hairman Fullerton put
the motion. There were cries of "too bad," but no dissenting
votes.

In the meantime Greg and Anstey all but broke down a door in their
effort to reach Dick quickly.

"Come on, old chap!" called Greg, pouncing upon his chum. "It's
all off! Savvy? We have orders to drag you to class meeting, if
force be necessary. Come on the jump!"

"Won't I, though?" cried Dick, seizing his fatigue cap and hurrying
on his uniform overcoat.

A smaller mind might have insisted on taking slowly the request
from the class that had unintentionally done him such an injustice.
But Cadet Prescott was made of broader, nobler stuff. He realized
that, without exception, the manly fellows in his class were heartily
glad to do him justice, now that they knew how blameless he had
been. Dick was as anxious to meet his class as they were to reinstate
him.

So he hurried along between the jubilant Holmes and Anstey.

The meeting had just quieted down again by the time that the three
cadets entered the room.

But in an instant Halsey was on his feet, regardless of rules of
parliamentary procedure.

"Give old ramrod the long corps yell!" he shouted.

With hardly the pause of a second it came, and never had it sounded
sweeter, truer, grander than when some hundred powerful young
throats sent forth the refrain:

_"Rah, rah, ray! Rah, rah, ray! West Point, West Point, Armee
Ray, ray, ray! U.S.M.A.!_"

_"Prescott!"_

Dick Prescott's chest began to heave, though he strove to conceal
all emotion. It was sweet, indeed, to have all this enthusiasm over
him, after he had so long been the innocent outcast of the class.

Tears shone in either eye. Ashamed to raise a hand to brush the
moisture away, Dick tried to wink them out of sight.

But Douglass, Durville and the others gave him no time to think.
They came crowding about him faster than they could reach him,
each with outstretched hand.

Little was said. Soldiers are proverbially silent, preferring
deeds to words. So, for nearly ten minutes, the handshaking proceeded.
At last Douglass, with a warning nod and several gestures, brought
the temporary chairman to his senses.

Rap! rap! rap! rang the gavel on the desk.

"The class will please come to order," called Chairman Fullerton.
"Now, gentlemen, is there any further business to come before
the class?"

"Mr. Chairman," called Douglass, "I move that we proceed to the
election of a class president.