CHAPTER XXVIII
"BLIGH, BLIGH, BLIGH!"
That Sunday afternoon the Naval Academy was in an uproar, for thecomplete history of Harry Blunt's disguise had become known to allmidshipmen, and every one of them was fascinated and intensely amused athis daring.
It was not the commandant's intention that the facts should becomegenerally known. But Harry Blunt never yet had been very amenable toorders. First he told two or three intimates under strict injunctions ofsecrecy, and each of these told three or four of their close friends inconfidence; and in this strictly confidential way the history of HarryBlunt's disguise became known before dinner was over to every midshipmanof the brigade.
Now the stern officers who inculcate discipline and a few other thingson the minds and character of midshipmen know that these younggentlemen should have been pained and grieved to learn that one of theirnumber had left a disguise in the office of the dreadedofficer-in-charge of the first division of midshipmen; in that officewhere demerits were assigned and daily preachments were solemnly made toerring midshipmen. And we know they should have been dismayed that yetanother one had proposed three groans for the highest authorities at theNaval Academy. But to be candid one is compelled to admit that themidshipmen's sentiments on these matters were far otherwise.
Indeed, the fact is Bligh's audacity thrilled and fascinated everymidshipman of the brigade. It came as a violent shock; and after thethrill came amazement, and then uproarious laughter.
That a midshipman should have kept civilian clothes for months rightunder the nose of an austere lieutenant-commander touched the brigade's"funny bone."
It was felt that Harry Blunt had a good joke on thatlieutenant-commander. Toward Bligh there suddenly developed greatadmiration. His proposing groans for the superintendent and thecommandant was the most audacious thing that had happened in the memoryof any midshipman then at Annapolis. And his frank assumption of theguilt of the acts charged against Third Classman Blunt, a man with whomhe had been on the worst of terms, suddenly awoke all midshipmen to abelief that the despised Bligh had not merited the obloquy souniversally cast upon him.
"Poor beggar," remarked Glassfell to Farnum, "he was only a plebe, andhadn't yet been educated up to the niceties of honor. He was only tryingto save himself from bilging; and he hasn't been treated decently here,that's a fact. But what unparalleled nerve! Goodness! The idea of hisstanding up and shouting out those groans! Well, I think a good many ofus have groaned more than once at the superintendent and commandant!"and Glassfell chuckled.
When Harry Blunt left the commandant's office that Sunday morning hewent straight to Bligh's room.
"Bligh," he cried, "you are white, and by jingo! everybody in thisAcademy is going to know it before night. I've treated you badly, Bligh,right from the start; and when I think of what you did thismorning--well, I'm ashamed of myself, that's how I feel. Look here,Bligh, would you shake hands?"
"Do you mean that, Blunt?" exclaimed Bligh, joyfully, his face aglowwith happiness.
"Mean it? I'm proud to be your friend if you will only let me!" andthese two young men who had so long cherished bitter feelings againsteach other jumped into a warm, generous friendship.
With the tale of Bligh's audacity went everywhere the story of how hehad saved Blunt. And midshipmen were touched deeply in suddenlyrealizing the sad, lonely, ostracized life Bligh had led; of thegenerosity of conduct by one so universally despised. And thus there wasa reaction by leaps and bounds of generous feeling toward that onceunhappiest of young men.
Bligh's character was hardly changed in these few days; the strongestthing in it was still a desire for applause, and he fairly drank in thekindly words that were now profusely showered upon him. The directeffect was to make him tremendously happy; Bligh really had never beenhopelessly vicious, unwarrantable as had been some of his acts. And nomidshipman had ever lived a sadder life at the Naval Academy. And thesudden change from ostracism to popularity overwhelmed him withhappiness and filled him with ambition to merit the kindly feelings thatwent with him in his final days at Annapolis.
On the following Wednesday Bligh received an official letter from theSecretary of the Navy with the curt information that his resignation asmidshipman had been accepted, and so the fear of disgraceful dismissalvanished. He was to reenter civil life without the stigma of expulsionfrom the naval service. He was all packed up and left on the afternoontrain.
Beside him in the car sat Frank Stonewell.
"Stonewell," remarked Bligh, "you will never know the good you've doneme; you came to me with your friendship when I had no friend and when Ineeded one badly. I was going to the dogs and hated everybody; youhelped to restore my self-respect and gave me a hope I might be of someaccount after all. I'm going to try to live right from now on, to make apoint of deserving friends."
"You're all right, Harry," replied Frank Stonewell; "you just needed toget a good grip on yourself; you had the academic regulations andstandards on the brain when I first met you; you were actually morbidabout them. Perhaps I pushed my defiance of them a little too far when Iplayed the last trick, but I love to dare. However, it's all a phase oflife. But, I say, Bligh, look out there! What are all those midshipmenrunning into the station for?"
"Oh, that's Blunt and a lot of third and fourth classmen. I guess theyhad a late dress parade and are trying to get to this train to bidsomebody good-bye. Probably some girl is aboard whom they all like."
"All aboard!" shouted the conductor.
Then came a sharp cry in staccato words, from the well-known voice ofHarry Blunt. "Four N yell, fellows," he cried, just before the trainstarted.
And then from over a hundred throats came a well-known Naval Academyshout, as follows:
"N N N N A A A A V V V V Y Y Y Y Navy-- Bligh, Bligh, Bligh."
It was in this way, and with this shout tingling in his ears, that Blighleft Annapolis. His eyes glistened. A mist swam before them. A momentlater he turned to his companion and said: "Frank, I've heard that samecall before--but I'd given up all hope of ever hearing it again--I can'ttell you what it means to me--but it seems as if those good chaps haveforgotten scores of mean things and have remembered the one decent thingI did at Annapolis."
Three years later a recent Princeton graduate was speaking at Annapoliswith Cadet Lieutenant Sexton.
"Tell me about Bligh," inquired Sexton. "I've heard you chaps atPrinceton liked him there. He was here for a while, in fact was myroommate--he had a hard time at first, but everybody here liked himwhen he left."
"Liked him!" exclaimed the Princeton man. "I guess we did; we more thanliked 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 footballrecord, of course--he was probably the best half-back in the countrylast season. But he was lots more than that. He was a helpful friend toall of us. I remember he once pulled me out of a deep hole; and I wasn'tthe only one. Just let a fellow get into trouble and before long you'dfind Bligh helping him out. Bligh could never be turned against any one.I remember one of our fellows did something off color; he offended ourclass feeling; well, we were going to do something--I don't knowwhat--but Bligh sort of took charge of affairs and said: 'Let's notcondemn that fellow; we may only succeed in shoving him deeper into thepit he is in; let's see if we can't find some good in him, or point himright, 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 tohim, 'Harry, what is your ambition?' He seemed to think quite a whileand then said: 'I want to be square, and I want people to believe I amsquare.' And you just bet, Sexton, that a bullier, squarer chap thanHarry Bligh never lived."