CHAPTER II
Mr. Thomas G. Short and His Man
Ralph Osborn arrived in Annapolis in May, just a month before the entrance examinations were to take place. He secured room and board at the price of eight dollars a week, and immediately enrolled himself for one month’s tuition in Professor Wingate’s preparatory school. Here the special instruction given consisted in studying previous examination questions, and Ralph soon felt he was well prepared for his coming ordeal.
At this time Annapolis was full of visitors, and the number of these increased daily. There were here many of the friends and relations of the midshipmen soon to graduate, and also more than a hundred and seventy candidates were distributed in the different boarding-houses of the old town. One of these aspirants came into immediate notoriety because apparently he possessed enormous wealth and made much noise in spending his money. His name was Short; he arrived in Annapolis in a private car and immediately rented a handsome, well-furnished house in which he installed a retinue of servants. Short was an orphan. He had inherited millions, and though nominally under the control of a guardian, he actually ruled the latter with an imperious will that brooked neither check nor interference. Though he was not aware of it, Short as a midshipman was an impossible contemplation. First, he was utterly unprincipled; secondly, he was uncontrollable. But he made an effort to prepare himself, engaged special tutors, and promised them large bonuses if he passed the examinations successfully. A week before the examinations were held he was frankly told he would certainly fail in mathematics. Short immediately went to the telegraph office and sent several messages to New York. The next day two flashily-dressed men came to Annapolis, had several long talks with Short and received money from him.
Short enjoyed company and soon after he was domiciled in Annapolis he had invited several of the candidates to live with him as his guests. As these young men were earnestly preparing for their examinations, their presence probably influenced Short to study more than he otherwise would have done.
A few mornings before the day set for the commencement of the examinations, Short at breakfast asked one of his guests to come with him to the library. With them was also one of the men who had come down from New York. Short was in particular good humor.
As soon as they reached the library, Short turned to the young candidate, and without any preliminary words said abruptly, “The jig is up. I’ve got you.”
The young man spoken to turned pale and trembled violently. “What do you mean?” he gasped.
Short laughed. “I mean you’re caught,” he replied. “I’ve been missing things of late and spotted you for the thief. The two hundred dollars you took at two o’clock this morning was a plant for you. Every bill was marked, and there were two detectives hidden in the room who saw you steal the money. I’ve a warrant for your arrest; you’ll land in the pen for this instead of becoming a midshipman.”
The young man addressed dropped helplessly into a near-by chair, and hysterically cried, “I didn’t do it. This is a put up job.”