tenant Noll Terry looked almost startled.

"By Jove, I hadn't thought of that," he muttered.

"I've been thinking of it," Hal rejoined. "Now, Noll, what is the matter
with you and me drawing up a request, both signing it, asking that, if
in accordance with military interests, we be assigned to the same
regiment and battalion?"

"To whom should such a request go?"

"To the adjutant general of the Army, I imagine, since neither of us as
yet belongs to any regiment or department."

"Won't the adjutant general put us down as the two original, very cheeky
shave-tails?" wondered Noll.

"That's a chance we'll have to take. Though if we make what seems a
perfectly proper request, and in a wholly respectful manner, I don't see
how the adjutant general can find fault with two inexperienced young
officers, even if our request be a rather unusual one."

"If you get up the paper I'll sign it with you," agreed Noll, without a
moment's further hesitation.

"I'll prepare that paper the first thing in the morning," promised Hal.
"Whew, but I wish we had even an inkling of what our first duty is to
be."

"Anywhere in 'God's country'" (in Army parlance, 'God's country' means
the United States), replied Noll. "I don't want to see the Philippines
again inside of a year."

For longer than they realized the two chums strolled the streets, now
grown very quiet as the hour was late for a small city. Indeed, the two
new lieutenants paid little heed to their course. So, after a while,
they reached the rougher parts of the town.

Bunny Hepburn, having gone away from the restaurant with his heart full
of hate, had fallen in with a group of companions of his own sort. These
young men had visited beer-gardens and other places of low repute.
Bunny's companions were the human fruits of his father's peculiar
teachings. For the most part these young fellows were "professional
labor men" of the lowest type. None of them ever worked long or steadily
at anything, except with their tongues. They were a gross libel on the
real workingmen of the country--the steady, sober, industrious toilers
who are the real backbone of the country.

Bunny's companions, instead, were of a sort who hang upon the words of
such speakers and agitators as the elder Hepburn. While disliking
industrial work, and resorting to it only when there was no other choice
as against starvation, these young fellows were always on hand in times
of strike or riot, ready for any v