The few remaining days of his September leave drew rapidly to a close. Surrounded by the love and sympathy of this delightful family it had indeed been a happy visit for him. He was “Ralph” to all of them now, and when he and Bollup left for Annapolis, on the last day of September, it was with a full understanding that he would visit them the next year.
Most of Ralph’s second class year at the Naval Academy can be briefly told; all but the final catastrophe which caused his expulsion and brought such bitter sorrow to himself and his friends; because the act he committed was so utterly foolish, and of his guilt there was no question.
That Ralph would stand first in his class for this, the third year, was a foregone conclusion. Until near the end of the year it was a happy time for him, full of hard work which was well appreciated. At the end of the first month he led his class in all of the studies; mathematics, engineering, electricity, seamanship, navigation and gunnery, all yielded to his bright mentality and presented no difficulty to him. He did equally well in recitations and in examinations, and in his outdoor drills he took great zest. He no longer had a hidden enemy to fear; there was not a question in his mind as to who had been guilty of the shameful acts against him, and knowing it was Creelton, he disdained him. He continually felt it was a great pity that that vicious youth could not be exposed and dismissed, but beyond Ralph’s and Himski’s suspicions there was no tangible evidence to connect Creelton with those crimes.
Creelton had no intention whatever of attempting to injure Ralph further, and he was much relieved that he had successfully defied Short. Creelton feared Ralph and kept away from him. For a while Creelton avoided the temptation to steal, but after he became easy in regard to Ralph he again occasionally gave play to his old thieving habits. He didn’t take anything very valuable, but took a delight in stealing stamps and towels and small articles whenever he was certain he would not be detected.
One morning in February Ralph overslept himself; he didn’t hear the six o’clock gun or the reveille of the bugle; Himski was on duty in charge of a floor, so he had left Ralph at a quarter before six. As a result Ralph received ten demerits; and then as ill luck would have it, he was also reported twice that month: once for “visiting during study hours,” and also for “room out of order at inspection”; and so for the month of March, Ralph was in the second conduct grade and deprived of many Saturday privileges.
On the last Saturday in March Bollup came to Ralph and said: “Os, I wish you could come out in town with me to-day. I’ve met a fine lot of fellows that came down from New York in a private car; I’d like to have you know them.”
“I’d like to, Tom; bring them in the yard, can’t you?”
“They were in here this morning and have asked some people out to see them this afternoon. I don’t suppose they’ll come in the yard again. I’m awfully sorry you’re on the second conduct grade. Well, so long; I’ll see you at supper.”
Several hours later Bollup joined Ralph as the latter was waiting for the call to supper formation. Bollup was flushed in face, talked loudly, and laughed boisterously at nothing. Ralph was startled and dismayed. He knew what the trouble was; he had once or twice, though not to the same extent, seen symptoms of the same thing after Bollup had taken mint juleps at Hampden Grove. But whereas there they might be harmless, at the Naval Academy drinking them or any kind of liquor would cause a midshipman to be dismissed.
And so Ralph watched Bollup with keen anxiety, hoping no notice would be taken of his condition.