An Annapolis First ClassmanBeach, Edward L. (Edward Latimer)
General
An Annapolis First Classman
Beach, Edward L. (Edward Latimer)
United States Naval Academy -- Juvenile fiction
It was in this way, and with this shout tingling in his ears, that Bligh
left Annapolis. His eyes glistened. A mist swam before them. A moment
later he turned to his companion and said: "Frank, I've heard that same
call before--but I'd given up all hope of ever hearing it again--I can't
tell you what it means to me--but it seems as if those good chaps have
forgotten scores of mean things and have remembered the one decent thing
I did at Annapolis."
Three years later a recent Princeton graduate was speaking at Annapolis
with Cadet Lieutenant Sexton.
"Tell me about Bligh," inquired Sexton. "I've heard you chaps at
Princeton liked him there. He was here for a while, in fact was my
roommate--he had a hard time at first, but everybody here liked him
when he left."
"Liked him!" exclaimed the Princeton man. "I guess we did; we more than
liked him. Harry Bligh was one of the squarest fellows that ever lived,
and one of the kindest and best besides. We were proud of his football
record, of course--he was probably the best half-back in the country
last season. But he was lots more than that. He was a helpful friend to
all of us. I remember he once pulled me out of a deep hole; and I wasn't
the only one. Just let a fellow get into trouble and before long you'd
find Bligh helping him out. Bligh could never be turned against any one.
I remember one of our fellows did something off color; he offended our
class feeling; well, we were going to do something--I don't know
what--but Bligh sort of took charge of affairs and said: 'Let's not
condemn that fellow; we may only succeed in shoving him deeper into the
pit he is in; let's see if we can't find some good in him, or point him
right, anyway.' Well, we did, and we were mighty glad of it afterward.
He was always helping a fellow that needed a friend. I once said to
him, 'Harry, what is your ambition?' He seemed to think quite a while
and then said: 'I want to be square, and I want people to believe I am
square.' And you just bet, Sexton, that a bullier, squarer chap than
Harry Bligh never lived."
CHAPTER XXIX
THE END OF A LONG DAY
"Stone, will you ever forgive me?" asked Robert shamefacedly, as soon as
they had left the commandant's office.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account