“No use to go to Dodge now!” thought Dick despondently.  “Whether he knows that I saw that cuff or not, he has removed it and has it safely hidden by this time.  Oh, if Chaplain Montgomery could have been a hundred yards further away at that moment!”

It was no use to lament.  Dick concluded to wait and bide his time.  The chance might yet come to catch Bert Dodge red handed.

“Though, if he suspects that I saw his exposed cuff, he’ll take pains that there is not further chance!” decided Cadet Prescott.

After that he went to his room, where he told Greg what he had discovered.

“It’s suspicious—–­mightily so,” declared Holmes.  “But it isn’t proof—–­not yet!”

Nevertheless, Greg, once he had heard, could not get the matter out of his mind either!

CHAPTER XXI

PITCHING FOR THE ARMY NINE

“Dick, old fellow, this is going to be a Gridley day for us!  It will carry us back to the good old High School days!”

Cadet Greg Holmes was radiant as he moved about their room in quarters that Saturday morning while preparing for the call to breakfast formation.

Until one o’clock these young men of West Point would be busy in the section rooms, as on other week days.  But the afternoon of Saturday belonged to pleasure—–­on this Saturday to sport!

Lehigh University was sending over the strongest baseball nine it could put up, in the effort to beat West Point on the Military Academy’s diamond.

“It’ll seem just like good old Gridley High School days,” repeated Greg.

“Yes,” smiled Dick darkly, “with the same rascal, Bert Dodge, to keep my thoughts going.”

“Dodge won’t be in the game, anyway.”

“He wasn’t much in Gridley, either,” smiled Dick darkly.

“Oh, well, forget him until the game is over.”

Morning recitations passed off as usual.  It was when the cadets came back from dinner,

First, there was a brief inspection, after which cadets, with leave to visit the West Point Hotel, or officers’ homes, strolled away to meet young women friends.

“I’m due to be only a rooter today,” sigh Greg, as he saw his roommate start off to the gym to meet the other members of the nine.

“Your luck may change,” rejoined Dick.  “You’d better go along to the gym.  You’re the sub. shortstop, you know, and Meacham may not be on deck.  Better come along, now.”

“I will, then; I wasn’t going over until just before time to get into togs and sit on the bench.”

Up to this time, neither Prescott nor Holmes had judged their academic standing to be good enough to make it safe for them to enter into sports.  This winter and spring, however, had found them “safe” enough for them to go into training with the baseball squad.

Dick had tried for the position of pitcher, but Kennedy had been chosen, while Prescott had gone to second base.  Tatham was the sub. pitcher.