rade call.

When the corps marched on to the field that afternoon, Mrs. Bentley
and the girls were there among the eager spectators. Dick saw
them almost instantly, and his heart bounded within him. It was
Laura's mute message of sympathy and hope to him! He held up
his head higher, if that were possible, and went through every
movement with even more than his usual precision.

As the corps was marching off the field again, however, Dick's
heart sank rapidly within him.

"If I have to leave the Army, I can never ask Laura for her love,"
he groaned wretchedly. "If I go from West Point as anything but
a graduate and an officer, I shall have to start life all over
again. It will take me years to find my place and get solidly on
my feet I could never ask a girl to wait as long as that!"

In the early evening Laura, Belle and Mrs. Bentley were on the
veranda near the hotel entrance. Cadets Jordan and Douglass made
their appearance. Jordan had obtained official permission to
present Douglass to his sister, who was to go to the hop that
evening.

"By Jove, there's a spoony femme (pretty girl) over there," breathed
Jordan in Douglass' ear. "You don't happen to know her, do you?"

"Why, yes, that's Miss Bentley, and the other is Miss Meade.
The chaperon is Miss Bentley's mother," replied Cadet Douglass.

"You know them?" throbbed Jordan, his eyes resting eagerly on
Laura's face. "What luck! Present me, old chap!"

So Douglass, who, in some respects, had a bad memory, piloted
his classmate over to the ladies and halted.

"Good evening, ladies," greeted Douglass, raising his uniform
cap in his most polished manner. "Mrs. Bentley, Miss Bentley,
Miss Meade, will you permit me to present my friend and classmate
Mr. Jordan?"

Belle, who was nearest, bowed and held out her hand.

But Laura drew herself up haughtily. "Mr. Douglass," she answered
coldly, "my apologies to you, but I don't wish to know---Mr. Jordan!"

Belle caught the name again, and remembered.

"Oh!" she cried, snatching her hand away ere Jordan could touch it.

"I'm sorry, ladies," stammered Douglass. But they found themselves
confronted by rear views of two shapely pairs of young shoulders,
while Mrs. Bentley had the air of looking through the young men
without being able to see either.

Two very much disconcerted cadets, and very red in the face, stiffly
resumed their caps and marched away.

"Great Scott, what did that mean?" gasped J