“Here they come now,” announced Dan Dalzell.

Tom and Harry were heartily glad, of course, to hear of the luck that had befallen Greg and Dan.

“We were just wishing that you two had fallen into the same kind of luck, and that you were going into uniform with us,” declared Dick.

Reade glared at Prescott.

“Humph!” muttered Tom.  “I thought you were a friend of mine!”

“I judge it’s a mighty good thing we don’t all hunger for the same careers,” laughed Harry.  “For instance, all young fellows can’t go into the United Service.  There aren’t jobs enough to go around.  The United States Army is just about big enough to find with a good magnifying glass.  As for the Navy-----”

“Be careful,” warned Darrin touchily.

“As for the Navy,” continued Hazelton, “Congress has a lot of officers trained and then seems to think that one new battleship every other year or so ought to keep the country patient.”

“You fellows are going to be downright happy, I know,” resumed Tom.  “But so are Harry and I. We finish out our High School work, and then our chance is ahead of us.”

“To find?” queried Dave.

“No, sir!  We’ve got it,” retorted Tom.  “It came to us only recently, and Harry and I have been keeping a bit quiet, but now it is time to tell the news—–­just in the circle of Dick & Co.”

By dint of great hustling, and backed by recommendations from the local civil engineer, Reade and Hazelton had secured a chance, beginning in the coming July, to join as rodmen the engineering party that was laying a new railroad over the Rockies, in Colorado.

Just before the first of March, Dick Prescott and Greg Holmes slipped quietly away, and reported at West Point.

But what further happened to Dick and Greg—–­and there was a lot of it—–­must be reserved for the volumes of the new West Point series.

The first volume will appear under the title, “Dick Prescott’s First Year at West Point; Or, Two Chums in the Cadet Gray.”

Later on Dave Darrin and Dan Dalzell left Gridley and home for Annapolis.  Their adventures will be followed up in the new Annapolis series.

The first volume in this series will be entitled:  “Dave Darrin’s First Year at Annapolis; Or, Two Plebes at the Naval Academy.”

Nor did Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton fail of some very extraordinary adventures in their chosen career of engineering.  Their career led them into some of the wild spots of the earth.  It will all be told in the Young Engineer series.

The first volume in this series will appear shortly under the caption:  “The Young Engineers in Colorado; Or, at Railroad Building in Earnest.”

How about the other Gridley folks whose acquaintance has been so enjoyable?  Fred Ripley?  Well, as to Fred—–­when we first made his acquaintance, he was anything but an agreeable fellow, but he learned his lesson in time, and, under the wholesome influence of Dick & Co., but especially of Dick Prescott himself, Fred had become a different boy.  Such is the effect of good example.