duties that belong to
the soldier's life.

The new first class mourned the loss of a few members who had
been "found"--that is, who had failed in their studies just before
Commencement. More than a score had been dropped from the
new yearling class. Only two of the new plebes had been dropped,
they having been found wholly and absolutely unfit to keep the
brain-fagging pace of academic work at West Point.

"I never minded study back home," muttered Greg, as he and Dick
toiled setting their few belongings to rights under canvas. "But, the
way the study-gait is kept up here at West Point, I certainly say
'hurrah' with all my heart at the thought that books are closed for
all summer."

"We'll be back at the grind in September again," laughed Dick.
"And I'm assured that we haven't struck the real study-gait yet; that
these new three months from March on are only to break us in a
bit, so that we won't mind the real thing so much when we meet it
in September."

"Then you give me cause for gloomy thought," shuddered Greg.

"Make way for a future general," grinned Anstey, as, with both
arms full of belongings he forced his way into the tent. The cadets
were housed three to a tent, and Anstey, to the great delight of
Dick and Greg, had been assigned to bunk with them. Anstey, too,
was delighted, for the young Virginian was a gentleman of the
actual type, who had been growing steadily more weary of the
sham "gentleman" that Bert Dodge had so far illustrated.

"I'm tent orderly this week," announced Dick, with a grin. "I
received that very important news five minutes ago. I'm
responsible for the order and condition of the tent for this week, so
you fellows will have to step around to keep the tent in style to suit
me."

"Oh, if you're tent orderly," laughed Anstey, "then we don't have to
take the word from you."

"You don't?" demanded Prescott.

"No, indeed. If you're the orderly, then you're merely a striker."

A "striker," in the Army, is an enlisted man who is paid by an
officer for doing servant's work in spare time. Hence, a striker is,
in general, anyone engaged in menial service.

"Come on, Holmesy," urged Anstey, rising. "We'll go out for a
stroll. Striker, see to it that you have a flawless tent interior when
we return."

In his glee Anstey seized Greg by one arm and started to rush him
out of the tent.

"Oh, all right; go along," gibed Dick. "See who'll get the lash
though, when I turn in my report."