CHAPTER XIV
A MYSTERY SOLVED
The end of March brought with it to Annapolis a veritable blizzard; theground everywhere was covered with snow. The soft snow, clinging to thetree branches, had commenced to melt, when promise of good weathersuddenly changed to sharp cold, followed by another snow-storm. Theintense cold had turned the trees into glistening skeletons, and thepowdered white falling upon them made a beautiful picture, but theweight caused many branches to break, and Annapolis presented a mostwintry spectacle. And then of a sudden out burst the sun, sending downhot rays that in a few days turned winter into spring. In but a shorttime all the trees were budding and spring, turning rapidly into summer,came with leaps and bounds and the bleak desolate days were soonforgotten.
There remained to Robert Drake but two months more of Academy life--twomonths of deep contentment. He surveyed his previous four years and drewmuch satisfaction in contemplating them. He was sure to graduate high inhis class, with probably only Stonewell, Farnum, Sewall and Ryersonahead of him. He had had troubles, but everything now seemed clearsailing before him.
Midshipmen enjoy these last months of the school year. Out of townfriends by the hundreds come to Annapolis, and after drills and onSaturdays and Sundays, the Naval Academy grounds are thronged withpretty girls, each flanked by at least one midshipman, and some by ten.
Every afternoon saw the midshipmen at their infantry or artillerydrills, marching and executing military movements with precision thatbetokened much practice; or if not on the parade grounds the young menwere to be seen in the steam launches, or else in the shops. After drillhours till seven o'clock four racing shells were out on the SevernRiver. The athletic field was sure to be crowded by baseball players;the tennis-courts always had a waiting list. And far off on thesuperstructure deck of the "Nevada," unknown and unseen by othermidshipmen, were Robert Drake and four classmates, practicing loadingand aiming with a six-pounder gun. Day after day this drill went on,always in recreation times.
Robert took the shoulder-piece, finger on trigger, keeping his gun aimedat some boat moving in the Severn River. He was, according to theprescribed gun drill, "First Pointer."
Peters was the "sight setter." He ran up the rear sight according to thedistance away of the object aimed at, and also he would move the rearsight to the right or left, according to the speed the boat was moving.
Glassfell was loader, and as such acting gun captain. Robert picked outtwo other classmates, Taylor and Warren, to act as shell-men.
"All ready now, fellows," cried Glassfell, late one beautiful April day;"let's have one more drill to-night and then we'll knock off. We'llstart with the gun empty and breech closed. Lenn, you throw down thebreech as usual after each make-believe shot--you won't have to when wereally fire the gun because the gun is semi-automatic and the dischargeof one shot opens the breech, ready to load the next one."
"I learned that years ago, Mr. Glassfell. But I'll open the breech foryou. We're all ready, sir."
"Load," rang out Glassfell's voice. Down went the breech, and instantlyGlassfell threw in a dummy cartridge, and up slammed the breech, closingthe gun with a click.
Robert snapped the trigger, and instantly Lenn threw down the breech;the dummy was ejected and Glassfell threw in another cartridge. This wasrepeated again and again, until Lenn called out "time."
"That was well done, sir; you loaded and fired twenty-nine times in aminute; I kept time; there wasn't a hitch. You have a well-trained crew,Mr. Drake."
On the way back, Robert met Helen Blunt walking with her brother. Therewas no question but that Helen expected Robert to stop and speak withher. She slackened her pace a bit, bowing to Robert with a sort of mutereproach in her manner; Robert hesitated a moment, then turned andjoined her, while Harry Blunt walked on ahead, neither he nor Robertgiving any greeting.
"What's the matter? Don't you and Harry speak?" asked Helen, in asurprised, hurt way.
"Midshipmen never seem to have time for that sort of thing," saidRobert, trying to speak lightly. "Men of different classes seldom speakunless they are particular friends. Let's go down to the sea-wall,Helen, and watch the shells; I do hope we'll win this year; we ought to,we've splendid men on the crew. What have you been doing lately? Ihaven't seen you for an age, and there's----"
"Well, whose fault is that?" interrupted Helen with some spirit; "youbolted out of the house the other night as though you feared contagion,and I haven't seen you or heard from you since. I should think you wouldhave something to tell me or explain."
"Yes, yes, Helen, I have ever so many things I want to speak to youabout," and then Robert dropped into silence as they walked along.
"We've been such friends," said Helen quietly, "and had so manyunforeseen things happen, that it seems as though we ought to get alongwithout any more misunderstandings in the future; and yet we seem to behaving one now. You have suddenly stopped coming to see me; surely therewas a reason, Robert; what was it?"
Robert felt supremely miserable and uncomfortable; he did not know whatto say. There was a reason, and yet he could not tell it to thissympathetic and congenial girl whose friendship he was so anxious tokeep; he could not tell this reason, nor could he pretend there wasnone. It would be no act of kindness to Captain Blunt to inform him ofthe unworthiness of his son. And so Robert did not wish Helen to knowthat Harry was in any way concerned with the matter Helen wished to talkabout.
"What's the reason, Robert?" repeated Helen with her eyes full ofinterest and concern.
Just then, the far-away bell of the "Santee" was struck four times. "Sixo'clock," exclaimed Robert; "we've a whole hour before supper; let'swalk along the sea-wall to College Creek and back; we'll just have timeto do it." Poor Robert then relapsed into silence; he was happy to bewith his friend again and eager to tell her that he could not explainhis peculiar conduct; but he could not talk.
His mind was in confusion, yet seemed a blank; and the trivial thingsabout him took a prominence that in milder moods would have remainedunnoticed. He noted with the eye of a naturalist a squirrel thatscampered across their path, and ran along the fence, disappearing up amaple tree; two robins were scolding and fussing in the tree top neartheir nest. And from the coxswain of the racing shell, out in the SevernRiver, came regularly, like the tick-tock of a clock, the monotonouswords--"Stroke--Stroke--Stroke." Thump, thump, thump went his heart."Stroke--Stroke--Stroke," called out the ruthless coxswain to his tiredcrew on the river a quarter of a mile away.
Robert did not know what to say. His heart was so full he could notspeak lightly. Helen looked straight ahead and said nothing, waiting nodoubt for Robert to begin his explanation. Each was intenselyuncomfortable. After Maryland Avenue was crossed, Helen turned to hercompanion and wistfully said: "I thought you had so much to talk with meabout, Robert; but you haven't said a word. What is the matter; are wenot good friends? Or is there some misunderstanding which prevents ourtalking to each other?"
"Oh, Helen," cried he, "I'm awfully disturbed about something. It is ofsuch a peculiar nature that I can't talk about it to any one. Can't youtrust me and not ask me to explain myself? You see sometimes thingsoccur that a midshipman can't talk about--it has nothing to do with anyaction of yours or mine,--I think so much of your friendship that itdistresses me to appear as if I had any other feeling----"
"Robert, if you really are so anxious for my friendship, what NavalAcademy affair could happen that would send you running out of my houseand that would prevent you coming to see me?"
Then a great light broke upon her, and stopping suddenly, she confrontedRobert and said excitedly:
"Robert Drake, I understand at last. You saw Harry that night, after Ileft you in the pantry. It was your duty, I suppose, to report him andyou didn't do so because of--of the rest of us. And you haven't calledsince because you are afraid you will see him again. I'm right, I knowI'm right!"
Robert looked helplessly at her, and then said: "Helen, you and I havebeen good friends, haven't w
e? And can't good friends expect favors ofone another? Now I've a real favor to ask of you, and it's this. Don'tthink of this matter, and please, oh, please, don't talk about it. Don'ttalk about it to your father and mother; I beg of you don't refer to thematter in any way."
"Robert, I really will do as you want me to, though I don't see why youhave been so much upset. Harry isn't Frenching any more; he has promisedme not to do that again. And even if he should you will not know of itor see him at my home; but I'm confident he won't, now that he has givenme his word. Won't you come next Saturday and have supper with us? Andbring Mr. Stonewell and Mr. Farnum with you."
Robert returned to his room in a happy mood. He had worried much at howthe Blunts would look upon his abrupt action, and of his suddenavoidance of their home. He had decided not to call so as to take nochance of seeing Harry Blunt there, and he knew he could never explainthe reason of his action to any of the Blunts. But now he felt thatHelen, in a way at least, understood; she would require no furtherexplanation and would not gossip about his reasons. And also he believedthat Helen would so arrange it that he would run no chance of seeingHarry Blunt at her home when that young man had no right to be outsideof the Academy grounds.
And so Robert felt more light-hearted than for many days, so much sothat after supper, while preparing for the next day's recitation,Stonewell, who knew his roommate's every mood, looked up smiling andsaid:
"Well, Bob, what is it; have you won the flag ahead of time, or have youmade up with Helen Blunt? I've noticed you haven't been going to herhouse much of late; and for some time past you've been as glum as aRussian bear."
"Never you mind, Stone, I'm just feeling pretty fit, that's all."
Ten o'clock soon came, and with it out went the lights in Bancroft Halland a perfect stillness broken only by the tread of midshipmen makingtaps inspection. Soon this measured tread ceased and complete silencereigned.
And then out of this profound stillness came again that terrible cry,shrieked out in affright, startling every midshipman in the armory wingof Bancroft Hall. "Help! Help!" Far away it first seemed, and yet it wasplainly heard.
With lightning speed Stonewell leaped from his bed and jumped into hisclothes.
"Turn out, Bob," he cried. "I've a job to do, and won't be with you;turn out everybody in armory wing; tell Farnum to have everybody fall inby companies on the ground and first floors," and Stonewell dashed fromthe room.
Again the weird shriek sounded, now heard much plainer. Robert hadfollowed Stonewell out of the room, and ran down the corridor shouting:"Turn out, everybody! Company officers, get your companies together!"
Midshipmen from all the rooms poured into the corridors.
"Help, help, save me, save me!" in agonized fearful tones wereresounding throughout the building. And these cries became clearer onthe lower floors. They seemed to have started from above and to havecome down gradually.
"Help, help," rang out the cry, now apparently on the first floor; itseemed to come right from the midst of a throng of midshipmen fallinginto their places in company formation; these were entirely mystified.And then the cry descended and was heard on the floor below, the groundfloor.
"Where is Stone?" asked Robert of Farnum; "do you know where he went? Hesaid he had a job to do."
"I turned out when I heard that awful yell," replied Farnum, "and I sawStone run down these stairs into the basement. I wonder why he went downthere."
Robert and Farnum were standing before the first division of midshipmenin the middle of the corridor, just in front of the stairway that led tothe basement. "Where is Mr. Stonewell?" called the officer-in-charge,Lieutenant-Commander Brooks; "look overhead in each corridor--what'sthat going on on the stairway?" he suddenly exclaimed, interruptinghimself.
A midshipman was seen fairly running up the dark stairway, dragging bythe collar of his coat another midshipman, who was vainly endeavoring toregain his balance and foothold.
The first midshipman was Stonewell. In a moment he had reached the headof the stairway, and then, with a mighty effort, he hurled his heavyburden from him.
"It's Bligh," cried out Robert.
"What does this mean, Mr. Stonewell?" demanded Lieutenant-CommanderBrooks, in wondering accents. Fourth Classman Bligh presented a rueful,crestfallen figure. Stonewell had handled him with no gentle force, andat the head of the stairway had thrown Bligh violently from him; and henow lay in a heap on the floor. But evidently he was not seriouslyinjured, for he commenced to sob convulsively.
Stonewell came up to Lieutenant-Commander Brooks and quietly said: "Sir,some time ago I thought I learned the source of the mysterious cries weheard then and which were repeated a few minutes ago. I went up into thetower and saw a boatswain's chair in the ventilating shaft which leadsfrom the top of the building to the basement. This boatswain's chair wason a long rope which led through a pulley block overhead, and by it aman can lower himself from the top of the building to the basement inthe ventilating shaft--I suppose it's there so that a person can lowerhimself to make any repairs that are needed in the shaft. When I heardthe cry to-night I ran to the basement--to the opening of theventilating shaft--and before long I could see somebody coming down. Ididn't know who it was, but suspected it was Bligh, and it was. He gavehis last yell when he was even with this floor. Then he lowered himselfto the bottom and I collared him just as he got down."
Mr. Bligh was a pitiable spectacle. "It was only a joke, sir," he gaspedincoherently. "I meant to do no harm, sir; it was just a little fun. Mr.Stonewell had no occasion to use me so roughly--he hurt me, sir."
"Go to my office immediately, sir," ordered Lieutenant-CommanderBrooks. "I will attend to your case later. Mr. Stonewell, you have donewell, as usual. Dismiss the battalion, turn everybody in, and have theusual inspection made," and the officer-in-charge left and returned tohis office.
Fourth Classman Henry Bligh got up slowly. He looked from face to face;not one friendly expression did he find.
Full of pent-up feelings which he dared not express Bligh turned andleft.
"Dismiss the battalion, sir," ordered Cadet Commander Stonewell to CadetLieutenant-Commander Farnum.
"Companies are dismissed," rang out through the corridor. "Go to yourrooms immediately and turn in. Company officers make the usual tapsinspection."