DAVE DARRIN'S THIRD YEAR AT ANNAPOLIS or Leaders of the Second Class Midshipmen By H. IRVING HANCOCK 1911 Illustrated [Illustration: "There She Goes!"] CONTENTS CHAPTER I. WHY THE MIDSHIPMEN BALKED. II. PROVING THEIR TRAINING. III. THE TROUBLE-MAKING FOP. IV. IN THE VIEW OF THE NAVY DEPARTMENT. V. NAVY FOOTBALL IN THE AIR. VI. THE HATE OF A RIVAL. VII. "DID JETSON DO IT?". VIII. DAN TRIES HARD TO KEEP COOL. IX. A NARROW SQUEAK WITH THE O. C. X. THE GRIDIRON START. XI. THE BAND COULDN'T MAKE ITSELF HEARD. XII. JOYCE IS BITTEN WITH THE TROUBLE BUG. XIII. HEPSON IS "SOME WILD". XIV. TWO SIDES OF A STORY. XV. THE NAVY GOAT WEEPS. XVI. THE MAN WITH A SCOWL ON TAP. XVII. AN AFFAIR OF SULKS. XVIII. THE CLASS MEETING SITS AS JURY. XIX. DAVE STANDS ON PRINCIPLE. XX. "DON'T BE A FOOL, DARRY!" XXI. MIDSHIPMAN JETSON HAS THE FLOOR. XXII. THE BIRTH OF A GENTLEMAN. XXIII. "RAGGED" AND NO MISTAKE. XXIV. CONCLUSION. Dave Darrin's Third Year at Annapolis CHAPTER I WHY THE MIDSHIPMEN BALKED "So Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton have been here?" demanded Midshipman Dave Darrin. That handsome young member of the brigade of midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis was now in mufti, or cits,--meaning, in other words, that he was out of his Naval uniform and attired in the conventional clothing of a young American when calling on his sweetheart. It will make the situation even clearer to the reader to explain that Dave was back in the home town, on his September leave, after just having completed his second summer practice cruise with the three upper classes from Annapolis. Dave was now a fine looking and "husky" second classman. He was just a shade more than half way through his course of instruction at Annapolis. Being back in the home town, where would Midshipman Darrin be more naturally found than in the parlor at the home of his sweetheart, Miss Belle Meade? The first greetings had been exchanged fifteen minutes before. Since that time the young people, being sweethearts as they were, had naturally talked about themselves. And Dave, who, in the Naval service, was fast learning to become a good listener, had been content to have Belle do most of the talking, while he sat back watching the motions of her pretty lips and catching glimpses of two rows of pearly teeth. But now Belle had just mentioned two of Dave's former High School chums. "So Tom and Harry were really here?" he repeated. "Yes; they came up from Arizona on leave." "I wonder why they couldn't have remained here longer?" mused Dave. "They both told me that they were very young in their profession as civil engineers, and that they had to spend nearly all of their time 'on the job,' as Tom phrased it," replied Belle.