"Of course dear old Dick came through all right! He's the kind of fellow that always does and always must come through all right—-otherwise there'd be no particular use in being manly."
No word came from the missing Jordan. Truth to tell, no one seemed to care, outside of the young man's father. It is rare, indeed, that a cadet deserts, and when he does, unless he has taken government property with him, no effort is made to find him.
By the end of the week, Dick Prescott was the hope of the Army nine, as he had once been of the eleven.
A cadet is always in condition. His daily training keeps him there. So Dick had only to give his arm a little extra work, increasing it some each day.
"Do you think I'm going to be in satisfactory shape, sir?" Dick asked the Army coach Friday afternoon.
"If something doesn't happen to you, Prescott, you're going to be the strongest, speediest pitcher I've ever seen on the Army nine," replied Lieutenant Lawrence.
"Isn't that saying a good deal, sir?"
"Yes; but you're the sort of athlete that one may say a great deal about," replied Lieutenant Lawrence, with a confident smile. "And Mr. Holmes is very nearly as good a man as you are."
"I always thought him fully as good, even better," replied Prescott.
"There isn't much to choose between you," admitted coach. "I wish we could always look for such men on our Army teams."