing: .a bill to Nauny. -* Here, kidlets, just hold the stakes.’ With that he approached the fence and leaped lightly upon the top layer of stone. ‘You won’t try.it,’’ cried Trolley, in- credulously. a ‘*Get your caps,’’ briefly replied Fara- day. So saying, he sprang down into the field and started carelessly toward the bull, who was still pawing at the fence a short distance below. At that moment a light open carriage appeared past a turnin the road. ‘The occupants were two girls, both extremely pretty and vivacious in appearance. The one driving, a slender blonde, 1252 with bright, sparkling eyes, immediately drew rein on seeing the cadets. Standing up in the vehicle she waved her whip at Clif and called out in a silvery voice which contained a note of alain: “‘Be careful, sir. dangerous.’? Clif glanced back on hearing the warn- ing and raised his cap. As he did so the powerful black brute made a sudden rush at him. When he reached the spot, Faraday wasn’t there, however. He had stepped aside as coolly as if on parade. As the bull charged past, the daring lad reached out and grasped the animal’s flying tail with both hands. ‘‘Get your caps,’’ he called out with a merry laugh. ‘‘Quick! I can’t hold him more than a week.’ The last word came in a gasp as he was dragged, irresistalby after the mad- dened bull. A shriek came from one of the fair spectators; then as the cloud of dust settled slightly laughter burst from the lips of all. Sitting astride the galloping animal’s haunches, was Clif, gaily waving one hand and still clutching the tail with the other. That bull is very CAA 2a LE LORN AW DAY. Round and round the field went the novel pair, then as the bull neared the fence for the third time, pawing and bel- lowing and snorting with fear and rage, Clif made an agile leap and scambled over the stone barrier. “Vil thank you for that money,’’ he laughed, holding out his hand to Nanny. “Well, you. certainly deserve -it,’? gasped the little cadet admirinely. Joy and Trolley, who had succeeded in securing their caps, somewhat the worse for wear, looked rather sheepish. ‘IT believe you would buck a tornado if vou felt like it,’’ sighed the former. ‘The next time I have any money to bet, I'l] take your end of it.’’ “Tf you live in tiny country, you be emperot,’’ said the Japanese youth. ‘‘You one Jack-dandy from way-front.”’ “ull twisted, Tsee.2?? laughed Harra— day. “Trolley, you'll have to pronounce ARMY-AND NAVY “the fair driver. py OUD) CSCilec, your sentences backward Gere He . Chinese writing.’ He turned to the carriage and a head uncovered. hese strong glance of admiration he gave the proached with fair occupants caused them to blush in- voluntarily. ‘“‘Y am greatly obliged for the warning you gave me,’’ he said, ‘‘but it came at atime when I had made up my mind to a certain action. A small wager between my friends there and myself compelled s : me to carry out my original intention.’ — ‘It was avery foolish act,’’ replied — =| ‘'That bull is known = throughout Bermuda as the most danger- ous animal in all these islands. It has killed a man.” ‘‘And wanted me to become its second victim,’? smiled Clif. appointed his bullship.”? “You are a brave young mdn,’’ said the girl, calmly, ‘‘but you won’t reach an elderly age if you do not acquire more sense.” Clif’ stared at her in open-mouthed wonder. The other girl smiled, and a snicker came from the oe group of. cadets behind him. ‘‘Tam. more surprised at your utter foolhardiness, seeing young lady coolly flecking a gnat from the horse’s flank. ‘‘I always understood that Yankees were cautious. Aren’t you a Vatikee?y Clif gasped for breath. To be ‘‘called down”’ in such a manner by a girl was an absolutely new experi- ence for him. His face was so blank ha the gir laughed merrily. “oT don’t. believe you are a Yankee,” she added. ‘‘I have met lots of people from the United States, and they never lost their tongues while with me.”? That restored Clif’s power of speech in a jiffy. He heard Joy and the others chuckling back of him, and he resolved © to show them that he could not be routed by a mere slip of a girl. ‘“You will pardon me if I _presume to differ from you,’? he said with a low bow. ‘‘But I can well believe that my country- men would find it impossible to speak in You remember the old lines: “Tam sorry Pdis. | that you are an 2] American naval. cadet,’ continued the — a, —s , [ M ; , i ARMY AND NAVY | 1253 ‘* “The face so lovely stilled my speech. I silent stood enraptured; With eyes I tried her love beseech And forthwith was I eaptured!’ Now under those circumstances can you find fault with me for being mute?”? “You have certainly. redeenied your- self,”’ latighed the girl, taking up the reins, ‘‘and I must confess that I admire your courage in facing that bull even if it was a foolhardy act.’ She called to the horse, but as she drove off, Clif asked courteously but with an eagerness he could not repress: ‘Please grant me one favor before you gO. Vy eWhy?’ calmly. “As a partial return for giving me an unpleasant half minute.”’ vou plead well, What is it?” The handsome young cadet hesitated, then after a moment he exclaimed boldly: Len-me your naine,”’ 1 11 take it-all back,’ replied the girl with a merry rippling laugh. ‘‘You area mwankec. 7. “Thanks. That is a compliment. name, please.” ‘Mary Ann O’’Toole.’? Sans 6 story, and it is tot nice= for Nery younp -oirls to tell stoties.. -Try again, please.’’ This cool remark brought its reward. The young lady started the horse again, but floating back came the words: Evora Day.’ ‘Clif made a sweeping bow after the carriage, then he turned to his compan- ions-with a quizzical expression upon his handsome face. - “First time I ever came near striking may eOlors,”? he laughed: ‘The broad- sides fired by that saucy clipper almost sunk me. Isn’t shea beauty ?”’ reach,’ murmured joy. ‘She one lulu,’’ exclaimed Trolley, enthusiastically. ‘‘She more pretty than basket of apples.”’ Little Nanny eyed Clif reproachfully. ‘*T ain ashained of you!’? he said sadly. **VYou haven’t any more sense than a cat- fish. Every girl you meet gets you ona string. it was ‘Jess -Heéerndon at. the Academy, and Juanita Windom at Lisbon, and now you must chase after another in Bermuda. You inake me tired.’ replied the young lady, The ‘Wait until you are a little older, kid- lets,’ laughed Clif, winking at Joy, ‘‘and you'll see something in a girl, too. If it wasn’t for the girls, bless ’em, life wouldn’t be worth living.’’ Nanny muttered something about ‘fools’? and ‘‘flirts’’ and set off down the road with his nose in the air. The other cadets followed him, busily discussing the charms of the fair Bermuda belle. The bull gave them a parting bellow as they left the vicinity of the field. It was fully three miles to St. George’s, whither they were bound, but the merry eadets did not mind the walk. They had leit the United States Naval Academy practice-ship Monongahela that motruing on pleasure bent, and like all boys on a lark they were ready for any- thing. The Mcnonaghela was homeward bound from the annual summer cruise, and had put into the Bermuda Islands for the pur- pose of giving her crew of naval cadets a run ashore. Chf Faraday, Joy, Trolley and Nanny were prospective members of the new fourth class. ‘They had entered in May, twe mouths previous, and had not, as yet, acquired any particular rating. That fact did not bother them, how- ever, as they strolled arm -in arm down the dusty country road. ; Clif broke into a song and the others joined in the rollicking chorus with a vim that brought wondering faces to the doors of the cottages and farm houses scattered along the road. In time the suburbs of St. George’s were reached. ~Becoming mote decorous, the four cadets made their way to the main street. Here they divided into two parties, Trolley and Nanny proceeding to the water front, and Clif and Joy walking on to the hotel. ‘Hor goodness’ sake, don’t go making achump of yourself with that ginger- haired girl, Clif,’’ called back the little plebe anxiously. Clif waved his hand. “T1] look out for that, youngster,’’ h replied gaily. ““T wouldn’t mind meeting her again,”’ he added to Joy. ‘‘Even if she did call me down. Gorry! those blue eyes looked 1254 clear through me. How old’do you think she is ?”’ ‘“‘Oh, bother. Let’s talk about some- thing else,’’ was the lanky cadet’s dis- couraging reply. ‘‘Here’s the hotel. Let’s eat dinner and go over to the barracks. Dress parade at seven you know.”’ Five minutes later the two were seated in the hotel dining-room awaiting the ap- pearance of their dinner. : The place was well-filled, a majority of those present being officers from the English military barracks and the naval vessels in the harbor. Seated at a table next to that occupied by Clif and Joy were two young army second lieutenants, the insignas upon their collars indicating that they belonged to the Colonial artillery. They were deep in a conversation and did not look up when the two cadets sat down. - Clif gave them a careless glance, noting that one wore a slight budding mustache and the other a smooth face, then he began to talk with Joy. Suddenly, while in the midst of a re- mark, he heard one of the English officers mention a familiar name—a name that Clif had heard for the first time that day. Sa Char DER a. THE PLOT. It was the lieutenant with the smooth face who had used the name, and he seemed to be laboring under some excite- ment. “It’s a risky business, I know, Ro- mayn,’’ he said, raising his voice, ‘‘but, ‘confound it, man, the game is worth the candle. ‘There’s not a prettier girl in the British empire than Lorna Day. ‘is it. beauty you. are after, Fitz James?’ queried the other, with an un- pieasant laugh. His companion flushed nervously upon the table. and tapped “Don’t. be personal,’’? he _ replied. ““You know how I.am situated, and old Man Day’s money would help me out wonderfully, but I swear I love the girl.’ ‘*Do you think she loves you?” ‘No. But T can make her.’ ‘*Not by.abduct——”’ _ FitzJames thrust out one hand and placed it over his companion’s mouth, at ARMY AND NAVY the same time glancing toward Clif and ~ Joy. The two cadets had heard all, but they were shrewd enough to appear entirely unconscious. Clif was gazing abstractedly through an open window, and Joy had his eyes fixed on the table cloth. Both were apparentiy in a profound. study. Clif—a clever actor—suddenly looked at the lanky cadet and said ina matter-of- fact voice: ‘“That’s right, old fellow, Wilson did make a mistake. The cadet-captain told meso. You see, it was this way: Wilson was aloft overhauling the topsail halliards, and-when the order came from the first luff——’” He ended with a smile of satisfaction. He had seen, from the corner of his eye, the two English officers turn away with every evidence of relief. There was a moment of silence then the conspirators resumed -their conversa- tion, but in a lower tone. _ ‘*Say something now and then while I listen,’’ whispered Clif, eagerly. ‘‘We are on the track of a plot to abduct that girl we met in the country.”’ e Joy began a desultory description of some imaginary incident on board, and Clif bent all his energies to learn further details of what he realized was a foul con- spiracy. He tilted his chair back and slowly. rocked to and fro. He strained every nerve to hear, but was rewarded only by an occasional word. One in particular, however, sent the blood coursing swiftly through his veins. It was ‘‘to-night!”” Could it mean that the two scoundrels intended tocarry out their plan at once? Clif was not ordinarily an excitable vouth, but, just now he felt strangely disturbed: Bhie memory of Lorna Day? Ss piquant face returned to him. Their little passage- at-arms had only served to increase the lad’s interest—an interest and admiration excited by the girl’s undoubted cleverness and beauty. The thought that she was intended as a mark for the greed of the two reckless officers filled him with a ces) de- sire to save her at all hazards. But what could he do? What would be the best plan? Notify her, of course, and at once. Clif half smiled to think that he need ask himself such a question. It would be the simplest thing in the world to balk the conspiracy. : A few words to the girl’s family, and the rascals would be caught red-handed. ‘It was so easy that Clif found himself glancing at the occupants of the neighbor- ing table almost pityingly. The waiter appearing with the cadet’s dinner interrupted proceedings. Joy and Clif tried to eat, but they were too ex- cited. They kept watch of the two lieuten- ants, and when at last they rose to go, the cadets could hardly keep their seats. They heard the smooth-faced officer mutter to his companion as they passed: ‘‘Vankees from the training-ship having a Jark ashore.”’ ‘We'll show you a lark before we are through with you,’’? growled Joy below his breath. ‘‘We’ll cook your goose for you, my bold abductor.”’ *Romayne and FitzJames seemed im no hurry to leave the dining-room. They stopped here and there to speak to other officers, and spent at least ten minutes reaching the door. In the meantime Clif and Joy had been eagerly discussing the situation. “I can scarcely believe it possible ‘that such a thing could even be imagined at this end of the century,’’ said the. former. - “Tt is incredible. Fancy two English army officers q DABSHE a girl for the purpose of marriage. ‘“And she doesn’t like that fellow, either,’ growled Joy, eyeing the object of his indignation. ‘‘The one with the mustache said so. It’s a daring scheme to obtain money.”’ “Tt is evident they expect her father would not care to raise a scandal. They rely on that. Well, we will fool them. It- means dismissal from the Service.”’ ‘‘And Piake's prison.”’ “Serve ’em right. Confound their picters, I wish they would go. “‘T would itke to know more of their scheme,’’ said Clif, reflectively. ‘‘It would be fun to let them almost succeed and then step in.’’ **Ourselves?’’ ARMY AND NAVY ie ~ 1255 NES.” Joy reached over and clasped Clif’s hand. Grasping it heartily, he exclaimed: ‘‘By Jake! Let’s do it, chum. ~ It’ll be a great feather in our caps. - Our names will be in all the papers as the brave and gallant Yankee middies who at the peril of their lives, ete., rescued a lovely maiden from the hands of two deep- dyed ——”’ “They have gone,’ interruted Clil, rising to his feet. Come, we must follow then.” 2 It was still daylight when they left the hotel. ‘The street outside was thronged with people, it being the favorite hour for promenading. Romayne and FitzJaines had turned toward the military barracks, and it was evident they Cee to report for dress parade. ‘‘We'll keep them in sight until they reach the barracks,”’ said Clif. ‘‘Then you can watch while I attend to some- thing else.’’ ‘“What?”? ‘*T want to make a few inquiries. I am not altogether easy about running the affair ourselves after all. Itisrisky. If we should slip up and fail to stop the ab- duction I would never forgive myself.”’ ‘‘Perhaps it would be best to warn her father,’’? acknowledged Joy, but he did it with great reluctance. He was loath to give up the promised adventure. ‘The bare suggestion of a row or fight was balm to his heart. The parade ground reached, Joy took his stand in front of the barracks, and Clif started off in search of information regarding the Day family. A minute’s walk brought him to a drug store. Entering, he made a trifling purchase, and then spoke of the weather. The proprietor, an elderly English- man, seemed inclined to talk and before long Clif saw his way clear to the asking of the important question. “By the way,’’ he said carelessly, ‘Caren’t there a family named Day living here ?”? s ‘*Old Judge Day?” ‘Ves, I presume he is a judge.” ‘‘Oh, yes; the judge is one of the big men of the place. He’sa very rich man. “‘And he lives near here ?”’ “Wo, notin St. Georges.” Not in St.George s*” Clif was startled. Such an outcome of his questioning was entirely unexpected. ‘‘Does he live in the country?’’ he asked eagerly. ‘“‘No. He has a fine place on Orient ‘Island out on the opposite side of the bays. It’s a good two hours sail from here. Do you wish to see the judge ?”’ ‘‘No, that is, yes. I have important 1256 ARMY AND NAVY ‘‘I-am not afraid of the dogs and spring guns,’’ replied Clif impatiently. ‘‘I must see Judge Day to-night.’ ‘If it’s simply a message you might send it by his daughter.’ ‘‘Where is she?” queried Clif, as quick as a flash. ‘‘She was here a while ago; said she intended to leave the long wharf——”’ ‘‘Where is it?”’ hastily asked the cadet, starting toward the door. CLIF SWUNG THE TILLER A-SECOND TOO LATE ; THE BOAT STRUCK THE ROCK WITH GREAT FORCE (page 1262). business with him. to-night??? The druggist stared at him in evident surprise. “Tf it ain’t a matter of life and death you’d better wait until morning, sir,’? he replied dubiously. ‘‘T’he judge is a very eccentric old fellow and he doesn’t like to receive callers after dark. He keeps dogs and spring guns, and watchmen who shoot first and ask questions afterward.”’ How can I get there ‘“Down at the end of this street,’’ he heard the proprietor say as he passed out of the store almost at a run. It had grown dark with the suddenness of that latitude, and Clif realized with regret the length of time he had spent in the drug store. ‘‘Perhaps those two scoundrels have slipped past Joy, he mittered It would never do to permit them to escape from us.°’ Gs ~ ARMY AND NAVY eat across the bay, and Lorna Day has just -_- He found the wharf deserted save by a left this wharf in a naptha launch. 12 watchman who was idly swinging his lan- tern from a seat near the shore end. “Great Jake! Alone?”’ . He rose as Clif dashed up, and barred (No. She has a girl friend with her’ his way, asking curtly: and a man running the launch.” S ‘Where are you going, sir?” “phat settles it,’ exclaiined Joy, with — “J want to see Miss. Lorna Day,’ the more emphasis than was his wont. ‘*Ro- cadet replied, htfrriedly. ‘“‘I was told she mayne and FitzJames intend to do the would take a boat here and——”?’ abducting right away. Chum, what'll we “She is gone these ten minutes. She do? If we stop to look up the authorities — left in her father’s launch.”’ it may be too late”’ es “Tn her father’s launch!’ echoed Clif. “Right you are,’ replied Clif, prompt- “Was he with her?” yo Savery moment is precious. How 5 : 33) ‘No; only the man running oats a much money have you: “about ten dollars. ”’ naptha launch, you know, and Miss Ada Claire, Miss Lorna’s friend. Why, what “T have fifteen. We must bribe the - is the matter? Anything important?” watchman on the wharf to give us a boat. Clif shook his head and muttered some excuse, then he left the wharf. He wished Come on.’’ time to think over the new developments. CHAPTER IV. Og ee “This complicates matters consider- OLIF’S SURPRISE i ) «6 : : ) Z : y ay te uscd Kain ated: wel Five minutes later the two cadets were : have to notify the authorities after all. © : : ™ It’s a pity as we might have gotten a lot hastily shoving off from the whart in a ee - 5 small sailboat they had secured froti gem of fun out of the affair.”’ ; ee : ‘ watchman by liberal bribing. He started across the street, intending “Keep the flash light about to rejoin Joy and see how his watch over points off the port bow,’’ called ¢ the barracks had resulted. obliging oficial. . “An be keertal ye As he gained the other side of the gon’t run ashore before ye git to Orient thoroughfare forming the water front he JsJand. There’s others in the bay, ye alinost collided with a tall, lanky VOUEL now.” who was approaching rapidly from the “We'll have to take chances,’’ mut- left. téred Clif. “What the deuce——’’ began a famil- “J would risk a good deal to save Lorna jar voice. Day from those scoundrels ” joy 1) cried Clif. ‘“Where have you Joy had taken the oars while Clif heen 0?” handled the tiller. After rowing a short “Those confounded officers!’ gasped distance away from the wharf, the latter tlre other. | called out: Si Ves. yes. “Its a fair wind in our direction, ‘They left the barracks and—and chim; we might as well set sail. We will . make just as much headway.’’ : “Quick, will you!” ‘Yes and the sails will make less “JT followed them down here to the noise,” replied the lanky cadet, unship- water front and they took a sail boat ping his oars and preparing to step the and—’? little mast. ‘‘I’d like to: surprise Mra Romayne and Mr. FitzJames in their — —_— ‘CA sail boat,’? interrupted Clif, eager- ly. ‘‘When was it? Which way did they work.” Ot “Tam afraid we won’t stand much of “Hive minutes ago. I don’t know 4a show. It'll be like hunting for the pro- which way they went. ‘They pulled out verbial needle. Pull the halliards a little into the darkness. Have you learned any- tauter. Steady, that’s it.” thing ?”’ The breeze blowing off shore was Clif groaned. strong enough to heel the craft cousider- “Have I learned anything. I should ably. Water came over the lee gunwale, _ say Ihave. ‘The Days live on an island but the boys did not mind that. Their 2 1258" practical experience in boat drill had taught them confidence in their own skill. ‘You mean hickory clubs ”? ‘‘And you fellows insist that Iam a regular fire-eater. It’s a durned shame. By Jake! some day I’ll break out arfd lick the packing out of a dozen of you fellows just to prove that I am a man of peace. If I was a scrapper like you ’d——”? ‘‘Sh-h! quiet. I heard something. ”’ Clif glanced off the port beam and half rose from hisseat. A noise like the rattle of a tiller rope had come through the gloom from that direction, Suddenly a cough was heard, then a girl’s voice broke into the stillness of the night with a merry laugh. ‘‘What a charming adventure this 15, Rene. I’ve just been longing for some- thing to happen and now the launch is broken down.”? A half-supressed exclamation came from Clif. The launch broken down! What a stroke of Providence! : _ “We'll defeat them after all,” he said, exultantly, bearing hard on the tiller. ‘‘Romayne and FitzJames have missed ») He was interrupted by a slight crash and ascream. Then came a hoarse jum- ble of voices and the grinding of boat against boat. ‘Sheer off there!”’ shoouted an angry voice. ‘‘Can’t ye see where ye are going? Sheer off !?? ‘Keep still, you fool!’ grated another, e whom Clif and Joy instantly recognized "gethat of Hitzjames. ‘Ii you make-a * sound I’ll put a bullet through you. Ro- ; mayne, tend to him while I have a word with Miss Lorna.”’ _ **What’s the meaning of this outrage, ‘Lieutenant FitzJames?’’ came indignant- ly from Lotna Day. ‘‘Are you crazy?”’ _ ‘No, not crazy, but in love,’’ was the impudent response. ‘‘I have something to tell you, Lorna, and——”’ “How date you speak to me in this ‘manner, sir? Leave this launch at once. Peter, drive them away.’’ ‘Peter had better keep his hands clear if he knows what is good for him. Now, Miss Lorna, it is useless for you to create ascene. Jam here for a purpose and I mean to carry it out. You can raise no end of a row and it won’t help you. You are at our mercy——”’ ‘Not much,’’ came in clear tones from the darkness. ‘‘We have something to say about that; eh, Joy ?”’ The next moment a sailboat, skilfully handled, shot alongside the launch, and . Clif leaped over the gunwale directly in - front of the astounded lieutenant. — et CHAPTER V. CAPTURED! As yet the only light visible had come from a lantern in the bottom of the launch, the faint rays hardly serving to dispel the gloom. . When Clif made his sudden appearance the lantern was snatched up by Lorna and held aloft. The stronger light brought out in clear relief the strange scene. It was a strange scene thus being enacted in the harbor of + Bermuda, and one not often witnessed in the nineteenth century. i Confronting each other amidships were : _ two young officers, one clad in the pic- turesque uniform of an American naval cadet, and. the other decked out in all the finery of an English artilleryman. Crouched almost at their feet wasa young girl, her face pallid with terror. Near her stood another girl, a beautiful blonde, tall-and willowy. ; She was pale, but brave, and the hand holding the lantern did not tremble. Forward was the second. English lieu- tenant threatening a weazened old man. ~ ARMY AND NAVY And just stepping over the gunwale was 1259 a lean youth clad as a naval cadet. We repeat, it was a strange scene, but nothing compared with that which was destined to follow. Lieutenant FitzJames was the first to break the stillness. Hastily thrusting one hand into his blouse he cried fiercely: ‘(Who are you and what have you.to do with this affair ?”’ : Clif smiled grimly. There was nothing of mirth in the smile. ‘To those who knew him best it was a danger signal only to be seen when the whole. depths of his nature were aroused. — ‘What have I to do with this affair, Lieutenant FitzJames?’’? he retorted evenly. ‘‘Not much. Only what any gentleman would have to do ina similar case. I happen to know your intentions, _ and I intend to see that you do not carry ~ them out. My friend and I are here to defend these young ladies, that’s all.”’ There was no trace of excitement in his voice. He spoke dispassionately agai merely mentioning the weather o cussing the latest play. Clif stood easy attitude with his hands on lightly upon his hips, but a close observ- er would have seen that he was ready for instant attack or defense. His eyes,were bent upon the hand which the English lieutenant was even then drawing from beneath his blouse. Suddenly there was a glitter of pol- ished metal in the rays of the lantern, then quick as a flash Faraday’s right arm straightened out, and he had clutched his opponent’s wrist. A scream came from the girl crouching in the bottom of the launch. Lorna made no outcry, but the expression of horror upon her face indicated the depth of ex- _ citement under which she was laboring. ‘(Release my hand!’’ hissed FitzJames, struggling to free himself. ‘Not much; not while you revolver,’’ retorted Clif The two'swayed back and forth in the narrow confines of the launch, causing the craft to rock dangerously. Lieutenant Romayne started aft to the assistance of his fellow-officer, but he suddenly found himself confronted by Joy. The latter’s lean face had lost its usual expression of melancholy. It was have that Toe 1800 now eager, and there were traces of ac- tual joy about the mouth. - otop there!) he “shouted. ~ “i you take another step Ill bust your nose!”? Romayne was a powerfully built youth, and he possessed his full share of brute courage. For answer he fairly threw himself upon the lanky cadet and wound both arms about his waist. ‘Tihen, before Joy could offer resistance or fairly realize what had happened, he found himself lifted bodily and dropped over the side. ~The sound of the heavy splash had barely ceased echoing when with a leap, Romayne was at FitzJames’ side. Lifting a bar he had snatched from the bottom of the launch, he brought it down with stunning force upon Clif’s head. _ ‘The lad dropped like a log and lay - motionless with his curly head almost at Lorna’s feet. There was no sound from the other girl. She had fainted. eet so Lorna. She was made of stern- ff. : bu murderer!’’ she cried in ring- ng Ones. ‘‘You have killed him.?? Hastily lowering the lantern she knelt by Clif’s side and lifted his bleeding head into her lap. The handsome face showed white and ghastly in the yellow glare. The eyes were partly open, but there was no ex- pression of life in them. “We must get out of this,’? muttered FitzJames, hoarsely. ~ Where?’’ queried Romayne, in a voice that trembled with fear. ‘‘Where can we go?’ “To Shark Island. It’s the only place. We can hide in the cave until we decide witat-to do, ‘‘And the girls?”? ‘“They must go with us. And _ the cadets also. Where is the other?” As if in reply to his question, Joy, who had been swimming lustily back to the launch, threw both arms over the gun- wale and attempted to scramble on board. He was fairly howling with rage, and he made the most desperate efforts to crawl on board. é “Pl pay you for that trick if you kill me,’’ he sputtered. ‘‘You’re a pretty pair ARMY AND NAVY of British officers. By Jake! I’ll see you both hanged !?? . ““He’ll be heard ashore,’’ exclaimed FitzJames. ‘‘Haul him aboard and give him one like you did the other if he don’t keep quiet.”’ : The two officers finally succeeded in subduing the pugnacious cadet. He was bound with a bit of rope and tossed along- side. Clif was too exhausted to notice the condition of the latter. oe Old Peter, who had been roughly handled by Romayne, was compelled to submit to the same treatment. After 4 Warning to Lorna to keep a still tongue — in her head, the desperate conspirators turned their attention to the disabled en- ree It was found easy to repair, and shortly the launch was in motion once mote. Romayne attended the engine while FitzJames steered and kept watch over the prisoners. Fearing that the launch might break down again, it was deemed advisable to take their sailboat. The craft was accordingly towed be - hind. This acted as a drag and the launch’s speed was materially reduced, but the two scoundrels seemed to act as if time was no object. Nothing was said. Lorna continued to bathe Clif’s head as if oblivious of her surroundings. Rene, Lorna’s companion, was still in a swoon, and Joy and old Peter were not in a condition to do much protesting. : A course straight for the mouth of the harbor was maintained, and presently the launch was tessing upon the outside swell, Two hours after leaving the harbor found the strangely assorted party near- ing a small island. The moon had risen full and majestic, and its mellow rays brought out in soft relief the little islet in its wreath of foam-covered breakers. : Romayne and FitzJames knew the spot well, and they found no difficulty in steering the launch into a sheltered inlet. In trying to stop the little engine Ro- “mayne disabled a part of «the machinery, but the headway of the launch carried it on to the beach. © eae By that time Lorna’s labors had borne’ fruit “ARMY AND NAVY Ht. - The constant use of water, and perchance the touch of her deft hands, i had brought Clif from unconsciousness to ae knowledge of the condition of affairs. Lorna’s wit had told her that their chances of escape from the two officers, ‘whose foul designs she was now fully aware of, depended upon this handsome American cadet. | _ She watched his recovery carefully and succeeded in placing him in full possess- ion of the existing facts without arousing FitzJames’ suspicions. By the time the launch’s bow tad grated on the sands of the little inlet, Clif was prepared to battle for his fair companion’s safety once more. He ‘‘played possum’’ however, and pretended to be insensible, thinking wisely that opportunities would favor him better under that condition. Romayne sprang ashore and fastened the painter to a rock near the water’s edge, then he returned on board and the two conspirators calmly prepared to spend the hours intervening before dawn. “It?s useless to search for the cave now,’? growled FitzJames. ‘‘We’d break our necks in one of the pits.”’ The long hours dragged slowly. Ro- ‘mayne and FitzJames sinoked, and dis- cussed affairs in low tones. Rene recov- ered at last and after a series of shrieks finally concluded that her life was not demanded immediately. Presently as the first faint rays of the “coming dawn appeared above the eastern horizon, FitzJames rose to his feet and said curtly: ‘“‘Come; we'll get to the cave. If that Yankee cadet hasn’t regained conscious- ness yet, Romayne, make Peter and the other fellow carry him. But first see if he is shamming.”’ CHAPTER VI. ‘ORHERE IS MANY A SLIP——”’ Turning to Lorna he touched her on the arm and added in a softer voice: ‘‘Vou will pardon me if I ask you to accompany me tothe cave. I regret the necessity ——”? ‘‘Do not speak to me, sir,’’ interrupted Lorna, scornfully. ‘‘I am in your power, unfortunately, and must yield to force, but I tell you now, Lieutenant Fitz- ~I will marry you. 1261 James, you will surely suffer for this out- rage. You must be crazy to ie you can act like this with impunity.’ Clif, looking through his halt closed eyes saw the young officer brush one hand across his forehead. ‘The desperate expression upon his face deepened. ze Tl am mot crazy; Miss~ Day,7- bere. pled, almost humbly, ‘‘but I soon will be, I guess. It will be my love for you that'd) do it,” ‘‘Vour love for me!”’ , There was an emphasis on the last word which admitted of no mistake in its meaning. FitzJames staggered as if struck. His face paled and flushed and paled again. ‘‘T understand you,’’ he said, bitterly. ‘‘You think Iam doing this for money; that I hope to ransom you to your. father. Itis not so. I love you, Lorna. I—I could not win you otherwise. You scorned iny suit and it aroused the devil in me. I resolved to possess you in spite oral? **Never! I will die——”’ ‘Wait. Tam not through. You tj I am crazy because I abducted you. a bit of it. I know your father. He isa proud man, and a breath of scandal would kill him. He is trying to secure a baronetcy from the queen, and it is absolutely necessary that he should avoid all notoriety. JI am of good family, and I have a fair namein the service. He could sectire a worse son-in-law. Do you see my argument ?”’ Villain!” “Not at all. Iam a gambler and am playing a desperate game. I must win and I will. I intend to keep you here in acave 1 defy anybody to find until I se- cure a promise from your father of com- plete immunity from punishment. Then And we will live Now oblige me by sub- Conic 2: explanation, happy ever after. mitting quietly, Lorna. During FitzJames’ had not been idle. Cnt Watching his chance he cautiously extended his arms unseen and loosened Joy’s bonds. Then he whis- pered to that lad: “‘T am going to trya desperate scheme, chum. If wedo not make a break now we may not have another chance.’’ The two cadets sprang up simultane-_ 1262 ously. Joy, snatching the club he had mentioned, gave the surprised Romayne such a blow across the tace that the ar- tilleryman was sent headlong from the Jaunch to the sandy beach. At the same moment Clif fairly leaped upon FitzJames. He knew that the lieu- tenant was armed with a revolver, and that he must not be permitted to draw it. Completely taken by surprise, Fitz- James offered no immediate resistance, and Clif’s onslaught sent him reeling backward over the gunwale. He fell with a loud splash into the - shallow water of. the little inlet.- Before ne could rise Clif was upon him again. By that time Joy had finished his man. With a whoop he sprang to his friend’s _ ald. Totally forgetting the fact that he was. endangering his reputation for ‘‘peace,’? the lanky cadet gave Fitz- wegines a thump with his club that made BO see Stars. en the two lads calmly proceeded to im in such a manner that he was Ighly helpless. Lorna and Rene _ had watched the pro- ceedings with mingled hope and fear. When it was finally settled, the latter fairly overwhelmed Clif and Joy with _ praise and thanks. ‘“We owe more than our lives to you,”’ said Lorna, simply, ‘‘and it will not be forgotten.” “I hope we will not be forgotten,’? replied Clif, gallantly. ‘‘As for what we have done, it was only what any man would do. Now let us get away from here as quickly as possible." Joy tried to get Peter to examine the launch’s. engines, but the old man was still dazed and helpless. They were compelled to abandon the idea of repairing the machinery, and to trust to the sail boat. The latter wasa very small craft, not capable of carrying the whole party, so it was decided to leave the two lieutenants behind. ‘‘They?’ll be here when the police come for them,'’ said Clif, grimly, as he as- sisted Lorna into the boat. Five minutes later the little party of five were sailing gayly from the inlet, Joy waved his hand toward the prostrate ARMY AND NAVY officers and shouted condolences in a _cheerful voice. Shark Island was the last of a chain extending to the mouth of St. George’s harbor. ~ ‘There were at least a score in the group, the majority being of small “Sine: Clif soon made the rather annoying dis-, covery that he did not know the way back to the harbor, Lorna and Rene were also ignorant. ‘(Well have to sail on and trust to luck,’ decided the young leader, ‘‘I¢ must be somewhere in that direction.’ “Try a‘-turn--around — that — island ahead,’’ suggested Joy. ‘‘We may see something.”? This was done, but. on passing the island in question the party found itself more mixed than ever. It required several tacks to get out of the cul-de-sac thus entered, and it was fully a half-hour before a clear course was again reached. Suddenly, while the boat was skirting the shore of a wooded islet, Rene gave a little seream and pointed to a triangular- shaped object rapidly approaching. It was the dorsal fin of a monster shark. _ In much less time than is taken in the writing, the great brute was within a few feet of the boat. Somewhat startled, Clif turned the craft away and was on the point of going about when a sharp cry of warning came . from Joy, who was in the bow. ‘“Hard over! hard over, or we’ll be on a teef}?2 _ Clif swung the tiller a second too late; the boat struck the submerged rock with great force and amid the sound of rend- ing timbers, capsized. At the same moment a naptha launch shot from behind a rocky islet a short distance away. It contained two persons, Lieutenants FitzJames and Romayne. The former was standing in the bow with a revolver grasped in his right hand. As he caught sight of the capsized craft he cried, exultantly. ‘“There they are! there they are! Hur- tah! we’ve got them again!”’ (THE END. ) The sequel to this story, entitled ‘‘Clif Faraday’s Triumph; or, A Hard Earned Victory,’’ will be published in the next number (28) of Army and Navy. ROT "Mark Mallory’s Bargain ; The Story of the Stolen Treasure. Bsr Licut. PKrederick Garrisom, Us. Se Ae CHAPTER 1. WATCHING THE TREASURE. ‘Any news yet ?”’ ‘Nothing. I guess they’re waiting till night to move it.’”’ ‘‘To you suppose they knew the bur- glars were after it last night ?”’ ‘‘No, I don’t. They haven’t the least idea of it, I’m sure. I heard Bull Harris talking about it this afternoon.’’ The speakers were cadets at the West Point Military Academy, members of the Hew fourth, or ‘‘plebe’’. class. There were seven of them altogether; they were waiting for a summons to drill and sitting in one of the tents of the summer en- campment of the corps. The cadet who was answering the questions was a sturdy, handsome lad about eighteen years of age, Mark Mallory by name. He had just en- tered the tent as the conversation before mentionec began. ‘Bull Harris will never get that treas- ure away from us,’’ he continued. ‘‘That is, not unless he has more sense than I think he has. Bull is a yearling, and he is busy all day, nearly the same as we; so I think he’ll try to move it at night. ‘We can watch him then, and stand a fair show to get it back. You see it was only night before last last that he stole it from our cave, and I think he’s pretty sure we haven’t found it out yet. We’ve been careful not to awaken any suspicions. ”’ ‘*Keerful!’? echoed one of the others, Jeremiah Powers, the ex-cowboy from Texas. ‘‘Durnation, I don’t see whar the keerful part is. We stole ever thar to the hotel last night an’ went up to the room and tried to run off with it. An’ ef some- body hadn’t a seen us, we’d a had it, too.’’ ‘Bull Harris has small idea that those - desperate burglars were his old plebe enemies the Seven Devils,’’’? laughed Mark. ‘‘I heard him talking about the burglars to the cadets this morning. He said he thought they had come up from Highland Falls and——”’ The conversation was cut short just then by the rattle of a drum, which caused the plebes to spring up and hustle out of the tent in a hurry, to ‘‘fall in’? for the morning drill in evolutions, which ended the plotting, for that hour at least. The Seven Devils, to which Mark Mallory had alluded, was a secret society gotten up among West Point plebes for the purpose of preventing hazing, a pur- pose which by this time they had practi- cally achiéved. ‘he treasure about which there had been so much trouble wasa chest of five dollar gold pieces, acciden- tally found by them in a cave back in the mountains. They had left it there a while, not knowing how to remove it; in. the interim a member of the yearling class had happened upon the spot and that was the last the seven had seen of their gold. This yearling was ‘‘Bull’’ Harris, al- ways their dreaded enemy. He had been Mark Mallory’s rival since the day of the plebe’s admission. *Bull was a low- minded, brutal sort of a chap, and he had no compunctions of conscience as to the treasure and his right to it. He and his cousin had taken it down to the hotel and hidden it in the latter’s room. The night before the Gpening of this story, the Seven Devils, those we saw in - matter, as you 12645 ~ the tent, had made a desperate effort to recover the money. ‘They had looked so S very much like burglars, however, that they had deceived one of their friends in the hotel, Grace Fuller; she had given the alarm and frightened the plebes nearly to death. They had reached camp with a dozen yelling pursuers at their heels, and had hidden in their tents just in time to turn out again and join in the burglar- hunt that followed. The treasure was still in the hotel. By way of penance for her last night’s . stupidity, Grace Fuller had volunteered to see that the chest was not carried from the place that day without the plebes learning of it. Mark Mallory had been over to inquire a short while ago; his re- port had been as stated. He was mistaken, however, in his idea that the yearling had no idea who the burglars were. Young Chandler (that was Bull Harris’s cousin) had picked up a re- volver dropped in the hall by ‘‘’Texas.”’ Texas hadn’t missed it; he had too many for that. But this one had his initials on it, and Chandler had ‘‘caught on’? to the state of affairs in notime. So Bull did know that he was watched, and he was using all his cunning to outwit his un- suspecting enemies. Fifty thousand dol- lars was a stake worth playing hard for, and Bull held the highest trump, too, in the shape of that bit of evidence with which to convict Texas of burglary. ‘That was the state of the case, briefly summarized, for those who have bad memories. — It remained the state likewise all through the day. Chandler still held on to that damning revolver, with the ‘‘J. Py?) on the hilt. Likewise to the box of treasure in the corner of his room. And he and Bull were busily plotting a way to remove it to safety, and if possible get its real owners into trouble besides. Bull thought they might make another effort to steal it. “It would be just like the fools,’ said he, ‘‘and if they do, they won’t get away quite so easily again.”’ Bull had a decided advantage in the may easily see. He was working with his eyes open. He knew the situation. The seven, on the vuther hand, were blinded by their supposition SOILCe 5 ARMY AND NAVY that they pected. Moreover, Bull had what ewes would = have called the ‘drop’? on them with that gun. He was going to cap the climax by getting the treasure safely out of reach; then he calculated that his long sought — revenge over Mark Mallory would be ou tained, Bull watched Mark oe his ‘‘gan ng?? slyly during the day. with all the concentrated hatred of which he was capable. Mark Mallory had foiled and outwitted him at every turn—the wild and woolly Texan had thrashed him “‘Indian,’’ the fat and timid ‘‘kid”’ from Indianapolis, had gotten mad one day and interrupted one of Bull’s hazing bees, attacking the yearling with a fury that -had knocked him off his feet. Then there was ‘‘the Parson,’ long- legged, lanky and learned, the geological genius on Boston. ‘The Pareon was one > of the most inoffensive scholars this world has ever made, but he did object to being tied in a ‘sack ‘like a member of the Turkish harem,’’ as he vividly described it. And when Bull tried that, the Parson had a fit and put his classical ‘and geolog- ical muscles.at work on Bull’s nose. Then caine ‘‘B’ gee’? Dewey, a merry and light-hearted youngster with a laugh that put everybody in a good humor. Not so Bull; Dewey had once had the nerve to fettee to climb a tree because Bull said to, and had given Bull two black eyes during the scrimmage that followed. Be- sides ees there were ‘‘Chauncey, the dude,’’ and ‘‘Sleepy, the farmer,’? who — had once attacked Bull and five other yearlings, and who besides this had dared to join Mallory’s gang, an unpardonable offense anyhow. Bull Harris had much to revenge, but he thought he was about to make up for all of it in a very brief time. The day passed. without incident to interest us. It was the usual routine of duty for the plebes, with much drilling and very little rest. Grace Fuller kept some one watching Chandler all day with no result; and that is all there is to be said. The plot began to unfold itself that were unwatched and unsus- Bull hated each ~ “and every individual member of that gang =o i ARMY AND NAVY 1265 night, however. Chandler strolled in to see Bull after, supper, a fact which the seven noticed with no small amount of glee: ‘*He’s fixing up something for to- night,’’ they whispered. That seemed to be the state of affairs for a fact, and the seven made a compact then and thereto stay awake and prevent outasites and gottabites. However tha: may. be, Parson Stanard had found a4 piece of ‘“‘hornblend with traces of potas- sium nitrate manifested.’’? So extraordi- nary a phenomenon as that could not be allowed to pass unnoticed, especially for any quantity of ordinary twenty-two carat gold with no interest to the chennist whatsoever. The Parson vowed he was WRENCHING THE STONE FROM THE ASTONISHED MAN, BULL HARRIS BURST OUT OF THE PLACE AND SPED AWAY UP THE ROAD (page 1272). it if it was the last thing they ever did in their lives. ‘That is, all of them but one. ‘The one was the Parson. The Parson, it appeared, Had. been “‘seolosizing’’ during the morning; he had secured some extraordi- naty specimens of rocks. ‘There were pyrites and fluorites, belemnites and am- monites, hematites, andalusites and gonia- tites, to say nothing of hittites and jebu- sites, added by the facetious Dewey, with going to analyze that specimen that evening as soon as camp was quiet. Dewey suggested that evening ought to be pretty good time to test for ‘‘nitrates,”’ whereupon the Parson turned away with a solemn look of pain and feil to examin- ing his chemicals. ‘She Parson had dis- covered a loose board in the flsoring of his tent, and with true Bostonian origin- ality he had hidden all his specimens and apparatus under that; the Texan’s revol- ASS 1266 — evening. vets were there, too, making a most inter- esting collection of articles altogether. We must go on to the adventures of the destined to play a most important part in the affair, but not just at present. ‘Tattoo sounded, calling the cadets to roll call and bed; taps conies half an hour later, “liehts out and all quiet.’ Then the ‘‘tac’’ inspected and went to bed also, after which the Parson got up, let down his.tentwalls, lighted his candle, and set out his array of test-tubes and reagents. Then also Texas got up and stole out of the tent, past the sentry, and over to the liotel. | It had been agreed that the place was ~ to be watched from the distance every moment that night. Texas had putina claim to be first, and he was on his way ‘to spend on hour hiding in the bushes. Chandler and Bull Harris weren’t going to remove that treasure without a “scrap. ”’ As it happened, Texas was not going to have to wait long. It appears that Bull imagined that the seven were going to try burglary again; his plan to fool them was to hide the treasure early, before the people in the hotel were quiet and so be- fore the plebes could do anything. Then, the treasure once out of the way, Chand- ler might easily trap the plebes. It was quite a clever scheme indeed, and Bull was in a hurry to put it into execution. He stole out of camp as Texas had done, and stole into the hotel at the rear entrance. At the same moment Texas rose up out of the bushes and sped away toward camp at the top of his speed. Which was where the excitement began. a ee CHAP IER JI. THE SEVEN DEVILS: IN) A TRAP, Some ten minutes after Bull Harris vanished in the shadow of the hotel, two figures caine down the stairs, bearing a heavy burden between them. There was noone in the neighborhood to observe them. ‘They crept out the back door and gently deposited their load upon a wheel barrow that stood near. A moment more and they and the wheelbarrow, too, had disappeared in the shadow of the trees. At the same instant six figures dashed - ARMY AND NAVY. The Parson’s chemistry was past the sentry at the camp and set out to” follow swiftly. They were the members of the Seven Devils, minus the chemical Parson. ‘The other two were Chandler and his cousin. The latter were wary as foxes; they were aware of the fact that they might be followed, and Bull was glancing over his shoulder at every step. But owing to the sentries that patrol the post he had to keep in the dark shadow of the woods by the river front, and that was where the six got their chance to hide. They were cautious, too; even our fat friend Joseph Smith was as silent and stealthy as any genuine ‘‘Indian.’’ , Bull and his companion skirted the buildings to the south, and emerged upon the road to Highland Falls. Down this they hurried for a short distance, and then turned inte a patch of thick woods just above cadet limits. In the centre of the woods they halted, set down their load and went right to work without fur- ther parley. They were going to bury the treasure, where it would be safe beyond possibility of danger. That was their plan. To be very brief, I may say that they did not get far. Bull had barley had time to plunge his spade into the ground before there came a sound of a snapping twig that made him start as if he had been shot. It was a dark night, very dark, and the two frightened rascals could distinguish little. But one thing they did see; that was the grinning countenance of the ‘‘son o’? the Hon. Scrap Powers o’ Hurricane County, Texas,’’? at the present moment peering over the barrel of a luminous and voluminous revolver. There never was a holdup more sudden and complete than that, at least not in the experience of our cowboy friend. Chandler hada revolver in his pocket (the one that Texas had dropped) but he did not dare to make a move to touch it. He was too well aware of Jeremiah Powers’ repu- tation among the cadets. Chandler and Bull could do nothing but stare, and gasp. It was not part of the programme of the six to keep them in suspense for any time. ‘Texas kept his gun levelled, rein- forced by another in his other hand, while Mark and his companions, smiling ot Je SS = en aS Re Ss 5 Shee pe ARMY AND NAVY cheerfully, stepped out and proceeded to take possession in genuine Dick Turpin “» Style. In the first place there were the prison- ers to be attended to. ‘They were too much confounded and frightened to resist and they speedily found themselves lying flat as pancakes on the ground, tied hand and foot, with handkerchiefs in their mouths for an extra precaution. Then, and then only, Texas shoved his revolvers back where they came from; and the others laid hold of the wheelbarrow and he whole crowd strolled merrily away, whistling meanwhile. For which please score one for the Seven Devils. Unfortunately, their triumph was des- tined to be a very transitorv one. I blush to record it of my most cautious and wary ' friend from ‘Texas, but it is true, and truth must be told. Texas actually forgot to search his man when he held it up! The result was that the revolver, a terri- ble bit of evidence, was still in Chandler’s pocket. But that was notall. So sure were the six plebes of their complete tri- umph, that they even failed to tie their prisoners apart. The last of the party had scarcely turned away before Bull, glancing about him with his cunning cat-like eyes, rolled swiftly over until he was at his cousin’s side. He bit at the rope that tied the lat- ter’s hands; he could not have chewed more savagely if he had hold of Mallory’s flesh. Chandler’s hands were free in a inoment, and it was the work of buta few moments more to whip out his knife and loosen Bull. The sound of the plebe’s merry laughter had not died away in the woods before the two were on the trail, creeping stealthily up behind their unsus- _ pecting victims with their load of gold. And Chandler had the revolver in his hand now by way of a precaution. That tied the score. ‘The end of the first inning. Not so very far back in the woods on the way to Highland Falls stood an old and cb i ake ice house. Some may re- member that ice house; it figured rather prominently in one of Mark Mallory’ s ad- ventures some time ago. Mark had not been in West Pojnt a week before his cheerful friend Bull had tried to lock him 1267 up in that place so as to have him absent from reveille. Bull had failed, fortunate- ly, and Mark had turned the tables on him. Bull had unpleasant recollections of that ice house ever since. It was toward that building the six happy and triumphant plebes were head- ing; Mark had chanced to think of it, and of the fact that its soft sawdust would make a most excellent hiding-place for the wonderful treasure. The plebes could hardly realize that they had that treasure safe. After all the vicissitudes it had been through, all the disappointments and anxiety it had caused them, it seemed to be too good to be true. And they ran their fingers through the chinking con- tents of the old chest; it was too dark:to see it, but they could feel it, and that was enough to make them chuckle for joy. They were in a particularly jolly humor as they hurried through ‘the woods. Dewey was as lively asa kitten, and was being reminded of jokes enough to take up the rest of this story; and he kept it up until the building they were looking for loomed up in front of them. The plebes lost no time about the matter; they opened the creaky door and the whole six of them hurried in to superintend the all important burial cere- mony. Their figures had scarcely been lost i in the darkness before the other two stole out of the woods and halted at the edge of the clearing. ‘The two were stooping low, creeping with the stealth of cata- niounts. So silent were they there was not even the snap of a twig to betray them, and when they stopped they scarcely dared breathe as they listened. One of the crouching figures clutched a revolver in his hand; the other’s fists were clinched until the nails dug into his flesh. His teeth were set and his eyes gleamed with a hatred and resentment that he alone knew how to feel. Bull Harris felt that his time had come, the time he had waited for for two long months of concentrated yearning. There were sounds of muffled laughter from inside, and the thud of the spade that some one was using. Bull glanced at his companion. ‘(Are you ready 2’? he whispered, 1268 : “— ARMY AND NAVY And the other nodded, though his hand shook. “Are you afraid? ? hissed Bull. ‘‘It is a risk, for that fiend of a Texan may fight. You may have toshoot. Do you hear me??? Once more Chandler nodded, and gripped the revolver like a vise. There was not another word said. The two crouched low and stepped out of the shadow of the bushes. Silently as the shadows themselves they sped across the open space. And then suddenly Bull halted again; for the sound of murmur- ing voices froin inside the little building grew audible as they advanced. ‘‘B’gee, it’s a regular Captain Kidd business! I don’t think Bull was a suc- cess as a Kidd, that is, if you spell it with two d’s. He——”’ pay Wack.’ voice, ‘‘do you remember the time that durnation ole coyote tried to lock you in hyar? Dog gone his boots, I bet he don’t try that very soon again.”’ “T?m afraid not,’’ laughed Mark, soft- ly. > {'Bull had his chance once, but hie failed to make the most of it.’ And at the words Bull seized his cousin convulsively by the arm and forced him back. Before the other could see what the yearling meant he had sprung for- ward, gasping with rage. The next in- stant the heavy door creaked and swung too. Mark and his allies started back in alarm. Before they could make another move, before they could even think, they heard the rusty lock grate, heard a heayy log jammed against the door to hold it tight. -And then a low, mocking laugh of triumph rang on their ears. Bull Harris’ time had come at last. CHAPTER: TIL BUYING THEIR RELEASE. Our business just now is with Parson Stanard, the scholarly geologist and chemist, sitting all by himself in his silent tent and diligently analyzing his hematites and gottabites and outasights. ‘The Parson made a curious figure; you would have laughed if you could have seen him. A solitary candle gave the interrupted another | ‘flickering light by which he worked. The Parson was a trifle agitated about that candle, because, as you know, it is the correct thing fora scholar to burn ‘midnight oil.’’? The midnight part was all right, but it took a long stretch of the imagination to convert tallow into kero- -sene. That kind of chemistry was too much for even the Parson. However, it had to be borne. The Ban son was seated in tailor fashion, in spite of which posture he was managing as usual to display his pale, moss-coiored socks to the light. He had a row of bot- tles in a semi-circle about him, like so many soldiers on parade; and at that mo- ment he was engaged in examining a most interesting and complicated filtrate.. Parson Stanard was at the climax of his important night’s work. It will be remembered he was testing for potassium nitrate. He hadit. He had put some of the substance in the fire and gotten the violet flame he wanted. ‘Then to make sure he reached forward and took one of the bottles. But the Parson never made that test. If the Seven Devils had seen him at that moment they would assuredly have been frightened, for his face underwent a most startling and amazing transformation. He — had picked up the bottle; glanced at its label. And the next instant his eyes seeined fairly to pop up out of his head. His jaw dropped, his hands relaxed, and the wondrous and long-sought powder was scattered over the floor. The Parson was ordinarily a quick thinker, ‘but it took ‘a time for that thought, whatever it was, with all its horrible import, to flash across his mind. And meanwhile his face was a picture of consternation. Then suddenly he leaped to his feet with a perfect gasp of horror, knocking the candle over and making the bottles rattle. ‘By the thunderbolts of Jove!’ he cried. ‘*By the hounds of Diana! By the distaff of Minerva !’’ The Parson was striding up and down his tent by this time, utterly regardless of chemistry, geology, and possible dis- covery in the bargain. ‘“By the steeds of Apollo!’? he mut- tered., ‘'By the waters of the Styx, by ~ and listened. the sceptre of Zeus, by the cap of Mer- cury. By the apple of Venus and the bow of Ulyssus! By the nine immortals and the Seven Hills of Rome!——”’ At this stage of proceedings the agi- tated chemist was out in the company street, and striding away in the darkness. “By the eagle of Ganymede, by the shield of Mars, by the temple of Janus, by the trident of Neptune!”’ 3 During this the gentleman was speed- ing out of camp, causing the sentry, who thought he was crazy, so much alarm that he forgot to challenge. By the time he recovered the Parson was gone and only an echo of his voice remained—— “By the forge of Vulcan, by the cave of Aeolus, by the flames of Vesta!’? Not to continue the catalogue, which it would be found contained all the mythology from Greek and Sanskrit to Hindoostanee suffice it to say that the agitated scholar strode straight down the road to Highland Falls with all the speed that a scholar could assuine without loss of dignity and breath. Also that he turned off the road at the precise place his comrades had and vanished in the woods. ‘““TMhey said they were going to bury it in the ice house,’? muttered the Parson. “It is there I shall endeavor to intercept them and inform them of this most ex- traordinary condition of affairs. Yea, by the all-wise, high-thundering Olympian Zeus. The more excited the Parson got the more Homeric epithets it was his custom to heap upon the helpless head of his favorite divinity; he was very much ex- cited just now. : Fortunately, the Parson did not know just where the ice house was; he had never been to it but once, and he wan- dered about the woods hunting in vain for at least-half an hour. Then he sat down in despair and gasped for breath, Aud in that way he was suddenly made aware of the whereabouts of the object of his search. A sound came to his ears, a loud laugh in the distance. “‘Ho, ha! You fools! Dig a tunnel, hey? Ho, ha! Well, suppose you dig it. I’ve.a revolver here, and I'l] blow the blamed head off the first man that comes ARMY AND NAVY 1269 out. How do you like that. Guess again, Mark Mallory. The Parson sprang up asif he had sat down on the proverbial haystack with a needle in it. That voice was the voice of the ‘‘enemy,’’? Bull Harris! A moment later the Parson was creeping toward the sound with stealthiness that would have done credit to an Apache. ‘‘We are in the hands of the enemy,’’ he gasped, ‘‘By the all-wise, high- thundering, far-ruling Olympian Zeus!’ “Ho; hol” reared the voice meater now. ‘Think you can, Break the door down, hey? Well! well! Guess Pll have to put a new log against it. How do you like that! That’s right! Whack away! Bully! Keep it up and you may get out. by to-morrow night. Ho! ho!” The unfortunate Zeus got a few more epithets then, and the Parson crept nearer still. In fact, he got so near that peering out of the bushes, he could spy the clear- ing with the little building and the two figures dancing gaily in front of it. Bull Harris was fairly convulsed with joy. “Dve got my revenge!’ he roared. “Tve got it! I told you I’d get it! Didn’t I tell you so? I told you I’d have you B. J. plebes out of here if Idied for it. And now my time’s come! Hooray! You'll be found to-morrow, beyond cadet limits, and out you go. You can’t deny it! How do. you: like 1@2”' “Vouwll go to, you durnation ole coyote,’’? growled a smothered voice from the inside. ‘‘Me! Ho, ho! What dolcare? I’ve nothing to lose. I’m ready to go. But you—ho, ho! Ask that fool Mallory how he likes it.”’ ‘Very well,’’ responded a cheery voice. “Vou must remember that we’ve got the treasure. ”’ “Much good it’ll do you,’’? chuckled Bull. ‘‘You’ll be in State’s prison in a week or so. Ho, ho! Let’s tell ’em Chandler. ‘The secret’s too good a one to keep. Ask Texas what became of the revolver he dropped in the hotel last night playing burglar. The revolver with the initials J. P. on it.’’ That wasa thunderbolt. From the way it struck the horrified prisoners dumb. Bull knew knew it and laughed with yet more malignant glee. ; 1270. “You can’t prove it!’ roared Texas furiously. ~ C@an’t 1??? chuckled Bull. ‘‘You’d hate to have metry. It would take all your gold to get you out of that scrape. I fancy. Ho, ho! Court-martial! States prison! I guess I’ve got the best of it for once.’ ‘It’s the first time,’’ growled Texas. During all this the Parson had been hiding in the bushes, trembling, gasping, slowly taking in the situation, the dilem- ma his friends were in. All thoughts of the excitement under which he had origi- nally set out were gone. He was cudgel- ling his head to see what he was to do to turn the tide of battle. _ It was a difficult problem for Chandler had a revolver and the Parson had none. This was evidently a case where cunning and not brute force were to tell, and the Parson knitted his learned brows thought- fully. Meanwhile the conversation was going on, and taking a newturn. Bull Harris had a proposition. ‘‘T suppose you fellows are ready to acknowledge you’re beaten,’’ he sneered. *‘And I suppose you’ve got sense enough to see what a fix you’re in.”’ To tell the truth, the whole seven saw it clearly, but they were not ready to ac- knowledge it to Bull. **T just want to say,’’ the latter con- tinued, after a moment’s pause, ‘‘that there’s a way for you fools to get out of this. If you don’t choose to do it you may as well make up your minds to stay all night,’ ‘TI suppose,’’? responded Mark, laugh- ing at this introduction to a very obvious offer. ‘‘I suppose you think we’re going to let you get hold of our treasure. I sup- pose you think we’ll purchase our free- dom with that.°’ “i hat’s what Ido,’’ said Bull, ‘‘else you stay.’’ ‘We'll stay,’’? laughed Mark, coolly. ‘‘And you can go to blazes.’ This proposition was not lost upon the Parson, lying in the bushes outside. The Parson had drunk in every word of it and for some reason. began to gasp and wriggle with suppressed excitement as he realized the meaning of the offer. As Mark spoke the last time the Parson slid back into the woods and stole softly _ ARMY AND NAVY around to the rear of the little building. A few moments later Mark, to his astonishment, heard a faint whisper in one of the crevices at the back. ‘‘Say, Mark!’’? ‘That voice Mark would have known had he heard it in China. He ran to the spot-and there was a minute’s quick conversation. At the end of it the Parson turned and crept away again un- seen by the two in front. Perhaps five minutes later Bull Harris, who was still crowing merrily, was elec- trified to learn that the plebes had recon- sidered their first deiance—that the gold was his! . ‘‘T guess we'll have to give it up,’’ said Mark, briefly. ‘‘ You’ve got us, and that’s aii that there is to if,” *‘Do you mean,’’ cried Bull, unable to hide his joy, ‘‘that if we let you out and give you the revolver you are willing to give up the treasure altogether ?”’ Ves,’ said Mark. "We are.”? ‘But how am I to trust you?” de- manded Bull. ‘‘If I open the door how do I know you won’t——”’ *‘Tve said I won’t!’’ interrupted Mark with angry emphasis. ‘‘You know me, I guess. ”’ It was a funny thing. Bull himself would have lied all day without his con- science troubling him. But somehow or. other he was sure that Mark wouldn’t. In spite of his cousin’s protestations he stepped forward, removed the barricades and turned the key. The six plebes came out, looking | sheepish enough. Texas received his lost revolver meekly, though he felt like braining Bull with it. A minute later the six hurried off into the woods, leaving Bull aad his cousin to gloat for hours over the chest of gold they left inside. Truly, it was a triumph for Bull. CHAPTER IV. BULL HARRIS REAPS HIS REWARD. It was the evening of the following day, an the scene was Highland Fails. It was about twelve o’clock at night, to be miore exact as to time; as to place, the scene was a low tavern on the road side. This hour was Jong after the time that cadets are supposed to be in their tents asleep, but as we have seen cadets do not always do as they are supposed to. It is safe to say that in spite of all the talk about the severity of West Point disci- _pline, if the commandant of cadets should take it into his head to wander through Camp McPherson every night fora week running he would find some things to surprise him. He might not find any geological chemists hard at work, but he might find a small game of cards going on on the sly, and he’d be sure to finda surreptitious banquet or two. He might also see occasional parties steal past an obliging sentry who was looking the other way It is probable, however, that none of this would surprise him very much, for he did it all himself in his day. There are always bolder and more reck- less spirits who are ever ready for such a lark, enjoying it in proportion to the risk they run. There are always some among these who think it manly to drink and smoke and frequent low places; it is upon one of these latter assemblages that we are about to look in. We must not mind a rather unpleasant odor of bad tobacco, or a still more unpleasant odor of bad lan- guage. It is quite needless to say that one of the crowd was Bull Harris; it would be hard to find a crowd of cadets amusing themselves as these were without Bull among them. This, tavern, was the regular resort of him and his *sang’’ on occasions when they visited Highland Falls. It has not been mentioned before because the less said about such places the better. Bull liked this place for many reasons. It was quiet and there was nobody to dis- turb them. ‘Then, too, the proprietor, a fat Irishman, known as ‘‘Jake,’’ was a man who told no secrets and minded his own business, thus keeping an ideal place for a crowd of young ‘‘gentleman’’ to- come for a lark. Bull was there to-night, and what was more important he was acting as host. Bull was ‘‘blowing off” his friends. There was first his cousin Chandler, whom we know; then there was Gus Mutray, who needs but little introduc- tion. Asan ally and worshipper of Bull and a malignant enemy of Mark Mal- lory’s, Gus Murray yielded to no one, with the possible exception of Merry ARMY AND NAVY Sion aioe } CMMI TO ENEMA E 1271 Vance, the shallow and sour-faced youth on his right. The cause of Merry’s pes- simistic complexion we once guessed to be indigestion; inasmuch as he was just then pouring down his seventh dose of bad brandy a revision of this surmise will be allowed. ‘I'o complete the party, there was one more, a very simall one, our young friend, Baby Edwards, a sweet- tempered little sneak who had not even manliness enough to be vicious. When we peered in the party was in full swing. Baby Edwards had half gone to sleep, having drunk two glasses of beer. Bull had just completed for the third time a graphic description of how that Mallory had been duped, a story which wasa never failing source of inter- est and hilarity to the rest, who were whacking their glasses on the table and cheering merrily, in fact so merrily that the cautious proprietor was forced to come to the door and protest. “How much did you say it was worth??? demanded Vance, after the man had gone away again. ‘“Hifty thousand dollars,’? chuckled Bull. ‘Fifty thousand if acent. Fill em up, boys. Chandler and I calculated it weighed two hundred pounds. Whoop!’ Merry’s eyes glistened feverishly as he listened, whether from brandy or from what he heard it would be hard to say. ‘‘Whereabouts is it now?’ demanded he. ‘‘Are you sure Mallory can’t get it?”’ “Dead sure,’? laughed Bull. *‘Do you suppose I’d be fool enough to Jet Mallory sneak up behind me twice. Not much! It’s safe.’ ‘Where abouts ?”’ ‘‘Oh, it’s buried up here in the woods a piece,’’? said the other, cautiously. ‘(It?s where we can get it any time we want to. Oh, say, but it’s fine to know you’re rich—no trouble about paying any confounded bills. And. that Irish villain Jake can’t kick because we drink more than we can pay for. Whoop! Help yourselves!’ The others were helping themselves for all they were worth. It seldom happened to that crowd to get a chance such as this, and cadet duties might go to blazes in the meantime. ‘They were singing and shouting and fast getting themselves into 1272 a very delightful state, indeed, keenly enjoying themselves every minute of the time, so they thought. Fun like that can’t last~very long, however. Baby Edwards went to sleep as said; itis to be hoped he dreamed of better things. Merry Vance got quiet and stupid also, while Gus Murray waxed cross and ugly. So pretty soon Bull con- cluded it was time to go home. Anybody who glanced at the bottles scattered about on the floor and table would have thought so too. At this stage of the game Jake bowed himself in. Jake was usually a Nemésis, an undesired person altogether, for he came to collect. But Bull didn’t mind this time. ‘TI wants me money,’’ began the man, sutlily, gazing about him at the scene of ‘ destruction. ‘‘An’ what’s more, I wants to say you fellows has got to make less noise here nights. I ain’t goin’ to have my license taken away for no cadet. Sear’? Bull gazed at him sneeringly during this discourse. ‘‘Anything more?’’? he demanded. ‘Wes, there is. - You. fellers ain’t a- comin’ here no more till you pays yer bills. This is the third time you’ve tried to let ’em run, an’ by thunder I ain’t a- goin’ to stand it. I don’t believe you’ve got no money anyhow, an’ I’m goin’ to stop this——’? ‘Oh, shut up, confound you!’ broke in Bull, impatiently. ‘‘Who the deuce asked you to trust them? Don’t bea fool! ‘Take that and shut up your mouth.’? These not over polite remarks came as Bull flung three or four of the five-dollar gold pieces with a lordly air onto the table. The fellow eyed them greedily, then gathered them up and left the room. Bull turned to rouse his companions, chuckling to himself as he did so. ‘‘Come on, boys,’’ said he. ‘‘Get up there and hustle.’ Baby Edwards, having been kicked unceremoniously to tke floor, got up growling. Merry Vance likewise wanted to fight Gus, who woke him. But the five got started finally and made for the door. Beyond that however, they did not get, ARMY AND NAVY for there they encountered the brawny form of Jake. ‘Stop !? said he, briefly. “What the dickens do you want now??? demanded Bull. — The other extended his hand, in which lay the coins. “Don’t want ’em,’’ said he. Bull stared at him in amazement. “Don’t want ’em!’’? he echoed. the name of Heaven why not?” “No good,’’? said the other, senten- Tn tiously. The effect of those two words upon Bull was like that of a bullet; he stag- gered back against the wall, gasping, his eyes fairly starting out of his head. The others understood dimly and turned pale. It took several minutes for that idea to dawn upon Bull Harris in all its frightful horror. When he realized it he sprang forward with a shriek. ‘‘Nogood!’? he cried. ‘‘Great Heavens, man, what do you mean?”’ The proprietor’s response was brief but effective. He put his hand in his pocket and brought out a shining stone. He rubbed it against the gold and held it up so that Bob might see the color that resulted. ‘’Tain’t gold,” said he. ‘‘It’s counter- Peis’? Bull staggered back against the wall again. Counterfeit! Counterfeit! He saw it all now! Saw why Mallory had given it up! Saw what a fool he—Bull Harris —had been! Saw that he had let them out of the trap, given them the weapon, the only proof. Let them go in safety, leaving him a chest full of brass. It made Bull sick to think of it. Oh, surely it could not be true! Another thought flashed over him then. Why had Mallory fought so for it, why been so reluctant to give it up? No, it must be genuine! It must be a mistake! Perhaps those few were bad, but all the coins. could not be. Trembling with dread, Bull sprang forward, wrenched the stone from the hand of the astonished ‘‘Take,’? burst out of the place, and sped away up the road. The man was at his heels at this effort to dodge him without paying. Behind him rushed the other four, frightened and sobered bv this terrible blow. But Bull’s {RMY AND NAVY anxiety lent speed to him and he easily outdistanced the crowd. When they came up on him again they found him in the woods .on his knees, digging savagely in the ground with his fingers. In response’ to his shouts and curses they flung themselves down to help him, while the breathless Irishman stood ‘by and stared in amazement. Bull was in a frenzy. He fairly tore his way down to the chest and seizing it by the handles, jerked it out with the strength of a Hercules, He flung back the lid, jerked the bit of rock from his pocket, and seized a handful of the coins. A moment more and he staggered back, and sank to the ground limp and helpless. The chest of gold was worthless. e e e e e e We must revert to the conversation of the seven the night before, for the benefit of those who are curious. Mark and his friends as they disappeared in the woods were joined by the solemn Parson. You may believe that it was a merry crowd. ‘(Took here, Parson,’’? demanded Mark, the first thing. ‘‘Are you sure that money is no good ?”? “‘Sure?’’ echoed the Parson. ‘‘Sure as Iam that .the most reliable and mathe- matical of all the sciences is true. Per- haps you will wish gentlemen, that I ex- plain to you the most extraordinary state of affairs. I shall do so, yea, by Zeus. I feel that I owe it to myself by way of explanation of a most unaccountable— ahem—blunder I have made.”’ 1273 The Parson drew a long breath and continued. ‘‘Gentlemen,’? said he, ‘‘when first we set out upon that treasure hunt I took with me two bottles of acid. One wasa test for the presence of argenic com- pounds, that is, silver, and the other for what is popularly designated gold. -In the excitement of the discovery of the chest, to my everlasting humiliation be it said, that I used the wrong acid. ‘The re- action I got proved the presence of cop- per. I thought it was gold.” : After this extraordinary speech of self- abnegation the Parson bowed his head in shame. It was at least a minute before he could muster the courage to goon. Truly that had been a frightful blunder for an analytical chemist to make. ‘/Po-night,’’. he continued at. last; was testing for potassium, and I reached for that bottle of gold reagent. I ex- pected to find it halfempty. I found it full, and I knew in an instant that I could not have used a drop of it. Gentle- men, that told. me the story of my error. Ishall do penance for it as long asl iiay live. 7 ‘‘Which is the explanation of the Par- son’s strange conduct, and the end of the history of the counterfeiter’s gold. [THE END. | The next West Point story will. be en- titled ‘‘A Midnight Hazing; or, Mark Mallory’s Revenge,’’ by Lieutenant Frederick Garrison, U. S. A. i The Cryptogram A ST ORY oF NORTHWEST CANADA BY “WM.MURRAY GRAYDON Author of “A Legacy of Peril,” “In Forbidden Nepaut,’’ etc. CHAPTER I. THE SAVING OF GREY MOOSE. HAVE long had in mind to set down the story of my early life, and now, as I draw pen and paper to me for the commencement of the task, I feel the inspiration of those who write straight from the heart. It is unlikely that this narrative will ever appear in print, but if it does the reader may rely on its truthful- ness and accuracy from beginning to end, strange and incredulous though parts of it may seem. ‘ Thirty years ago! It is a long time, but the magic power of memory laughs at wider gulfs. Every inci- dent comes back to me with the vividness and clear- ness of yesterday. I hear the echo of voices that have been silent these many years. Dead faces, some smil- ing and some looking fierce haired, take dim shape in the corners of the room. Beyond the open window, where birds are twitter- ing in the overhanging ivy, an English landscape of meadow and woodland, hills and hamlets, rolls far in the sunshine of a June morning. It is the year 1846, in the reign of her gracious Majesty Queen Victoria. I close my eyes, and Lam back in another world. I see the Great Lone Land—its rivers and lakes, its plains and peaks, its boundless leagues of ’ wilderness stretching from sea to sea. I sniff the fragrant odors of snow-clad birch and pine, of marsh-pools glimmering in the dying glow of a summer sun. Thear the splash of paddies and the glide of sledge-runners, the patter of flying moose and deer. and the scream of the hungry panther. I feel the weird, fascinating spell of the solitude and silence, The Great Lone Land! Truly, to those who have known it, a name to conjure with! As it was then so it remains to-day, that vast, mysterious, romantic reali of the Canadas. The territory of the Hudson Bay Company, chartered remotely and by Royal war- rant when Charles Il. was king; the home of the Red Indian and the voyageur, the balf-breed trapper and hunter, the gentlemen adventurers of England, Scot- land and France; a land of death by Indian treachery and grizzlies, starvation and freezing, snowslides and rapids; a mighty wilderness, with canoes and sledges for the vehicles of travel and commerce, and forest trails joining the scattered trading-posts. There J, Denzil Carew, was born. There was my home from the cradle to manhood, and there my. story lies. In that wild country I was nurtured and bred, schooled in the lore of the woods, taught to shoot and swim, to bear fatigue and to navigate dangerous waters. Nor did I grow up inignorance of finer arts, for my father, Bertrand Carew, was an Englishman anda gentlenian, and he took pains to give me the benefit of his own education and culture. Who his people were, or what had brought him out to the Canadas, were things he never told me. My mother was the daughter of a company factor in charge of Fort Beaver. I do not remember her, for she died when I wasa year old. At the factor’s death my father succeeded to the post, aid ten years later he was killed by a treacherous Indian. Fort Beaver was then abandoned, a new post, having been recently built, seventy mules farther north. This was Fort Royal, on the Churchill river, one hundred miles suuth of Hudson’s Bay, and I went there as assistant- factor—l had already worn the company’s uniform for three years. At that time I was twenty years old—very tall, and built in proportion, with light hair and eyes, and a mustache in which I tock some pride. I knew as much of the wilderness and the fur trade as any. voy- ageur, and I had been twice to Quebec and other towns of Lower Canada. T liked the life at Fort Royal and I liked the factor, Griffith Hawke. We got on well together, and I per- formed my duties to his satisfaction. Thus five years paced away, and the closing of that uneventful period rings me to the opening proper of my story—to the mission that sent me five hundred miles down country in the dead of winter to Fort Garry, where the town of Winnipeg now stands, and thence more than a thous- and miles eastward to Quebec. Concerning the purpose _of the journey I shall speak later, but 16 was not a thing to my. taste or experience. Distinctly I recall that frosty morning of March in the year 1815. ~The picture of life and color, breaking on a scene of wintry grandeur and solitude, rises be- fore my eyes. I see the frozen, snow-covered waste of the Lake of the Woods, the surrounding evergreen for- ests and towering hills, the low leaden sky overhead. Along the edge of the scrubby-timbered shore five husky dogs come ata trot, harnessed in single file to asledge. The dogs are short-legged and very hairy, with long snouts, sharp-pointed ears, and the tails of wolves; the sledge is a simple toboggan made of two pieces of birch nine feet in length, their ends turned high iu front. Buckskin thongs hold the load in place, and at either side of this vehicle of the woods a brightly-clad figure on snow-shoes glides swiftly. Of the two men, one was myself, and the other was my half breed servant Baptiste. 1 wore the winter uniform of the Hudson Bay Company—a furred leather coat lined with flannel, a belt of scarlet worsted, breeches cof stoked buckskin, moccasins of moose-hide, and blue cloth leggings. A fur cap” was on my head, anda strip of Scotch plaid about my neck. Baptiste was dressed like all the company’s voyagenrs and hunters, in a blue capote, red flannel shirt, beaced corduroy trousers and fringed leggings, and a cap decked vut with feathers. We each carried a musket and a hunting knife, a powder horn, anda bullet pouch. Fort Garry, where wé had stopped for a few days after a fortnight’s steady travel from the Cl urchill river, was a week’s journey behind us, and we were likely to be another month in the wilderness before we should reach Quebec. But we liked the wild life better than the turmoil of towns, Baptiste and I, and we were in no haste to have done with it. The strange thing that was taking me to Quebec would not be ripe for accomplishment until the coming of the tardy June spring of the Canadas, which was as yet eight or nine weeks off. ~ The weather was bitterly cold that March day, and we kept the dogs at such a pace that by noon we had ep et sttown ps fy cin. ARMY AND NAVY Zz overed a matter of twenty miles. Then. as we were eeding along the frozen river that leads from the sake of the Woods to Lake Superior, we heard the eport of a musket, followed by the cry of a human oice and the growl of a beast. Baptiste and I stopped ‘and at a word the dogs stood still and barked with up- ‘lifted snouts. The sound had come from close by on our left, but now we heard only a faint and receding patter on the snow-crust. : ‘Nom de Dieu, there are two running!’’ cried Bap- tiste. ‘‘It is a chase.’’ ‘« And the dogs smell a bear,’’ I replied. ‘‘I am off ' tothe rescue, Baptiste. Do you wait here with the isledge, and if I shout for help, come quickly.”’ With that I turned and made intotbe forest, unsling- ing my musket as I ran, Fifty yards through scrub and timber brought me to a spot that bore the imprint of ’ big claws and moccasined feet. Here were a few drops _ of blood on the snow, aud the parts of a broken gun lying near. I bad no need to follow the trail, for as I pushed on with great strides the noise of a struggle guided me straight. It was but a short distance further. Breaking from the trees into a rugged hojlow, I came upon a_thrill- ' ing scene. An Indian had sought refuge in a shallow ’ erevice between two tall boulders, and he was in. sore peril of his life from a monstrous grizzly that was striving to tear him out. The bear—I had never seen a larger one—was dealing blow after blow with his heavy paws, and the redskin was making the best use © of his knife that his cramped position would allow. " The clamor of beast and man made a_blood-curdling I mastered the situaticn ata glance and vowed to | save the Indian. I was as likely to hit him as the bear from where I stood, so I circled quickly around to one side. But the grizzly both heard and smelt me, and I had scarcely lifted my musket when he turned with a snarl of rage, and came at me. I aimed and fired. Bang! Tt is difficult to kill a grizzly with a single shot, and as the smoke drifted aside I saw the brute advancing on hind legs. His eyes were like balls of fire, his open jaws dripped foam, and he roared horribly with pain and anger. Blood was trickling from a wound close to the heart, made by my bullet, and there was another bleeding hole in his neck. I had no chance to reload, and there was barely time to flee. But my temper was up, andit drove metoa reckless determination. I stood my ground for an in- -stant, while the grizzly shambled on, pawing viciously at the air. Then I drew my long-bladed knife, darted out of the way,tand as swiftly turfed and struck under the outstretched fore-feet. It was a foolish trick, and my agility barely saved me from a crushing blow. As it was, I had to leave the knife sticking deep in the wound. But the thrust had gone straight to the heart, and I gave a yell of delight as the great beast came down witha crash. He lay quite still after a_ brief struggle that churned the snow-crust to powder. The bear was dead, and my first step was to with- draw the knife and wipe it clean. Then, having shouted to Baptiste, I approached the crevice just as the Indian crawled out. Too weak to rise, he propped himself against a rock. He was bleeding profusely from a dozen wounds. His shirt of buffalo skin, his breech-clout, his fringed leggings of antelope, all had been ripped to tatters by the grizzly’s claws; his feath- ered scalp-lock was half torn from his head, and one shoulder was mangled. I was full of pity at the first, but my heart hardened when I recognized the savage. He was Grey Moose, a Sioux of much influence, and he and his people were said to be carrying on underhand dealings with the Northwest Company, which was the great and danger- ous rival of the Hudson Bay Company. We were known to each other, having met before on several occasions. Whether the above rumor was trueor not, I was aware to a certainty that he held the Hudson Bay men in no favor; and f half regretted that I had saved his life. ‘(How came you in such straits?’’ I asked, coldly. He explained ina few words, and in fairly good Enalish. The grizzly had come upon him unawares, and in his haste to fire he had inflicted only a_ slight wound. Then he fled, and took shelter in the rock erapny as a last resort. ‘©The red man is grateful to Pantherfoot,’’ he con- eluded, addressing me by a name which my skill at . acking game had won for me among the Indians - safely in a little less than four weeks. 1275 ‘*Gaey Moose will not forget. Now let white man go his way.’’ But it was not in my nature to leave the poor wretch wounded and helpless, and I told him so, On question- ing him, I learned that a village of his pcople was within a few miles, and I decided to take him there. By this time Baptists had arrived with the team, and after dressing the Sioux’s injuries as well as I could, I fixed him comfortably on the sledge, the half-breed and I shouldering the displaced part of the load. On the way my servant had picked up the broken musket, and when Grey Moose saw that the weapon was beyond mending—the grizzly had shattered it by a terrific blow-—such a look of misery came into his eyes as softened my heart at once. I knew the value an Indian set on his shooting-piece, and I gave him an extra gun which I chanced to have on the sledge. Baptiste upbraided me for my folly, and, indeed, I repented the act the next moment; but the savage’s gratitude was so sincere that I could not bring myself to take back the gift. An hour’s tramp—the direction was quite out of our way—brought us to the Sioux village. We left Grey Moose with his friends, and pushed on, refusing an in- vitation to spend the night. I attached no significance to the affair at the time, nor did I give it much thought afterward, but the future was destined to prove that my trivial deed of kindness was not wasted, and that even a bad Indian will remember a bene- factor. T need make no further mention of our journey through the wilderness to Quebec, where we arrived But at this point, for the better understanding of my narrative, I must set down a brief statement of the ugly and threatening situation in the Canadas at the period of which I write. Long before—during many years, in fact—the Hudson Bay Company had vainly tried to obtain from the English Parliament a_ confirmation of the charter granted them by Charles Il. But Parlia- ment refused to decide the matter in one way or the other, and on the strength of this a number of French and Seotch merchants of Upper Canada formed them- selves into the Northwest Trading Company in 1783. They established posts here and there, and in 1504 they erected one on the very shore of Hudson’s Bay. Within the next few years their forts grew to out- number those of the older company, being scattered about in Prince Rupert’s Land, and even across the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia. Then, in 1812, the Hudson Bay Company madea bold move. Lord Selkirk, a prominent official of the company in Lon- don, sent out a large colony of Scotchmen who had been evicted from their homes in Sutherlandshire. He hoped thus to build up a stronghold and_ seat of goy- ernment that would brook no rivalry. The colonists came and settled at Fort Garry, atthe forks of the Red River: but matters grew worse instead of better. Each company claimed to be in the right, and was re- solved to drive the other out of existence. During the next few years the men of the Northwest Company and of the Hudson’s Bay Company came to_ blows more than once, and finally, in October of 1814, the Northwest Company were ordered to remove from the territory within six months—a mandate which they treated with contempt and derision, Tt was early in the following vear, the reader will recall, that Baptiste and I left Fort Churchill for Lower Canada, and from what we had seen at and: around Fort Garry when we stopped there, we were satisfied that serious tronble was brewing, and that it would break out when navigation opened in the spring. We knew that the Northwest Company were plotting to secure the aid of the Indians, and we were also aware that the feeling throughout Lower Canada— even among the Government officials—was strongly in favor of the Hudson Bay Company’s enemies. Such being the situation, I was naturally anxious fo get back to my post as soon as possible: for though I was not so hot-headed as to wish for war, I was ready to fight for the surpemacy of the company T served, and which my father had served before me. But I foresaw with distaste that I should probably be de- tained in Quehec until the summer months—sinee L was to await the arrival of a certain ship from Eng- land—and I entered that town with but a poor zest for my task. (1276 - CHAPTER II. THE HOTEL IN BONAVENTURE STREET. It was nine o’clock on a Monday evening in the. fourth week of June, and J] was sitting, as was my nightly custom, in the cosy coffee-room of the modest hostelry where I had taken lodgings when I first came to Quebec. This was the Hotel Silver Lily, kept by Monsieur Jules Ragoul and madame, his wife. It was a quiet little place in Bonaventure street, which was - one of the oldest and narrowest thoroughfares of the lower town. I was alone in the room, save for an elderly man who was sound asleep in a big chair on the far side of the table, remote from the candle light. He had been there when | entered, and I could not recall having seen him before about the hotel; but of this I was not certain, since his face was in shadow and _ half covered by his hat. In the adjoining bar, to. judge from the clinking of glasses and bottles and the hum of con- versation, Madame Ragoul was busy witha few cus- tomers. The evening was warm, and as I sat by the open window sucking at my long pipe, I could hear on the one side the occasional challenge of the sentries high up on the ramparts of the citadel. From the other direction came the boisterous voices of boatmen and sailors down by the quays of the St. Lawrence. Two long months had passed since my arrival in Quebec. I was heartily tired of its noisy, brawling - jife, hungry for the solitude of my native wilderness. At first I had found much to see and enjoy, but the novelty soon wore off. I had but few acquaintances in the town, and none of them were to my fancy. I pre- ferred the seclusion of the hotel, and the company of the honest little Frenchman an‘ his wife. Not ‘so with Baptiste. He had fallen in with a loose set of his own kind, and frequented the low taverns by the riverside. That very evening I had brought him home helplessly drunk, and seen him safely abed. But before I goon, if you please, a word or two concerning the business that brought me to Quebec. [ have spoken of Griffith Hawke, the factor cf Fort Royal. He was aman of fifty-odd years, simple- hearted, absorbed in his duties, and with not a. spark of romance or sentiment in his being. Would you be- lieve that such a one could think of marriage? Yet it was even so! A wife he suddenly resolved to have, and he sent for one to the head office in London, as was a common custem in those days. Many a woman was sent out. by the company to cheer the lonely lot of their employes. To be brief, a correspondence was carried on for two years etween Fort Royal and London—that meant but a couple of letters on either side—and the result. of it was that I was now in Quebec to meet the bride of Griffith Hawke and escort her to her distant home. She was due in the early summer, being a passenger on the ship Good Hope. I was to put her in the care of Madame Ragoul, and we were beth to sail for Hud- sou’s Bay at the first opportunity in one of the com- pany’s vessels. The factor had not been able to leave his post for so long a time, and he had sent me on this errand with evident reluctance. He would meet us at Fort York, where there wasa_ priest to perform the marriage ceremony. As I have said before, the task was not to my liking. Love was a word without meaning to me. I knew nothing of women, and had reached the age of twenty- five without giving a thought to the other sex. I was completely ignorant of the purport of the letters that had passed between Griffith Hawke and the head office, and as I never questioned him about particu- lars, he never vouchsafed me any. I naturally ex- pected to meet a middle-aged dame who would make a suitable partner for the prosaic factor, and would adapt herself to the crude life and customs of the lonely trading-post. A mission of adventure and deadly peril would have been more to my taste, but this strange enterprise was put upon me in the capacity of a company’s servant, and I was resolved to carry out my instructions to the best of my ability. I was pondering the matter as Isat in the hotel that June night, and reflecting, with some relief, that I should not be much longer detained in Quebec, for the Good Hope was expected in port at any day or honr. Having finished my third pipe, I knocked the ashes out gently so as not to disturh my still sleeping com- panion. I rose to my feet, stifling a yawn, and just . ARMY AND NAVY and now serving under the same banner as then a man entered the room from the bar, closing the door behind him. While he stood hesitating, I took in his appearance by a brief glance. He was tall, slim and wiry, with tawny yellow hair worn long, and thick, drooping mustache. His eyes were of a cold steel-blue, and his face, though very handsome, had something sinister and fierce about it. From his attire I judged him at once to be a polished man of the world, who had seen other lands than the Canadas. He wore a lace-trimmed coat of buff, breeches of the same material, top boots of tanned buckskin, anda broad felt hat of a claret color. For the rest, a sword. dangled at his side, and a brace of pistols peeped from his belt. He looked about fifty, and by his flushed. countenance [ saw that he was nore or less under the influence of liquor. T noted all this even before the man drew _ closer. Then, seeing me clearly inthe light shed from the candles, he gave a sudden start. The color left his cheeks, and he stared at me with an unmistakable ex- pression of bewildered surprise, of something like sharp fear and guilt. I never doubted that he mistook me for another person. . ‘Have we met before, sir?’’ I asked, courteously. The stranger laughed, and his agitation was gone instantly. : ‘Pardon my rudeness, ’’ he replied. | ‘*T had a spasm of pain, to which Iam subject at times, but it has passed off.’? He pointed to my blue capote with brass buttons—the summer uniform of the company. ‘‘You are a Hudson Bay man,’’ he added, ‘‘and I am an- other. That isa bond of friendship between us; is it not so?”? His manner was so captivating that I forgot my first: unfavorable impression of him; moreover, I felt flat- tered by the condescension of 60 fine a gentleman. I was easily induced to state my name and the position I held at Fort Royal. ‘¢We shall meet again,’’ he cried, ‘‘for I shall be in those parts ere the summer is over.”’ ‘¢Are you indeed in the company’s service?’ I asked. ‘‘You do not wear——”’ : ‘“‘The uniform?’’ he interrupted, with a touch of. hauteur. ‘‘No: my duties are not the same as yours But I will be as frank as you have been——’’ He handed me a folded paper. ‘‘Read:that,’’ he said, in a confidential tone, leaning over me and exhaling the fumes of wine. i opened the document, and scanned it briefly. The writing showed, beyond a doubt, that my new ac- quaintance was in the secret service of the Hudson Bay Company, and that he stood high in the favor of’ the Governor himself. I was glad that he had revealed gs much to me—a thing he would not have done but for his potations; for it had dawned on mea moment before that I had been indiscreet to unbosom myself so freely to a stranger, who, for aught I knew to the contrary, might be a spy or an agent of the Northwest Company. I handed the paper back to him, and he buttoned it tightly under bis coat. “Is that credential enough for you?’’ he asked. ‘*T am more than satisfied,’’ I replied. “Then permit me to introduce myself. I am Captain Myles Rudstone, at your service—ex-officer of Canadian Volunteers, formerly of London and Paris, yourself, In short, I am a man of the world.”’ : “‘T judged as much, sir,’’ said I. ‘Your perception does you credit,’’ he exclaimed. ‘ mild. I had not fhe least idea of winning a prize, but as you kindly gave the Army and Navy readers a chance to express their opinions, I availed miyself of the op- portunity, thinking that there might be some little idea that would be of some benefit to you, so you see i was surprised to know that I had won first prize. I can say, both for all your readers as well as my- self, that the Army and Navy Weekly as it is to-day is the best paper published, and when your plans for the future are fulfilled it will be without a rival in the literary field. As you have said, you have struck a popular ject in the publishing of the cadet stories. Please accept my thanks for check and in conclusion * 1 wish you all the success due to honesty aud merit. Very truly yours, William Showne. Baltimore, Nov. 8, 1897. Gentlemen: Your letter with enclosure, came duly to and: for which accept thanks. Respectfully, J. Clarke Farran, sub- Jamaica, L. I.. Nov. 8, 1897. Gentlemen: I received your check of $1 as a reward _ offered to the successful winner of your prize contest. i Thanking you for the check and hoping your paper 4s will meet with the greatest success, I remain, as Your careful reader, J. A. Maica. Bethel Bee, ere Fauquier Springs P. O., Nov. 8, 1897. Your favor of the 6th Apts , With en- Many thanks for the same. at the re- Gentlemen: closure of $1, is at hand. -l can assure you I was agreeably surprised — ceipt of it. i Wishing you all success and assuring you that I will y _— continue to read Army and Navy with unabating in- terest, I remain, Respectfully, Anton C, Cron, Philipsburg, Pa., Nov. 9, 1897. Gentlemen: I hereby acknowledge "receipt of one dollar received from Street & Smith for winning one . of the eight one-dollar prizes offered in prize contest recently concluded in Army and Navy Weekly. : Your truly, J Thomas. Philadelphia, Nov. 9, 1897. Gentlemen: Your favor of the 6th inst., together ~ with its enclosure received, for which accept my sin- cere thanks, not only for the prize, but also for the opportunity which you gave the readers of the Army and Navy to tell the kind of stories they liked best. : The Army and Navy will ever bein my estimation 4 _ the monarch of boys’ papers. Trusting that it shall - always be within my reach and wishing it a prosperous 2 success, I am, Very truly yours, oe ©, D. Radnor. ie No. 4033 Renz street, West Phila., Pa. - 5 Taurns P.O. Nz J., Nov. &, 1897.. — Gentlemen: I am this day in Lae of your letter { _ dated Nov. 6, containing your check for one dollar } - won by me in the prize contest recently concluded in the Army and Navy Weekly. Accept my thanks for same. May your latest enterprise eee Thos. W. Lawson. St. Paul, Minn., Nov. 8, 1897. Gentlemen: I am in receipt of your check for $1, payment of one of the eight one-dollar prizes in your eontest. Please accept thanks and best wishes for the Army and Navy Weekly, a oblige, Very truly eg a oR: Fargo. ARMY AND NAVY Our Joke Department. Neither Knew. Charlie (with a inflection)—‘‘Father, you know——” Father (trying to read)—‘‘No, I don’t!’ ‘*Don’t what, father?’’ ** Don’t know the answer to whatever question you are about to ask. : “Why, you sont know what I am going to ask, do you, father?’? **No, of course not!’? ‘Then how do you know you don’t know what it is??? ‘*T don’t know what it is that I don’t know, but all the same I know I don’t know it.’’ “But, father, if you don’t know what it is that you don’t know, how do you know you don’t know? If you don’t know, it seems to me that you don’t know whether you know or don’t know, and——”’ “*Y knew I don’t know simply because I know I don’t know the answers to any of the outlandish ques- tions that your. peculiar inquisitiveness is for ever pr ‘ompting you to ask.’? ‘But 1162 d rising “‘Oh, well, ask your question and be done with it! What is it you want to know??? ‘““Why, I—I don’t know. You’ve made me forget.’? Unanswerable. Little Johnny sat.up in his cot in the middle of the night. “PWather, I’m so thirsty.’’ Weds still and go to sleep. You are not thirsty—not ou!’ Johnny (after a pause)—‘‘But I must have a glass of water. I’m so thirsty !??’ ‘*If you don’t go to sleep this I'll go and fetch the stick.’’ To which the young hero replied: ‘*All right, father; if you are getting up to thrash me, you might bring a glass of water with you.’’ minute A Corinthian Favorite. Muffers—‘' You seem to be decidedly popular with the Corinthian yachtsmenu—always being invited out for a sail.’? Puffers—‘‘ Y-e-s. I weigh three hundred pounds, and I know enough to keep on the windward side of the boat.’ Mother—‘‘ Now, not to go over into the next garden to play Binks’s boy; he is very rude.’’ Freddy was heard a few minutes afterwards calling over the wall: ‘Jimmy Binks, mother says I’m not to go into your garden because you’re rude, so you come into my garden—J ain’t rude.”’ : Freddy, mind what I say. You are © with that Literary Young Man (at party) —"‘Mr. Blinker, I suppose you are familiar with Crabbe’s Tales?’’ Mr. Blinker (scornfuily)—‘‘I was not aware that crabs had tails.”’ Young Man (confusedly)—‘‘I beg pardon; I should have said read Crabbe’s Tales?’’ Mr. Blinker (still more scornfully)—‘‘And I was not aware that red crabs had tails either.’’ ‘‘Charlie,’’remarked Smith, writer.’’ ‘¢Ah,?? replied Charlie, blushing slightly at the com- pliment, ‘‘vou have seen some of the things I have turned off??? ‘*No,’? said Smith, ‘‘I wasn’t referring to what you had written; I was simply thinking what a splendid ear you had for carrying a pen!”?’ ‘‘you are born to bea ‘‘What is the greatest difficulty you encounter ina journey to the Arctic regions?’’ asked the inquisitive Man. ‘‘Getting back home,’’ was the proms reply of the professional explorer. 4296 ; iq conclude that’s a fly,’’ said the young trout. **You are right, my dear, »? said its mother; ‘‘but never jump at conclusions. ”? —— -Mrs. Brown—‘‘Come here this moment, Johnnie! [I must punish you for sliding down the banisters.”? Johnnie—‘‘ Please, mother, didn’t you just tell me not to make a noise running "down stairs?”’ An Irish editor, being unable to obtain a_ sufficiency of news for his daily paper, made the following extra- ordinary announcement: ‘‘Owing to an unusual pressure of matter we are to- day obliged to leave several columns blank.”’ Englishman—‘‘ Aw, how is it, don’t you know, that you Americans all talk through your noses?’’ American—‘‘Because we can. You see we haven’t any of us been exposed to London fogs long enough to get our noses clogged up with catarrh.” AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY. Many people imagine that a photographer’s camera is a difficult machine to handle, and that the work is dirty and disagreeable. All this isa mistake. Photography is a clean, light, and pleasant ac- cousplishment, within the reach of all. ‘he camera will prove a triend, reporter, and helper. With a very inexpensive camera any boy or girl can now learn not only to take good pictures, bit pictures that there is everywhere a demand forat remunerative prices. A complete guide to this fascinating art, entitled AMATEUR MANUAL OF PHOTOGRAI WY — he mune on nad of ten cents. Army and. ‘Navy | BINDERS. This binder will keep your papers always clean and smooth. No more missing numbers. Handy to refer to and ornamental as well as useful. Sent post-paid to any address on receipt of price, 35 cents. Address, STREET & SMITH, NEW YORK CITY. MAGIC TRICK WHISTLE. . Everyone will take this bait; no one can \\ resist blowing a whistle; looks just like one but makes ho noise. Holds flour—not wind; \ blows backward, (see cut) fills eyes, face and hair, gent as sample of 3,000 bargains postpaid with catalogue ‘for only 9 cee: 3 for 25c.;90c. Doz. 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Boys’ Own Book of Boats Short Hand for Everybody. The Book of Knowledge. How to Do Business. Everyday Cook Book. - Amateur’s Manual of Photography. The Taxidermist. Manual, Mills’ Universal Letter-Writer. Good Housekeeping. Yhe Hunter and Angler. The International Cricket Guide. The Complete Angler. Amateur and Professional Qarsman’s Riding and Driving. Manual. Poe’s Foot-Ball. Campbells Lawn Tennis. Dunws Fencing Instructor, The Complete Checker Player, Capt. Webb’s Swimming Backganmmon and Bagatelle. Instructor. Out Door Sports. Aquatic Guides or, Yachting «and The Young Gymnast. Sailing. FORTUNE-TELLING. Napoleon’s Book of Fate. Cupid’s Dream Book Zola’s Dream Book. TRICKS. Herrman’s Black Art. Heller’s Hand Book of Magic. The Way to Do Magic. Herrman’s Tricks with Cards. RECITATIONS AND READINGS. The Peerless Reciter. t The Young Elocutionist. The Standard Reciter. Mhese books will be sent prepaid upon receiptof 10 cents each: When ordering, please be particular to send the full title of the hook desired.also vour full name and address. The books are 10 cents each, postage free. Address STREET & SMITH, 25 Rose St., New York BE Be sure to use “Mrs. Winslow’s : 0 & ER Soothing Syrup’ for your children ; Es while Teething. 25 centsa bottie. ~~ Mention Army and Navy Weeklv YAtTYAt yar Bn TE Complete Training Guide for Amateur. Select Recitations and Readings, — TP AVANVAVALHALCATAS TAL TAL ZA ® SES RSENS SEeUaUeS fe OOP aL SO NV tea ee oR Bron oe j ws i OSE Oe ARNEY anv NAY WY 48 LARGE MAGAZINE PAGES. | Three Serial Stories by the best Writers. Two Complete Naval and Military Stories. Sketches, Special Articles, Departments. ALL FOR FIVE CENTS. LIST OF STORIES ALREADY PUBLISHED. . Mark Mallory at West Point. Clifford Faraday’s Ambition. Naval Sham Battle. Winning a Naval Appointment; or Faraday’s Victory. Mark Mallory’s Heroism; or, First Steps Toward West Point. . The Rival Candidates; or, Mark’s Fight for a Military Cadetship. Clif Faraday’s Endurance; or, Preparing for the Naval Academy. . Passing the Examinations; or, Clif Faraday’s Success, Mark Mallory’s Stratagem; or Hazers. - In West Point at Last; or, Mark Mallory’s Triumph. = Clif Faraday’s Generosity; or, Pleading an Enemy’s Cause. . A Naval Plebe’s Experience; or, Clif Faraday at Annapolis. Mark Mallory’s Chum; or, West Point Cadet. Friends and Foes at West Point; or, Mark Mallory’s Alliance. Clif Faraday’s Forbearance; or, The Struggle in the Santee’s Hold. . Settling a Score; or, Clif Faraday’s Gallant Fight Mark Mallory’s Honor; or Mystery. . Fun and Frolics at West Point; or Mallory’s Clever Rescue. Clif Faraday’s Deftance; or Cadet Rule. . A Naval Academy Hazing; or, Clif Faraday’s Winning Trick. Mark Mallory’s Battle; or, Plebe Against Yearling. . A West Point Combine; or, Mark Mallory’s New Allies: Clif Faraday’s Expedient; or, the Crimson Spot. eulne end ot; the Feud: or,” Clit, Fataday’s Generous Revenge. Mark Mallory’s Danger; or, In the Shadow of Dismissal. . Mark Mallory’s Feat; or, Making Friends of Enemies. Clif Faraday’s Raid; or, Plebe Fun and Triumphs. A Tale of a Clif d Hazing the ? The Trials of a A West Point 3 Mark ) , Breaking a the Trial of No. 14. Le NV tv An Enemy’s Blow; or, Clif Faraday in Peril. Mark Mallory in Camp; or, Hazing the Yearlings. A West Point Comedy; or, Mark Mallory’s Practical Joke. Clif Faraday’s Escape; or, Foiling a Daring Plot. . A Practice Ship Frolic; or, How Clif Faraday Outwitted the Enemy. Mark Mallory’s Celebration; or, A Fourth of July at West Point. - Mark Mallory on Guard; or, Deviling a West Point Sentry. Clif Faraday, Hero; or, A Risk for a Friend. - An Ocean Mystery; o1, Clif Faraday’s Strange Adventure. Mark Mallory’s Peril; or, A Test of Friend- ship. A West Point Hop; or, Mark Mallory’s De- termination. Clif Faraday’s Troupe; or, An Entertainment at Sea. . Mark Mallory’s Peril; or, The Plotting of an Enemy. Clif Faiaday’s Hazard. Incident. A Practice Cruise . A Waif of the Sea. Mark Mallory’s Defiance; or, Fighting a Hundred Foes. . Mark Mallory’s Decision; or, Facing a New Danger. Cadets Ashore; or, Clif Faraday’s Adven- ture in Lisbon. . Saving a King; or, Clif Faraday’s Brave Deed. Mark Mallory’s Escape; or, Foiling an Enemy’s Plot. . Mark Mallory’s Strange Find; or, The Secret of the Counterfeiter’s Cave Clif Faraday’s Deliverance. in Madeira. An Adventure . A Peril of the Sea. Mark Mallory’s Treasure; or, a Midnight Hunt for Gold. . Mark Mallory’s Misfortune; or, The Theft of the Counterfeiter’s Gold. Clif Faraday’s Combat; or, Defending His Country’s Honor. . Clif Faraday’s Gallantry; or, Balking a Con- spiracy. Mark Mallory’s Bargain; or, The Story of the Stolen Treasure. BACK NUMBERS ALWAYS ON HAND. Address Army and Navy, STREET & SMITH, 238 William St., New York City. PEO OOOO OS a , Re a 5 Be OO OO OO OE OOS OOS a SRO RORS ORS RS 6 SAS OOOO OOOO ROO ORS ELSEIF ISLS LS LOVS o ‘8B Cadet School Stories. ‘“The Monarch of Juvenile Publications.” ARMY AND NAVY, ne Weeety Publ ication FORTY-EIGHT PAGES AND ILLUMINATED COVER. on PRICEZEIVE CENTS, Subscription, - - - - $2.50 Per Year. Fun and Adventures Among West Point and Annapolis Cadets. TWO COMPLETE STORIES EACH WEEK, DESCRIBING. IN FAS- CINATING DETAIL LIFE AT THE FAMOUS GOVERNMENT | ACADEMIES. These stories, written by graduates of the academies, are true in every || particular, and show vividly how the military and naval cadets enjoy life while learning to become officers in the Government military and naval service. AR MY AN D N AVY c ate F Weel Point ad ae : PRICE ZENE GENTS FOR SALE BY ALL NEWSDEALERS. | STREET & SMITH, Publishers, 238 William St., NEWVVY YORK CITy.