there was a blur before tom’s eyes; a blur that made the letters and words on the paper in front of him seem misty and far away. he caught his breath sharply. he remembered that his mother was watching him eagerly—anxiously.
“i won’t show the white feather before her, no matter what happens,” he told himself, fiercely. “if i’ve failed—”
he pulled himself together with an effort. after all, he did not yet know that he had failed. he brushed his hand across his eyes, and the blur vanished. he caught sight of one word—“congratulations.”
that could mean but one thing. he must have passed! quickly he read enough of the letter from the congressman to gather its import.
it was true. tom had passed the preliminary examination with the highest mark!
“hurrah, mother!” tom cried. “it’s all right! i’ve passed! i’ve won out, mr. hutton[pg 30] says! i got the highest marks of any in the examination, and he’s sent my name as his nominee for west point to the secretary of war. think of that! to the secretary of war!”
“oh, i hope there’ll be no war!” murmured mrs. taylor.
“don’t worry about that part of it, mother!” tom cried. “just think of it! i’m going to be a west point cadet. that is, if i pass the rest of the examinations,” he added more soberly.
“are there more?” asked mrs. taylor.
“oh, yes,” tom replied. “i’ll have to answer a lot more questions, and stiffer ones than those they put to us at preston. i’ll have to go before the doctors, too. but i’m not worrying about that. i’ll have some time before the middle of june, when i have to take the final entrance examinations, and i’ll bone up in the meanwhile. say, mother, this is great!” cried tom, with shining eyes. “simply great!”
“i’m glad you have succeeded so far, tom,” said his mother in a low voice. “but it will mean a great deal to me to have you away. still, i suppose you can come home often. west point isn’t very far off.”
tom was silent a moment. his face grew sober.
“no, mother,” he said, slowly, “i’m afraid i’ll not be able to get back to see you very often[pg 31] if i go to west point. cadets are allowed only one furlough in the four years. that is, unless something extraordinary happens. i can come home after i’ve been there two years, but not before.”
“oh, tom!”
“but you can come to see me,” he added, quickly, for he felt a pang himself at the thought of the long separation.
there were tears in mrs. taylor’s eyes as she said, softly:
“oh, tom, i almost wish you hadn’t passed!”
he looked at her blankly.
“that is, i don’t want to lose you,” she went on. “but if you have your heart set on it, i suppose it is all for the best. you can’t remain my little boy forever.”
tom felt a lump coming up into his throat, but his mother, seeing which way matters were going smiled as she said:
“there, tom! we mustn’t be sad when there’s so much cause for rejoicing. of course you must go away. all boys do, sooner or later. and if you went to college you’d have to leave me.”
“this is better than any college!” cried tom, enthusiastically. “west point beats them all, in my estimation. why, just think of it, they pay you for learning there! i’ll get real money—that[pg 32] is after a while. i’ll send you some,” he announced. “but say, mother, now that i have passed so far, and there is a chance of my going to the academy, what about that hundred dollars deposit? can we raise it?”
“oh, yes, i’ll manage somehow. now let me see your letter. is that all mr. hutton says, that you have passed?”
“i haven’t read it all myself, yet. that’s as far as i got. hello, what’s this?” he exclaimed as his eyes took in the remainder of the epistle. “hawkesbury named as alternate! well, i suppose that’s only fair, but i’d rather it would have been some one else.”
“what’s that?” asked mrs. taylor.
“why you see, mother,” tom explained, “the congressman names two candidates. the one getting the highest average is first, and the one who comes second is the alternate. that’s to provide, in case the first named doesn’t pass the further examinations at west point, for some one to take his place, and have a try. otherwise there’d have to be another preliminary test. so clarence hawkesbury is my alternate; eh?”
“does that annoy you, tom?”
“oh, no. for we’ll not both be in west point, that is, unless he comes up again next year in case of a vacancy. it will have to be either him or me this time, and i rather think,” said tom,[pg 33] slowly, “it will be i. i’m going to pass, and make good!”
there was an air of determination about him as he said this that was good to see.
tom read the letter over again. it gave few details except those that have been mentioned, but it contained the information that, in due time, formal notification would come from the secretary of war, directing tom when and where to apply at west point for the further examinations, physical and mental.
doubtless clarence hawkesbury had received a similar letter, and would also be told to apply at west point when the time came for the final entrance examination.
“i only hope he doesn’t travel with me,” thought tom, for though he had no ill-feeling against clarence, yet the rich nephew of the old army officer had frequently made it unpleasant for tom when they had met.
formerly mr. taylor and captain hawkesbury had been rather intimate but, with the death of tom’s father, and the discovery that most of his fortune had, in some manner, been acquired by the army officer and mr. doolittle, tom could not help feeling coldly toward both the men. there was no specific reason for it, but mrs. taylor, too, did not like captain hawkesbury. nor had she any warmer regard for mr. doolittle,[pg 34] though they both offered to do what they could to help settle up the estate.
the trouble of it was that there was very little left to be settled up—that is little for tom and his mother, and mrs. taylor preferred the services of a young lawyer to those of captain hawkesbury or mr. doolittle.
in view of this it can easily be imagined that tom did not have the warmest feeling in the world for the arrogant and supercilious youth who was to be his rival—a rival, at least, until the results of the final entrance examinations were known.
once the delicious thrill of excitement following the receipt of the congressman’s letter was over, tom and his mother began to consider ways and means. it would mean a change for them if tom was to live permanently at west point for four years. there was much to be done to get ready. but tom, in the flush of his first success, made little of these preparations.
“we’ll manage—somehow,” said mrs. taylor, cheerfully.
