“That is he, the ‘Supt.’”
To be summoned before his presence makes a cadet anticipate the feeling when he will appear before the final bar of justice. He dons his full-dress uniform, pulls on a pair of white lisle thread gloves, puts a visiting card in his hat band to have it ready for Woods, the Superintendent’s messenger, and sallies forth, his heart a-tremble at the thought of appearing before Olympus.
He quickly reviews his past, wondering what he has done, for he thinks of course that he has unwittingly committed some offense. It is only when he finds himself standing before the Superintendent’s desk saluting and saying:
“Sir, Cadet Ducrot reports as ordered,” that he realizes that he is in the presence of a very human person like himself.
The wonderful prestige that the Superintendent has with the cadets is due, not so much to his rank, but to the fact that he too was once a cadet, and passed through experiences similar to their own. They appreciate the success that he has made in their chosen profession, and his example affords inspiration to many, for they argue that once upon a time, long ago, he too was a new cadet in “Beast Barracks.”
CHAPTER V
“BEAST BARRACKS”
Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.
“You man, there, slouching across the Area! What’s your name?”
The person addressed, a short fat chap, looks up over his big round tortoise-shell glasses, with unfeigned interest, but stands mute, apparently fascinated by the immaculate white trousers and the military bearing of the speaker.