in dragging even a bright man's average
down to a point where he would fall below two-five and be "unsat."

"I thought we plugged along pretty steadily when we were in the
High School," sighed Dave Darrin, looking up from a book. "Danny
boy, a day's work here is fully three times as hard as the severest
day back at the High School.

"David, little giant," retorted Dalzell, "your weak spot is arithmetic.
It's just seven times as hard here as the worst deal that we ever got
in the High School."

"Oh, well," retorted Darrin doggedly, "other men have stood this
racket before us, and have graduated into the Navy. If they did
it, we can do it, too. Mr. Trotter was telling me, yesterday,
that the plebe year is the hardest year of all here."

"Mr. Trotter is a highly intelligent individual, then," murmured
Dan Dalzell.

"He explained that the first year is the hardest just because the
new man has never before learned how to study. After our first
year here, he says, we'll have the gait so that we can go easily
at the work given us."

"If we ever live through the first year," murmured Dan disconsolately.
"As for me, I'm hovering at the 'unsat.' line all the time, and
constantly fearing that I'm going to be unseated. If I could
see myself actually getting through the first year here, with
just enough of an average to save me, I'd be just as happy as
ever a fourth class man can hope to be here."

"Remember the old Gridley spirit, Danny boy," coaxed Dave. "We
can't be licked--just because we don't know how to take a licking.
We're going to get through here, Danny, and we're going to become
officers in the Navy. It's tough on the way--that's all."

"And we green young idiots," sighed Dalzell, "thought the life
here was just a life of parading, with yachting thrown in on the
side. We were going to feel swell in our gold lace, and puff
out our chests under the approving smiles of the girls. We were
going to lead the german--and, say, Dave, what were some of the
other fool things we expected to find happiness in doing at Annapolis?

"It served us right," grunted Darrin, "if we imagined that we
were going to get through without real work. Danny boy, I don't
believe there's a single thing in life--worth having--a fellow
can get without working hard for it!"

"There goes the call for mathematics, Dave. We'll tumble out and
see whether we can get a two-six today.

"Or a two-seven," suggested Darrin hopefully. "My