way, yellow envelope in hand.

"Telegram for Lieutenant Ferrers," he announced.

"Right here, my man. Thank you."

Algy tore open the envelope, after apologizing, and glanced at the
bottom of the message.

"It's from the guv'nor," he announced. "I expect he's getting ready to
kill the fatted calf against my arrival home."

Then Algy fell to reading the message. As he started his brows puckered.
Once he gasped. Then, at the end, he burst forth:

"My, but the guv'nor seems almost annoyed," cried Algy, his face
reddening.

"Anything serious?" inquired Holmes politely.

"Read it aloud to the rest, old chap," begged Algy, passing the telegram
to Lieutenant Holmes. This was the message that the latter thereupon
read aloud:

"You blithering young idiot! I worked like blazes
to get you into the Army, in order to give you one
last chance to grab at a little manhood. I've set
the government machinery going at Washington, and
your resignation won't be accepted. Within a day
or two you'll receive orders to report at the
Infantry School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. There
you'll have to work sixteen hours out of every
twenty-four, but it will make a man of you if
anything can, and you'll learn all about becoming
a real infantry officer. Don't send me any more
news about resigning. If you quit the Army, or
are kicked out of it, I'll separate you forever
from every cent of my money.

"(Signed) Donald Ferrers."

There was silence in the club parlor, until it was broken by Algy, who
wailed plaintively:

"That's the guv'nor. That's the guv'nor every time. Says he'd separate
me from every cent of his money. And he'd do it, too! Fellows, I'm
afraid I've simply got to like the Army."

"That's your trump card, now, Algy," observed Jerrold, of A company.

"Some class about your father, Ferrers, isn't there?" asked Lieutenant
Prescott.

"Oh, he's a fine old fellow," replied Algy loyally. "But he has a
confoundedly abrupt way about him sometimes. You see, he
didn't--er--start life exactly as a gentleman. He had to work hard most
of his life to get what money he has, and I suppose--well, I guess his
hard work has made him pig-headed to some extent."

Now that he knew that he would have to stay in the Army, young Ferrers
found himself hating it worse than e