The band had just finished a beautiful waltz to which all had swung across the creek in perfect rhythm, when one of the several enlisted men, stationed along the margin of the creek, and equipped with stout ropes and heavy planks in the event of accident, sounded “attention” on a bugle.  Instantly, every midshipman, officer, or those in any way connected with the Academy, halted and stood at attention to hear the order.

“No one will be allowed to go below the bridge.  Ice is not safe,” rang out the order.

Nearly every one heard and to hear was, of course, to obey for all in the Academy, but there are always heedless ones, or stupid ones in this world, and in the numbers gathered upon the ice that afternoon there were plenty of that sort, and it sometimes seems as though they were sent into this world to get sensible people into difficulties.  Of course the heedless ones were too busy with their own concerns to pay heed to the warning.  A group of young girls from the town were skating together close to the lower bridge.  Durand and Peggy were near the Marine Barracks shore, when they became aware of their reckless venturing upon the dangerous ice.

“Durand, look,” cried Peggy.  “Those girls must be crazy to go out there after hearing that order.”

“They probably never heard it at all.  Some of those cits make me tired.  They seem to have so little sense.  Now I’ll bet my sweater that every last person connected with the Yard heard it, but, I’d bet two sweaters that not half the people from the town did, yet there was no reason they shouldn’t.  It was read for their benefit just exactly as much as ours, but they act as though we belonged to some other world and the orders were for our benefit, but their undoing.”

“Not quite so bad as all that, I hope,” laughed Peggy, as they joined hands and swung away.  A moment later she gave a sharp cry.  Durand had turned and was skating backward with Peggy “in tow.”  He spun around just in time to see a little girl about ten years of age throw up her hands and crash through the rotten ice.  Peggy had seen her as she laughingly broke away from the group of older girls to dart beneath the bridge.

“Quick!  Beat it for help,” shouted Durand, flinging off his reefer and striking out for the screaming girls.  He had not made ten strides when a second girl in rushing to her friend’s assistance, went through too, the others darting back to safer ice and shrieking for help.  Durand now had a proposition on hand in short order, but Peggy’s wits worked rapidly:  If she left Durand to go for help he would have his hands more than full.  Moreover, the alarm had already been sounded and the Jackies were coming on a run.  So she did exactly as Durand was doing:  laid flat upon the ice and worked her way toward the second struggling victim.  Durand had caught the child and was doing his best to keep her afloat and himself from being dragged into the freezing water, but Peggy’s victim was older and heavier.