outside," said the sergeant, smiling.
"No, indeed," Hal agreed. "Thank you very much, Sergeant."
"You're welcome, sir. May I inquire if you are considering enlisting?"
"Both of us are," Hal nodded.
"Glad to hear it, sir," the sergeant continued, looking both boys over with evident approval. "You look like the clean, solid, sensible, right sort that we're looking for in the Army. I wish you both the best of good luck."
"Thank you," Hal acknowledged. "Good morning, Sergeant."
"Good morning, sir."
Still that "sir" to the citizen. The sergeant would drop it, as far as these two boys were concerned, if they entered the service and became his subordinates.
It seemed to Hal and Noll as if they could not get over the ground fast enough until they reached that doorway where the orderly stood. The orderly directed them how to reach the office upstairs, and both boys, after thanking him, proceeded rapidly to higher regions.
They soon found themselves before the door. It stood ajar. Inside sat a sergeant at a flat-top desk. He, too, was of the cavalry. There were also two privates in the room.
Doffing their hats Hal and Noll entered the room. Overton led the way straight to the sergeant's desk.
"Good morning, Sergeant. We have come to see whether we can enlist."
"How old were you on your last birthday?" inquired the sergeant, eyeing Hal keenly.
"Eighteen, Sergeant."
"And you?" turning to Noll.
"Seventeen," Noll replied.
"You are too young, I'm sorry to say," replied the sergeant to Noll.
Then, turning to Hal, he added:
"You may be accepted."
"But I've got another birthday coming very soon," interjected Noll.
"How soon?"
"To-morrow."
"You'll be eighteen to-morrow?" questioned the sergeant.
"Yes, sir."
"That will be all right, then," nodded the sergeant. "You won't need to be sworn in before to-morrow. You have both of you parents living?"
"Yes, sir," Hal answered, this time.
"It is not necessary, or usual, to say 'sir,' when answering a non-commissioned officer," the sergeant informed them. "Say 'sir,' always, when addressing a commissioned officer or a citizen."
"Thank you," Hal acknowledged.
"Now, you have the consent of your parents to enlist?"
"Yes, Sergeant."
"Both of you?"
"Yes."
"Aldridge!"
One of the pair of very spruce-looking privates in the room wheeled about.
"Furnish these young men with application blanks, and take them over to the high desk."
Having said this the sergeant turned back to some papers that he had been examining.
"You will fill out these papers," Private Aldridge explained to the boys, after he had led them to the high desk. "I think all the questions are plain enough. If there are any you don't understand then ask me."
It was a race between Hal and Noll to see which could get a pen in his hand first. Then they began to write.
The first question, naturally, was as to the full name of the applicant; then followed his present age and other questions of personal history.
For some time both pens flew over the paper or paused as a new question was being considered.
When he came to the question as to which arm of the service was preferred by the applicant Noll turned to Hal to whisper:
"Is it still the infantry?" young Terry asked.
"Still and always the infantry," Hal nodded.
"All right," half sighed Noll. "I'm almost wishing for the cavalry, though, so I could ride a horse."
"The infantry is best for our plans," Hal replied.
When they had finished making out their papers Hal and Noll went back to the sergeant's desk.
"Do we hand these to you?" Hal asked.
"Yes," said the sergeant, taking both papers. He ran his eyes over them hurriedly, then rose and passed into an inner office. When he came out all he said was:
"Take seats over there until you're wanted."
Two or three minutes later a buzzer sounded over the sergeant's head. Rising, he entered the inner room.
"Our time's come, now, I guess," whispered Noll.
"Or else something else is going to happen," replied Hal, smiling. "You and I are not the only two problems with which the Army concerns itself."
Noll's guess was right, however. The sergeant speedily returned to the outer office and crossed over to the boys, who rose.
"Lieutenant Shackleton will see you," announced the sergeant. "Step right into his office. Stand erect and facing him. Use the word, 'sir,' when answering him, and be very respectful in all your replies. Let him do all the talking."
"We understand, thank you," nodded Hal.
The sergeant, who had his cap in his hand, turned to leave the office for a few moments on other business. As he was going out he nearly bumped into a heavily-built young fellow who was entering.
Hal Overton had reached the door leading into the lieutenant's office and pulled it open.
Just as he did so he heard a rather familiar voice behind him demand:
"Where's the officer in charge?"
"In that office," replied one of the soldiers, pointing.
The newcomer did not stop to thank the soldier, but sprang toward the door that Hal had just opened.
"Here, you kids can stand aside until a man gets through with his business in there," exclaimed Tip Branders, gripping Hal by the shoulders and swinging him aside.
CHAPTER III
THE ORDEAL OF EXAMINATION
HAL OVERTON was so astonished that he offered no resistance to the bully from home.
Instead, Hal and Noll paused by the door, while Tip, with a confident leer on his face, strode into the inner office.
Lieutenant Shackleton, a man of twenty-eight, in blue fatigue uniform, with the single bar of the first lieutenant on his shoulder-straps, looked up quickly and in some
