CHAPTER XXIII.
IN THE SHADOW OF DISMISSAL.
The rest of that day passed without incident. Mark managed after a gooddeal of trouble to postpone Texas' hunting trip; and the two struggledon through the day's drills disconsolately, waiting to see what wouldhappen next.
Evening came, and the plebes being lined up in barracks area the rollwas called, the "orders" read, and then the reports of the day. Thecadet who did the reading rattled down the list in his usual hurried,breathless style. But when he came to M he paused suddenly; he gazed atthe list incredulously, then cleared his throat, took a long forebodingbreath and began:
"Mallory--Late at roll call.
"Same--Laughing loud in ranks.
"Same--Bedding improperly arranged at A. M. inspection.
"Same--Broom out of place at A. M. inspection.
"Same--Remonstrating with superior officer at A. M. inspection."
And so the cadet officer went on, the whole plebe class listening withopen-eyed amazement while one charge after another was rattled off, andgazing out of the corners of their eyes at the object of the attack, whostood and listened with a look of calm indifference upon his face.
The list was finished at last, when the listeners had about concludedthat it was eternal; the rest of the reports were quickly disposed of,and then: "Break ranks, march!" and the line melted into groups ofexcited and eagerly talking cadets, discussing but one subject--the ruinof Mallory.
Of course it was known to every one that this was simply one more effortof the yearlings to subdue him; and loud were the threats andexpressions of disapproval. Mark's bravery in making a fight for hishonor had won him the admiration of his class, and the class felt thatwith his downfall came a return of the old state of affairs and thecomplete subjection of the "beasts" once more.
There were jealous ones who rejoiced secretly, and there were timid oneswho declared that they had always said that Mallory was too B. J. tolast. But in the main there was nothing but genuine anger at the upperclassmen's "rank injustice," and wild talk of appealing to thesuperintendent to bring it to a stop.
The utter consternation of the seven allies is left to the reader'simagination. After the first shock of horror had passed the crowd hadsat down and made a calculation; they found fifty-five demerits due thatday, which, together with ten previously given, left thirty-five to go,and then--why it made them sick to think of what would happen!
Having striven to realize this for half an hour, they got together andswore a solemn oath, first, that if Mark were dismissed, a jointstatement of the reasons thereof, incidentally mentioning each and everyact of hazing done by the yearlings, naming principals, witnesses, timeand place, should be forwarded to the superintendent, signed by the six;and second, that every yearling who gave a demerit should be "lickeduntil he couldn't stand up."
Texas also swore incidentally that he'd resign if Mark were "fired," andtake him down to Texas to make a cowboy of him. And after that there wasnothing to do but wait and pray--and clean up for next day'sinspection, a task at which the whole seven labored up to the very lastminute before tattoo.
* * * * *
It was the afternoon of the following day; the rays of a scorching Julysun beat down upon the post, and West Point seemed asleep. Up by CampMcPherson the cadets were lounging about in idleness, and it was onlydown at barracks that there was anything moving at all. Inside the areathe hot and shimmering pavement echoed to the tread of the plebe companyat drill; outside the street was deserted except for one solitary figurewith whom our story has to do. The figure was a cadet officer inuniform, Captain Fischer, of the first class, resplendent in hischevrons and sash.
He was marching down the street with the firm, quick step that is secondnature to a West Pointer; he passed the barracks without looking in andwent on down to the hospital building; and there he turned and startedto enter. The door opened just as he reached it, however, and anothercadet came out. The officer sprang forward instantly and grasped him bythe hand.
"Williams!" he cried. "Just the fellow I was coming to see. And what abeautiful object you are!"
Williams smiled a melancholy smile; he was beautiful and he knew it. Hisface was covered in spots with Greek crosses of court-plaster, andelsewhere by startling red lumps. And he walked with a shy, retiringgait that told of sundry other damages. Such were the remains ofhandsome "Billy," all-round athlete and favorite of his class, defeatedhero.
Williams had waited scarcely long enough for this thought to flash overthe young officer before he spoke again, this time with some anxiety.
"Tell me! Tell me about Mallory! I hear they're skinning him ondemerits."
"Yes, they are," returned Fischer, "and they've soaked him twenty morethis morning!"
"Twenty more! Then how many has he?"
"Eighty-five."
"What!" cried Williams. "You don't mean it! Why, he'll be out in a week.Say, Fischer, that's outrageous!"
"Perfectly outrageous!" vowed the officer.
And Williams brought his hand down on his knee with a bang.
"By George!" he cried, "I'm going around to see him about it!"
With which words he sprang down the stairs and, leaving the cadetofficer to gaze at him in surprise, hurried up the street to barracks.
Squad drill was just that moment over; without wasting any time aboutit, Williams hurried into the building and made his way to Mallory'sroom. He found the plebe, and got right to work to say what he had tosay.
"Mr. Mallory," he began, "I've come up in the first place to shake handswith you, and to say there's no hard feeling."
"Thank you," said Mark, and his heart went with the grip of his hand.
"You made a good fight, splendid!" continued the yearling. "And some dayI'll be proud to be your friend."
"I'm afraid," returned Mark, with a sad smile, "that I'll not be herethat long."
"That's the second thing I've come to see you about," vowed Williams."Mr. Mallory, I want you to understand that the decent men of thisclass don't approve of the work that Mur--er, I suppose you know who'sback of it. And I tell you right now that I'm going to stop it if it'sthe last act I ever do on this earth!"
"I'm afraid it won't do much good," responded the other, shaking hishead. "I could never pass six months without getting fifteen demerits."
"It's a shame!" cried the other. "And you have worked for yourappointment, too."
"I have worked," exclaimed Mark, something choking his voice thatsounded suspiciously near a sob, "worked for it as I have never workedfor anything in my life. It has been the darling ambition of my heart tocome here. And I came--and now--and now----"
He stopped, for he could think of no more to say. Williams stood andregarded him in silence for some moments, and then he took him by thehand again.
"Mr. Mallory," said he, "just as sure as I'm alive this thing shallstop! Keep up heart now, and we'll make a fight for it! While there'slife there's hope, they say--and, by Heaven, you shan't be expelled!"
The following evening, when the reports were read, Mark's list ofdemerits had reached a total of ninety-five.
The excitement among plebes and cadets alike was intense, and it wasknown far and wide that Mark Mallory, the "B. J." plebe, stood at last"in the shadow of dismissal."