clared Hazelton.

"That's because you've always had Tom about to tell you what to
do, and to keep you from butting your head into things in the
dark," jeered Danny Grin. "Hazy, you're going to become an engineer
just because you shiver at the thought of trying to do anything
in life without having old Tommy Long-legs to advise you when
to wash your face or come in out of the rain."

"Harry is a pretty bright surveyor already," Tom declared. "He
has been keeping mum about it, but Harry can go out into the country
with a transit and run up the field notes for a map about as handily
as the next kid in his teens."

"I should think you'd like the Army or the Navy, Tom," mused Dalzell
aloud.

"Nothing doing," Reade retorted. "I want to be one of the big
and active men of the world, who do big things. I want to map
out the wilderness. I want to dam the raging flood and drive
the new railroad across the desert. I want to construct. I want
to work day and night when the big deeds are to be done. That's
why I wouldn't care for the Army or Navy; it's too idle a life."

"An idle life!" exclaimed Dick and Dave in the same breath.

"Yes," Tom went on dryly. "Did you ever see an Army or a Navy
officer?"

"I've seen several of them," Dick replied, "and have talked with
some of them."

"Same here," added Darrin.

"Did you see the officers in uniform?" Reade pressed.

"Yes, of course-----" said Prescott.

"Their uniforms were nice and neat, weren't they?" Tom asked.

"Of course," Prescott answered.

"Then that was because your Army or Navy officers hadn't been
doing any hard work that would ruffle the neatness of their uniforms,"
finished Tom triumphantly, "and there you are! I can dress up
on Sundays or holidays, but on the work days, when I'm a civil
engineer, I want to wear clothes that show that I'm not afraid
to tackle the rough and hard things of life."

"Then you might join Dan in being a day laborer," teased Dick
laughingly.

"Oh, no! I want to use my brain along with my muscles, and that's
why I'm going to be a civil engineer."

"Army a Navy officers may have had an easy time of it once," Dave
went on warmly, but times have changed. Our fighting men, to-day,
are obliged to hustle all the time to keep up with the march and
progress of science. I asked an Army officer, once, what he did
in his spare time. He looked at me rather queerly, then replied,
'I sleep.'"

"He was lazy as well as offen