Captain Jinks, Hero

and C

he was duly installed there in a small separate room. The captain of his company instituted an inquiry into the causes of his illness and reported that he had undoubtedly fainted away and thrown water over himself to bring himself to. The surgeon in charge of the hospital ther

Jinks?" said the man,

unted for," cried Sam, saluting as i

a," said the man, who was known a

d round i

l?" he asked. "Why a

with a low chuckle. "There's lots of fourth-class me

. "But I can't skip drills

hurted themselves that had to go home for good, and some of 'em, two or three, ne

rom this. His memory began to come back, a

ry in the hosp

, s

ord to him to come and

on't always let 'em come. Maybe t

ded in getting permission

ng me out of a lot of trouble," he cried as he

m. "You must be stronger than I am

ept you in there five minutes-I'm not sure it wasn't ten. If you weren't half a fish, you'd

quite right

e's no danger of your squ

si

nose quit

rse; why sho

ighed

"that no one will kno

ew minutes. Then a sm

to the tub and felt my legs waving in the air, I thought of General Meriden striking his head so manfully against the bottom, and I thanked

uiringly at Cleary, but his friend's face gav

there," said Sam. "Do you think I can get a print

t divided us fourth-class men up among the rest to do chores for them. My boss is Captain Clark, and he's the only upper-

ssigned to?

er man. You're in luck. But my time's

n the doctor to let him go. He set to work at once with great energy to make up for lost time and to learn all that had been taught in the week in the way of dril

ing down that path there to the right. Wait till I am out of sight

t, sir,"

and found him awaiting him in a secluded spot by

ne of us upper-class men can afford to be

s,

Jinks. When an upper-class man is polite enough to spea

pped hi

me to do such work as I want done. I'm going to treat you wel

u, sir,"

e to do is to see that my boots are blacked every night, keep my shirts and clothes in order, take my things t

s,

nts clean. If there's anything else, I'll tell you. If you don't do everything I tell y

s,

do, Jinks;

n, sir. May I ask

o you mean to speak to me

, "but there's something I want very mu

-going fellow. If it had been anybody else but me, you

e other night, I saw somebody taking photographs

them for?" asked S

," said Sam. "I want to be able to show that

l get them for you if I can, and I'll expec

r-thank you!" crie

d over the situation in whispe

y. "I didn't come to East Point to black boots

said Sam. "They've alwa

ppose

been wrong? We must learn obedience, mustn't we? That's a soldier's first duty. We

the post that forbid the whole bus

nplussed f

wn, but I feel that it's all right. I wouldn't miss this special duty

ith him to use his Christian name,-"Sam, you were jus

affairs. There was a weak spot in his make-up of which he had never before been aware. There was one young woman in particular who caught his eye, a vision of dark hair and black eyes which lived on in his imagination when it had vanished from his external sight. Sam actually fancied that the young woman looked at him with approving eyes, and he was emboldened to look back. It was impossible for social intercourse between a young lady in society and a fourth-class "beast" to go further than this, and at this point their relations stood, but Sam was sure

father and mother wit

e. She's been here all alone

said Sam. "Hasn'

ectors enough. You see

appy youth. "How long has sh

en engaged to a different man every summer for six years, and at first she generally had two men a summer. She began with officers of the first class, two in a y

rary matter was decidedly welcome; and even if it were couched in language that could hardly be called flattering, still he was glad to hear it.

as an object of hazing. Sam almost wished that Saunders' nose was a blemish, for it would help his chances, but candor obliged him to admit that it was, on the contrary, one of his rival's strong points, and he sighed once again to think that he bore no marks on his own person of the hazing ordeal. All that Sam could do now was to wait. He recognized the fact that no girl with self-respect would speak to a "beast,

cadets alike. He always did more than was required of him, and did it better than was expected. He treated all upper-class men with profound respect, and he did it without effort because it came natural to him. He never ventured to look them in the eye, and he blushed and stammered when they ad

, and the merits of some recent fights which had been ordered between fourth-class men and their seniors for the pu

th class that need a little taking

down," said Clark lacon

, for instance. He struts about

bject to that. I must say he does his work for me up to the handle. Loo

"He's a well-built chap, and I'd like to see what he can do. How

n," answered Clark, who was a recogni

asked S

do is to insult him and

sult him?" asked

s to call him a hog in public, and then, if

hat fellow fight. Of course, I don't care to fig

omebody that can handle him and te

As soon as he found Jinks in a group of fourth-clas

you're

id Sam, saluti

t I say? you're

s,

a gentleman you'll be ready

lass committee, who promptly determined that Cadet Jinks must fight, and that their classmate Starkie be requested to represent them in the encounter. Starkie weighed at least thirty pounds more than Sam, was c

our attention to this matter. These beasts must be taught their place. The only manly way

hazing-ground near the old fort. Sam selected Cleary and another

now to distinguish yourself. I'll see that you get fair play. Of course, yo

have to fight here?" ask

that very ground, too. You don'

a real hero. When he was hazed he only had to suffer; now, on the other hand, he was called upon to act. He got Cleary to show him some of the simplest r

eemed to be dreaming far away. When the word was given, however, he dashed in and made some desperate lunges at Starkie. It was easy to see in a moment that Sam could do nothing. He could not even reach his opponent, his arms were so much shorter. If Starkie held one of his arms out stiffly, Sam could not get near him and was entirely at his mercy. The third-class man consequently set himself leisurely to work at the task of punishing the unfortu

ap?" said Smith to Saunders

knocked insensible"; and the rest of the sp

and a company of cadets were seen coming

. "Stop the fight. Here comes o

lark. "He'll mind

ched within a few

from the assembled crowd, and Blair himself stared into the woods on the other side of

danger of detecti

h doubled him up quite unconscious on the ground. Clark declared the fight finished, and the crowd broke up hastily, leaving Cleary and his associate to get Sam away as best they could. They had a pail of water, sponges and

entered the office. "Oh! I see. You found h

r," said

and hit his head against a

s,

ery slippery," said the doctor, as he entered the cas

e felt amply repaid for this loss of time by a

me when you come out as you did before; but I wanted to tell you you're a brick.

SPORT AT

FF AND GAVE HIM

olled down Sam

em with rapture. One of them represented Cleary and Jinks tied to the stake, apparently about to be burned to death, and Sam was delighted to see the ultra-perfect position which he

ell as me," he cried joyously. "N

so," sai

aid Sam. "How can I thank you enough? I am s

, looking down at his feet. "Cleary does t

ond-class men; but the fourth class had happier anticipations than any of the rest, for they were to be transformed in June from "beasts" into men, into real third-class cadets, with all the rights and privileges of human beings. Sam's dream was also irradiated with the hope of winning the affections of the fair Miss Hunter, to whom he had never addressed a word, but of whose interest he felt assured. He did not know w