The examinations would take all of one day and part of the next, and some of those, who came from a distance, had to stop at the Preston Hotel. But Tom could go home at night.
On reaching the court house, where the examinations were to be conducted, Tom found a number of other lads there. Most of them were strangers to him, coming from distant parts of the congressional district.
Congressman Hutton was on hand, personally to direct matters, and three physicians were in attendance to conduct the physical examination. To Tom’s delight he went through this successfully, as he had expected. But some of the boys were rejected, and with tears of regret in their eyes they went back home.
Tom came from the room where he had been thumped, pounded, made to read cards at varying distances to test his eyesight, and had had his heart listened to after jumping violently up and down.
“You’ll do, young man,” the chief physician had said gruffly. “Get your clothes on.”
Tom’s heart beat high with hope. As he was going out to join the other candidates, some successful thus far, and some not, Tom saw a young man, flashily dressed, standing near a window, smoking a cigarette.
“Better cut that out if you’re going in for the exam,” suggested a lad near the smoker.
“Oh, I’m not worrying,” was the sneering retort. “They can’t turn me down.”
The speaker turned, and Tom saw that he was Clarence Hawkesbury, the nephew of Captain Hawkesbury, who had come into possession of so much of Mr. Taylor’s property. Clarence looked at Tom and bowed coldly. They had known each other for some time, but Tom did not care for Clarence, and his “sporty” ways, and certainly young Hawkesbury had no liking for Tom.
“Well, if you got through I’m sure I can,” Clarence said sneeringly to our hero as he passed. “I’m going to get this appointment!” he added.