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But Ben wee unable to see anything of
Lis surroundin
Strip!” commanded one of his tor-
mentors.
ft e his uniform and, shoes and
stockings, leaving our hero in shirt and
drawers.
His tormentors now rushed him into the
hea
Ben swam lustily for twenty yards.
Then the order came:
“Swim back; swim straight to where
you hear my vo’
Ben obeyed, the chiet of his tormentors
continuing to talk in.low tones as a
guid so
‘Dura
Ben ‘burgess saw stars,.even though
his eyes wero bandaged.
By obeying the hazers the boy had~
swam head first into the stern of a boat.
Hilarious laughter greeted his mishap.
fe was dragged out of the water and
stood on the beach; then came this com-
ma:
“Dance—dance as you never danced be-
fore!”
Two of the cadets whistlea, and Ben
made grotesque efforts to dance in time,
until the impromptu musicians began to
whistle different airs.
“Now, Mr, Burgess, oblige us with a
comic song.
iB sorry, fellows, but I don’t know
an.
“Then get down on your hands and
kne
Ben complied. Almost before he real-
ized it, each of his persecutors had taken
a solid, substantial kick at the most ex-
posed portion of our hero’s anatomy.
” expostulated Ben,
much further I sha’n’t be able to hold in,
and then some one is going to be hurt,”
Ignoring this protest, the third-class-
men forced their victim to climb upon
the largest gun in the Sea-Coast Battery.
t was a slippery perch, and Ben fell
twice before ho succeeded in getting firm
footing upon the
t our nero e stood upon it, near
Then the chief of the hazers—whose
voice Ben did not recognize—handed him
a Confederate flag. How the boys ob+
tained it cannot be stated.
“Wave it about your head.”
And, as Ben complied, the spokesman
added:
“Now make a regular Secesh speech.
Run down the Government and every-
thing connected with it. Make it-a hot
and spicy denunciation of the United
States.” :
“But my oath——” Ben protested.
“We've yan taken the same oath. The
speech is only in fun, you know; it is a
part of the, initiation, And mind you
don't stop, under any circumstance, until
we tell you to.
So Ben, hoping that this would prove
the final test, good-naturedly began the
required speech.
The cadets were
silent.
Three or four times our hero was
obliged to pause for breath before con-
tinuing.
He wound up his mock- treason speech
by saying:
“Down with the Government at Wash-
ington! Down with the whole rotten fab-
ric of the United States! Let a new and
purer government be inaugurated. ‘Down
with——”
silent—suspiclously
“Can this be Mr. Burgess?” interposed
a cold,. stern voice.
Ben Burgess tore the bandage from his
eyes. There was not another cadet in
sight. “ .
And before our hero, calm and rigid in
righteous displeasure, stood Lieutenant
Slimcoe.
CHAPTER V.
UNDER ARREST IN QUARTERS,
OR some moments Ben Burgess
F stared in open-mouthed dismay at
the lieutenant,
was dazed and speechless.
Lieutenant Slimcoe stood with folded
arms. His glance was so cold and austere
‘that it chilled our hero to the heart.
Ben forgot his strange costume. He
seemed to forget everything but the fact
that here was a fresh source of disgrace.
“Well,” continued Slimcoe, in cold, in-
cisive tones, “how long, Mr. Burgess, do
you intend to remain up there?
This partly recalled our hero to his
senses,
He sprung down from the gun, landing
on his knees.
Like a flash, he was on his feet again.’
€ took the “position of a soldier,”
and saluted the officer. :
“What ig this, and how came you by
it?” demanded Slimcoe, picking up the
Confederate flag,
GOLDEN
“It was placed in my: hands,”
mered Ben.
“And you lost no time in using it.”
Slimcoe’s question was’ put-in a tone
which did not tend to raise our hero’s
courage,
“It—it was all a joke,” stammered the
boy.
Lieutenant Slimcoe looked, it Possible,
even more displeased than befo:
“M UrEESS, ean it’ be possible,” he
demanded, at this is your idea of
humor? First you undress yourself,
when the regulations expressly command
that no cadet shall appear, ynless fully
dressed, outside of his quarters. You
come down here and mount the largest
gun in a battery endeared to at least a
generation of cadets. Not content with
this, you hold aloft a Confederate flag,
which I recognize as one captured by a
West Point graduate in his first engage-
ment after leaving the Academy. To cap
the climax of all your offences, you make
an harrangue denouncing the Government
into whose service you. have been re-
cently sworn by the strongest of oaths.
Did ever a cadet so disgrace his honored
uniform befor
*I—I should a to explain, sir!” Ben
cred miserably.
I most urgently desire zou to do
50, retorted Lieutenant Slim
“Sir, I am the victim of a ‘practical
joke.” .
nee exclaimed the lieutenant. . “On!
A
The truth of the situation was begin-
ning fo dawn upon Slim
gh and efficient “officer, and a
rela diseipiinarian, his sense of humor
—if he had a latent one—had never re-
celyed | the slightest development.
ere hazed, then?” demanded
slimece, after a few moments of delibera-
o
“Yes, fn I, suppose so,”
“By w
“By roverel fellows.”
“Of course, but who were they?”
“That I can’t say, sir,
“Mr. Burgess, your statement is ex-
sraor ne else you are holding back
somet
“Iam etling you the truth, sir. I was
taken from behin 1d and my eyes were
bandaged at once.”
“But you must have recognized the
voices of some of your assailants?”
“No, sir, I did n
“This is most extraordinary. Are you
sure that you recognized none of the
voices?”
: «Positive, sir.
wet me at the question citterently.”
continued Lieutenant Slimcoe. “Do
assure me, upon your honor as a cadet
and a gentleman, that all the answers
you have made to my questions have been
the full and unqualified truth?
“I do, sir—upon my honor as a cadet
and a gentleman,” Burgess replied,
so earnestly that Lieutenant Slimcoe in-
stantly became several degrees. less
frigid.
“Go ahead, Mr. Burgess, and tell me at
once all. the Particulars, of your most
extraordinary adventu
Ben related in detail the series of prac-
tical Jokes of which he had been made
the ytctim.
Slimcoe listened with a good deal of
amazement.
“Too bad, too bad,” he murmured, at
the conclusion of Ben's narrative. “We
had ‘hoped that hazing had died out at
West Point. Last year three cadets
were dismissed for the offence. It was
hoped that such: severity would prove a
salutory lesson, but it seems that it has
not.” .
For awhile neither spoke.
Then Lieutenant Slimcoe added:
“Mr. Burgess, don’t you think it fully
Ben started. He had been so over-
come by the dread of possible disgrace
that he had ‘entirely forgotten the scanti-
ness of his appare
“I will put on my uniform at once, sir
—if I can find it,” ne replied.
xplored the strip of
riveriront for forty. yards either way.
But their search availed nothing.
The uniform was not to be ‘ound.
‘m!” murmured Siimeoe, Knowingly.
«Another phase of hazing, no doubt.
“May I inquire, sir,” Ben ‘adked inno-
cently, “whether you were ever a victim
of hazing, during Four cadetship at West
Point?”
—I~—well, Mr. Burgess, we
won't talk about that, if you please. But
it is quite evident that we cannot hope
to find your uniform in this neighbor-
hood. I will go to your tent, and send
some of your tent-mates down with an-
other uniform.
“Thank you, sir,” responded Burgess,
.stam-
_HOURS
who-began to feel that he was getting
out of the woods. .
But Lieutenant Slimcoe added, magis-
“Mr. Burgess, your conduct will re-
quire strict ‘and severe investigation.
Upon receiving your uniform, you will
don it, and then proceed to your tent.
There you will remain in arrest. You
will be permitted to perform no military
duty—in fact, you wil] not leave your
tent—until you are sent for by the super-
intendent, or by some other officer having
authority. Do you understand?
Poor Ben!
He had hoped that his explanation
would be accepted. This was, indeed, a
crushing blow. -
“But, sir——” he began.
“Kindly reserve aur further explana-
tion until it is called for, ” said the lieu-
tenant, eutting him
en Slimcoe, furling the Confed-
erate, flag. and carrying it upside down,
started off up the hill, walking with the
precision of a soldier on dress-parade.
Our hero, dumbfounded at the discour-
aging turn which events’ had taken,
perched himself upon the gun-carriage,
and waited in mute misery.
He did not stir until the sound of ap-
proaching footsteps aroused him.
Then he looked up and beheld—Philip
Parsons.
That young gentleman came up with a
uniform upon his arm, disgust for his
menial office, and triumph over Ben’s dis-
comfiture, struggling for the mastery in
his fac!
“Here! s your duds, upstart,” said Par-
sons politely, throwing Ben’s uniform on
the beach. ~
“hank you for your elaborate cour-
tesy, Mr. Parsons,” Ben retorted.
He began at once to don his clothing.
He made a discovery, and could not help
_ exclaiming:
“Why, this is my same old uniform. I
know it by the mended tear in the back
of the coat.”
“It was found thrown across your mat-
tress,” Parsons was gracious enough to
explain.
How came it there?”
be ‘Burgess finished dressing, and
startet
“rll take a different path,” said Par-
sons with sneering emphasis. “It won't
do me any good to be seen | Walking with
a fellow who's in disgrace. ’
Ben reached his tent at last. His other
tent-mates, far more generous and man-
ly than Parsons, endeavored to find out
what the matter was. But our hero was
. too miserable to reply coherent.
For the first part of the night he failed
to sleep. When he did,,it was to fall
into a deep slumber, from which the
revellle aroused
n Burgess gorane joyously to his feet
ore “the notes of the trumpet died away.
Then a realization. of the previous
evening's events came to him, and De-
jection claimed him as her
ours our hero sat in his tent, op-
pressed by miserable suspense.
‘Then an orderly poked his head in at
the tent door,
“Colonel Wheaton wishes to see Mr.
Burgess at once.”
CHAPTER VI. _
A SAMPLE PUNISHMENT,
ur hero would know the wot
hot His fate lay in Colonel Wheaton’ 8
. T° moment was now at hand When
As he went his tent to obey the sum-
mons, Ben's face.may have been a trifle
pale, but he gave no evidence of weak-
ness.
Though he had passed hours in dread
of disgrace, yet he had inherent. man-
hood enough not to appear before the
superintendent of West Point as a groyv-
eling pupplant for leniency.
I ame to the worst, he would un-
finchingly face the music, and receive in
silence his punishment for what he con-
sidered no fault of his own.
“He starts off as if he were going to
his doom,” commented Cadet Bates, as he
saw our hero striding across the parade
oroane in the direction of headquarters,
d he marches to it with all the
courase of a soldier,”
Blount, who overheard the remark, “D
you know, Bates”"—lowering his voice—“f
have an idea you know something about
that hazing scrape.”
n so?"—changing color.
f£ Ben Burgess is dismissed for
55
being a victim of hazing, his tormentors '
will have reason to feel the most guuty.”
“You're right, old man,” said Bates,
“Tell you what I'll do, though. If Bur-
ges is dismissed the service, I'll confess
to my share, and take my dismissal,
00. .
“That would be honest in you, but?
retorted Cadet —
sadly" it wouldn’t save Burgess. “And
I’ve grown uncommonly fond of the boy.”
“No,” replied Bates; “it wouldn’t save
Burgess, anyway, forme to confess, but
it would show that I had no intention of
getting him into so serious a scrape. It
bappened this way, Blount—we fellows
had scouts out, to let us know if any one
“was coming. We got the signal, and we
scooted. Every one of us forgot Burgess,
poor youngster. I give you my word that
1 am as sorry for the finale as even, Bur-
gess can be.”
“You see,” Blount returned, “it’s a
very serious thing to be dismissed in dis-
grace from West Point. A dismissal from
any ordinary boarding-school or mili-°-
tary academy doesn’t harm a fellow so
much, for he can quit there and enter
some other academy.
“But it’s different with a boy at West
Point. Here the eyes of the whole coun- .
try are upon him. If he is dismissed, the
whole congressional district from which
he hails hears of the stigma thrown upon
him. The West Point boy who is dis-
honorably dismissed the service has lost,
forever, his cherished dream of becoming
a soldier, There is no avenue left by
which he can then enter the army.
“He would not be accepted, even at a
recruiting office, as a common. private
soldier. And, where the boy is really
mnocent of wilful wrong the blow must
be tenfold harder than when it is de-
served.” :
Your words strike home, old fellow,”
said Bates, a look of deep concern set-
tling upon his face. “I pledge you my.
word that I wouldn’t have entered into
the scheme if I had believed the result °
could have been so tragic to the victim.”
presence of Colonel Wheaton,
superintendent of the West Point Acad-
ys
em:
Heutenant Slimcoe was also present.
ir. Burgess,” began the colonel, “this
is a serious charge I hear against you.”
With which preliminary the superin-
tendent repeated the statements given
lim by Slimcoe, and which did not, in any
degree, differ from the exact truth.
re, sir,” replied Ben, respect-
fully saluting each officer, “to make any
additional explanation which may be in
my power,
is, pearing was every inch that of a
soldier, and went far to turn both of the
officers in his: favo
“You were e the victim of hazing?” asked
the colon ‘
“I was, ve
“and you have absolutely no idea who
your persecutors we
cAbsolutely none, sir,
Why did you submit to the hazing?” .
Becuse sir, I was outnumbered; and
also because I believed that to submit
good-naturedly would Save me from an-
royance-in the future,”
Mr. Burgess, you should have resist-
2
2
“Beni eve me, sir, it was impossi
resist, without fighting. P ble to
“And you did not fi “ht?”
when others first assault him.
hen, sir, in the future, ‘if a cadet
fesanits me, am I permitted to Sent
“Tf the assault is unprovoked and un-
see ee replied Colonel Wheaton, “it
ertainly be your lace, a -
Hema, to knock him doy us “8 Ben
nd then kick the cad for fallin:
broke in fpeutenant Slimcoe ee
pected enthusi > with unex-
“Mr. Stimcoe, you forget yourself. "
ur pardon, colonel,”
Heutepani, at tnigentening |p, ‘and salut:
-. inkin,
West Pol g of my own days at
a
R
member them,” retorted the
colonel, dryly. “But we will not digress.
coe are guilty to that etxent. On the
other hand, you are new to West Point,
and cannot, ther fore, be expected to
enter fully into the spirit of this Acad-
emy in a few days. I will be as lenient .
with you as I consistently ca:
For submitting to being hazea I place
ten demerits against your name. For
permitting ‘yourself to be coaxed ors
threatened into making a mock treason
speech, I sentence you to a three hours’
tour of extra duty while your fellow-~
cadets are enjoying their recreation next
Saturday afternoon. yu are now re-
leased from arrest,
said the
ame
%
”
ee