tears
glistened in his eyes. But Dick raced on into the back room,
where he found his mother.

"All the luck in the land is mine, mother!" he whispered, bending
over and kissing her. "I won out! I go to West Point when the
month of March comes!"

Mrs. Prescott was upon her feet, her arms around her boy. She
didn't say much, but she didn't need to. After a moment Dick
disengaged himself.

"Mother, Laura Bentley will be glad to know this news. She's
at the ball of the senior class to-night, but I'll see if I can
get her father on the 'phone, and tell him the news for her."

But presently it was Laura's own sweet voice that answered over
the wire.

"You?" demanded Dick. "Why, I thought you'd be at the ball!"

"Did you think I could be happy all the evening, wondering how
you were coming on with your great wish?" asked Laura quietly.
"Say, oh, Dick! How did you come out?"

CHAPTER XXI

Gridley Seniors Whoop It Up

"Oh, so many, so many congratulations, Dick!" came the response
to Prescott's eagerly imparted information.

"And so you missed the dance just because you could sympathize
with some one else's worry?" demanded Dick. "But say! The evening
is still young, as dances go. Couldn't you get dressed in a little
while? Then we could both go and celebrate my good luck."

"I'm dressed," came the demure answer.

"What? Oh---well, now, that's nice of you-----"

"I have been expecting this good news," laughed Laura. "And so
I've been dressed all evening, on the chance."

"And you'll go to the class ball if I come around quickly?"

"It would be mean of you not to come and take me, Dick!"

"I'll have to change," declared Dick. "But that never takes a
boy long. Won't I be around to your house in short order, though!"

Dick rang off and started to bound upstairs, but a new ting-ling
sounded on the 'phone bell.

"Here's another party been trying to get you," announced central.
"Go ahead."

"Hullo, Dick," sounded a low, pleased voice. "I hope you've called
up Laura."

"Just rang off, Dave."

"Then you know that the girls didn't go to the class ball to-night,
but just dressed and waited on the chance of hearing from us.
I'm on the jump to dress, but I'll meet you there, Dick."

Dick took only time to explain the change in his night's plans
to his parents. Then he bounded off upstairs, but soon came down
again, looking a bit dandyish in his best, and very happy into
the bargain