"You deserve a higher credit, then, for you are both honest lads."
Again the lieutenant turned to look them over keenly, sizing them up, as it were. Both were plainly more than five-feet-four, and so would not be rejected on account of height. They seemed like good, solid youngsters, too.
"Smoke cigarettes?" suddenly shot out the lieutenant.
"No, sir!"
"Smoke anything else, or chew tobacco? Or drink alcoholic beverages?"
"We have never done any of these things, sir," Hal replied.
"I see that you express a preference for the infantry," continued the recruiting officer.
"Yes, sir," Hal replied.
"I am almost sorry for that," continued the officer. "I would like to see two lads of your evident caliber going into my own arm of the service – the cavalry."
"We have chosen the infantry, sir," Hal explained, "because we will have more leisure time there than in the cavalry or artillery."
"Looking for easy berths?" asked Lieutenant Shackleton, with a suddenly suspicious ring to his voice.
"No, sir," Hal rejoined. "May I explain, sir?"
"Yes; go ahead."
"We both of us have hopes, sir, if we can get into the Army, that we may be able to rise to be commissioned officers. We have learned that there is less to do in the infantry, ordinarily, and that we would therefore have more time in the infantry for study to fit ourselves to take examinations for officer's commissions."
"Then, to save you from possible future disappointment, I had better be very frank with you about the chances of winning commissions from the ranks," said the lieutenant. "In the Army we have some excellent officers who have risen from the ranks. Each year a few enlisted men are promoted to be commissioned officers. The examination, however, is a very stiff one. Out of the applicants each year more enlisted men are rejected than are promoted. The difficulty of the examination causes most enlisted men to fail."
"Thank you, sir. We have thought of all that, and have looked over the nature of the examinations given enlisted men who seek to be officers," Hal replied. "We know the examinations are very hard, but we have twelve years if need be in which to prepare ourselves for the examination. Enlisted men, so I am told, may apply for commissions up to the age of thirty."
"Yes; that is right," nodded the lieutenant. "But how much schooling have you behind you?"
"We have each had two years in High School, sir."
"On that basis you will both have hard times to prepare yourselves for officers' examinations. However, with great application, you may make it – if you achieve also sufficiently good records as enlisted men."
This explanation being sufficient, Lieutenant Shackleton paused, then went on:
"As you are unusually in earnest about enlisting I fancy that you want to hear the surgeon's verdict as soon as possible."
"Yes, sir, if you please," replied Hal.
"Orderly!"
One of the two soldiers entered. Lieutenant Shackleton made some entries on the application papers, then handed them to the soldier.
"Orderly, take these young men to the surgeon at once."
"Yes, sir. Come this way, please."
Hal and Noll were again conducted into the outer office. The sergeant had returned by this time and was at his desk. Over at the high desk stood Tip Branders, making out his application.
"Oh, we're it, aren't we?" demanded Tip, looking around with a scowl at the chums. "You freshies!"
"Be silent," ordered the sergeant looking up briskly.
"Well, those two kids – " began Tip. But the sergeant, though a middle-aged man, showed himself agile enough to reach Tip Branders' side in three swift, long bounds.
"Young man, either conduct yourself properly, or get out of here," ordered the sergeant point-blank.
Muttering something under his breath, Tip turned back to his writing, at which he was making poor headway, while the orderly led Hal and Noll down the corridor, halting and knocking at another door.
"Come in!" called a voice.
"Lieutenant Shackleton's compliments, sir, and two applicants to be examined, sir."
"Very good, Orderly," replied Captain Wayburn, assistant surgeon, Army Medical Corps, as he received the papers from the orderly. The latter then left the room, closing the door behind him.
"You are Overton and Terry?" questioned Captain Wayburn, eyeing the papers, then turning to the chums, who answered in the affirmative.
Captain Wayburn, being a medical officer of the Army, wore shoulder straps with a green ground. At the ends of each strap rested the two bars that proclaimed his rank of captain. Being a staff officer, Captain Wayburn wore black trousers, instead of blue, beneath his blue fatigue blouse. Moreover, the black trousers of the staff carried no broad side stripe along the leg. The side stripe is always in evidence along the outer leg side of the blue trousers of the line officer, and the color of the stripe denotes to which arm of the service the officer belongs – a white stripe denotes the infantry officer, while a yellow stripe distinguishes the cavalry and a red stripe the artillery officer.
Captain Wayburn now laid out two other sets of papers on his desk. These were the blanks for the surgeon's report on an applicant for enlistment.
At first this examination didn't seem to amount to much. The surgeon began by looking Hal Overton's scalp over, next examining his face, neck and back of head. Then he took a look at Hal's teeth, which he found to be perfect.
"Stand where you are. Read this line of letters to me," ordered the surgeon, stepping across the room to a card on which were ranged several rows of printed letters of different sizes.
Hal read the line off perfectly.
"Read the line above."
Hal did so. He read all of the lines, to the smallest, in fact, without an error.
"There's nothing the matter with your vision," remarked Captain Wayburn, in a pleased tone. "Now tell me – promptly – what color is this?"
The surgeon held up a skein of yarn.
"Red," announced Hal, without an instant's hesitation.
"This one?"
"Green."
"And this?"
"Blue."
And so on. Hal missed with none of the colors.
"Go to that chair in the corner, Overton, and strip yourself, piling your clothing neatly on the chair. Terry, come here."
Noll went through similar tests with equal success. By the time he had finished Hal was stripped. Now came the real examination. Hal's heart and other organs were examined; his skin and body were searched for blemishes. He was made to run and do various other exercises. After this the surgeon again listened to his heart from various points of examination. Finally Hal was told to lie down on a cot. Now, the examination of the heart was made over again in this position. It was mostly Greek to the boy. When the examination was nearly over Noll was ordered to strip and take his turn.
When it was over Captain Wayburn turned to them to say:
"If I pronounced you young men absolutely flawless in a physical sense, it wouldn't be much of an exaggeration. You are just barely over the one hundred and twenty pound weight, but that is all that can be expected at your age."
"You pass us, sir," asked Hal eagerly.
"Most decidedly. As soon as Terry is dressed I'll hand you each your papers to take back to the recruiting officer."
Five minutes later Hal and Noll returned to the main waiting room.
"Pass?" inquired the sergeant, with friendly interest.
"Yes," nodded Hal.
Tip