Go Ahead Boys and the Racing Motorboat Part 2

"You would be a good one to walk on a greased pole," said George soberly. "You wouldn't take much s.p.a.ce and if you could once get a footing you could reach forward almost to the end and grab the cup."

"If I did," retorted John, "you can rest easy that I wouldn't let go of it."

"How soon do we come to West Point?" inquired Grant.

"In about an hour," answered Fred.

"Do you know, I sometimes think I should like to go there," said George.

"Couldn't be done, my son," spoke up John.

"Why can't it be done?"

"Because a fellow that enters West Point has to pa.s.s an examination."

"Don't you think I could pa.s.s it?" demanded George as his friends laughed.

"It depends on what it is," answered John.

"If they would examine you about the old Meeker House and running tin tubes from the kitchen into the front room and a few other things like that maybe you would pa.s.s."[1]

"That's all right," spoke up George promptly. "I know something about what a fellow has to do before he pa.s.ses the West Point examinations anyway and that's more than some fellows I know can say."

"What do you know that we don't?" inquired John.

"How old does a fellow have to be to enter West Point?" demanded George.

"I don't know," replied John somewhat foolishly. "I suppose he has to be about eighteen, at least I suppose a fellow eighteen could enter."

"Could he enter if he was twenty-one?" inquired George.

"He could," spoke up Grant. "A fellow has to be between seventeen and twenty-two years of age before he can take the preliminary examinations. But there's another qualification almost as necessary,"

he added. "He has got to be free from infirmities."

"No hope for Pop then," said John solemnly. "He has too many infirmities."

"What, for example?" demanded George.

"His appet.i.te is abnormal, his confidence in himself colossal, his willingness to condescend to the level of his superiors is--"

"You're getting all mixed up," interrupted George. "A fellow has to pa.s.s a good physical examination and that is all there is to it. Of course if he has too long a tongue or too small a head it might shut him out."

"Of course," a.s.sented John. "How does a fellow get a chance to try the examination anyway?"

"He has to be named by his congressman. Most of them, I guess, have a preliminary examination for all the boys that want to enter and then select the one who pa.s.ses the best examination. But even if he pa.s.ses, his troubles have only begun, for they make every fellow work his way."

"The government appropriates some money for every cadet, doesn't it?"

inquired John.

"Yes," replied George, "$709.50 per year. That is supposed to cover the necessary expenses. It is not only hard work but the boys don't get but one leave of absence in all the course, and even that isn't given until after the first two years."

"But they have vacations, don't they?" inquired John.

"If you want to call them vacations," laughed Grant. "From about the middle of June to the end of August the cadets go into camp. They are busy every day."

"What does a fellow have to pa.s.s an examination in in order to enter West Point?"

"English grammar, English composition, algebra through quadratic equations, plane geometry, descriptive geography, physical geography, United States history and the outlines of general history."

"I think I'll go if that's all," laughed John, who was well known to have troubles with most of his examinations in school.

"Look at that boat over yonder!" suddenly interrupted Fred, pointing to a motor-boat about one hundred feet away. "It looks to me as if it was trying to pa.s.s us."

"That's just what it is trying to do," said Grant eagerly.

"Don't you let them do it, Peewee."

"That's just what I intend not to do," said Fred resolutely.

In a moment the speed of the Black Growler was increased, but it was also manifest as the boys glanced behind them that the boat they had noticed was in swift pursuit.

[1] See "The Go Ahead Boys and the Mysterious Old House."

CHAPTER III

JOHN DISAPPEARS

The rival boat was distant about one hundred feet, moving in a line nearly parallel with that which the Black Growler was following.

"I believe I have seen that boat before," muttered Fred. "Can any of you fellows make out the name?"

George hastily took the field-gla.s.ses and gazed earnestly at the swiftly moving boat. "I can make out some of the letters, Fred," he said slowly. "I can see V--a--r, the next letter looks like n."

"What's that?" demanded Fred abruptly.

"I can't make out the whole of it yet," answered George. "I don't see what Varn spells anyway."

"You better look again," suggested Fred. "I think I know the boat. I guess it's the Varmint."

"That's it," said George quickly. "Only there's something right after the word. I can't just see what that is."

"Here, let me take those gla.s.ses," said Grant quickly. "I don't believe you can find anything. Your mother told me that she doesn't want any better evidence that your clothes are hanging in the right places in the closet than for you to say that you had looked for them and they aren't there."

"Listen to the words of our modest friend," said George as he handed the gla.s.ses to his comrade. "Grant is a good boy. The only difficulty with him is he doesn't realize how good he is."

"If he doesn't," spoke up John, "it isn't because he doesn't try."