But Hal was up in a twinkling.
"Leave this to me, please, Noll," he begged, and sailed in.
Tip Branders was waiting, with an ugly grin on his face. He was far bigger than Hal, and stronger, too. Yet, for the first few moments, Tip had all he could do to ward off Hal's swift, clever blows.
Then Tip swung around swiftly, taking the aggressive.
It seemed like a bad mistake, for now Hal suddenly drove in a blow that landed on Brander's nose, drawing the blood.
"Now, I'll fix ye for that!" roared Tip, after backing off for an instant.
Just as he was about to charge again the big bully felt a strong grip on his collar, while a deep, firm voice warned him:
"Don't do anything of the sort, Branders, or I'll have to summon an officer to take you in."
Tip wheeled, to find himself looking into the grizzled face of Chief of Police Blake. Tip often bragged of his political "pull," but he knew he had none with this chief.
"I got a right to smash this fellow," blustered Tip. "He hit me."
"I'll wager you hit him first, though, or else gave young Overton good cause for hitting you," smiled the chief. "I know Overton, and he's the kind of boy his neighbors can vouch for. I don't know as much good of you. But I'll tell you, Tip, how you can best win my good opinion. Take a walk – a good, brisk walk – straight down the street. And start now!"
Something in the police chief's voice told Tip that it would be well to obey. He did so.
"Too many young fellows like him on the street," observed Chief Blake, with a quiet smile. "Good morning, boys."
At the next corner Hal and Noll turned.
"Oh, you're going to see Sergeant Wright?" asked Jud.
"Yes," nodded Hal. "Our last visit to him."
"Then you won't want us along," said Jud sensibly. "But say, we wish you barrels of luck – honest – in the new life you're going into."
"Thank you," laughed Hal good-humoredly, holding out his hand.
"Send me a brass button soon, one that you've worn on your uniform blouse, will you?" begged Jud.
"Yes," agreed Hal, "if there's nothing in the regulations against it."
"And you, Noll? Will you do as much for me?" begged Tom.
"Surely, on the same conditions," promised Noll Terry.
"But we haven't succeeded in getting into the service yet, you must remember," Hal warned them.
"Oh, shucks!" retorted Jud. "I wish I were as sure of anything that I want. The recruiting officer'll be tickled to death when he sees you two walking in on him."
"I hope you're a real, true prophet, Jud," replied Hal, with a wistful smile.
Neither of these two younger boys had any idea how utterly Hal Overton had set his heart on entering the service, nor why. The reader will presently discover more about the surging "why."
On one of the side streets the boys paused before the door of a cozy, little cottage in which lived Sergeant Wright and the wife who had been with him nearly the whole of his time in the service.
Ere they could ring the bell the door opened, and Sergeant Wright, U. S. Army, retired, stood before them, holding out his hand.
"Well, boys," was the kindly greeting of this fine-looking, middle-aged man, "have you settled the whole matter at home?"
"Yes," nodded Hal happily. "We go to New York, to-morrow, to try our luck with the recruiting officer."
"Come right in, boys, and we'll have our final talk about the good old Army," cried the retired sergeant heartily.
It was that same afternoon that Tip Branders next espied Jud and Tom coming down a street. Tip darted into a doorway, intent on lying in wait for the pair.
As they neared his place of hiding, however, Tip heard Jud and Tom talking of something that changed his plan.
"What's that?" echoed Tip to himself, straining his hearing.
"Say," breathed Tom Andrews fervently, "wouldn't it be fine if we could go to New York to-morrow morning, too, and see Hal and Noll sworn into the United States Army?"
Tip held his breath, listening for more. He heard enough to put him in possession of practically all of the plans of Hal and Noll.
"Oho!" chuckled Tip, as he strode away from the place later. "So that pair of boobs are going to try for the Army. Oh, I daresay they'll get in. But so will I – and in the same company with them. I wouldn't have missed this for anything. I'll be the thorn in Hal Overton's side the little while that he'll be in the service! I've more than to-day's business to settle with that stuck-up dude!"
All of which will soon appear and be made plain.
CHAPTER II
AT THE RECRUITING OFFICE
THE solemn time came the following morning.
Both Hal and Noll were "only children," or, at least, so thought their mothers.
Messrs. Overton and Terry, the elders, gave their sons' hands a last strong grip. No good advice was offered by either father at parting. That had already been attended to.
Naturally the boys' mothers cried a good bit over them. Both mothers, in fact, had wanted to go over to New York with their sons. But the fathers had objected that this would only prolong the pain of parting, and that soldiers in the bud should not be unfitted for their beginnings by tears.
So Hal and Noll met at the station, to take an early morning train. There were no relatives to see them off. Early as the hour was, though, Jud Jeffers and Tom Andrews had made a point of being on hand.
"We wanted to see you start," explained Jud, his face beaming and eyes wistful with longing. "We didn't know what train you'd take, so we've been here since half-past six."
"We may be back by early afternoon," laughed Hal.
"Not you two!" declared Jud positively. "The recruiting officer will jump right up, shake hands with you, and drag you over to where you sign the Army rolls."
The train came along in time to put a stop to a long conversation.
As the two would-be soldiers stepped up to the train platform Jud and Tom did their best to volley them with cheers.
Noll blushed, darting into a car as quickly as he could, and sitting on the opposite side of the train from these noisy young admirers.
Hal, however, good-humoredly waved his hand from a window as the train pulled out. Then, with a very solemn face, all of a sudden, young Overton crossed and seated himself beside his chum.
Neither boy carried any baggage whatever. If they failed to get into the Army they would soon be home again. If they succeeded in enlisting, then the Army authorities would furnish all the baggage to be needed.
"Take your last look at the old town, Hal," Noll urged gravely, as the train began to move faster. "It may be years before we see the good old place again."
"Oh, keep a stiff upper lip, Noll," smiled Hal, though he, also, felt rather blue for the moment. "Our folks will be down to the recruit drilling place to see us, soon, if we succeed in getting enrolled."
It hurt both boys a bit, as long as any part of their home city remained in sight. Each tried bravely, however, to look as though going away from home had been a frequent occurrence in their lives.
By the time that they were ten miles on their way both youngsters had recovered their spirits. Indeed, now they were looking forward with almost feverish eagerness to their meeting the recruiting officer.
"I hope the Army surgeon doesn't find anything wrong with our physical condition," said Hal, at last.
"Dr. Brooks didn't," replied Noll, as confidently as though that settled it.
"But