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Dick Prescott's First Year at West Point by H. Irving (Harrie Irving) Hancock
page 33 of 192 (17%)
line. Badly out of step was this green material. Some of the boys
slouched as they walked along; others shuffled. Their appearance
was enough to dishearten a trained soldier.

But at last all these green ones were marshaled to seats in the great
dining hall at cadet mess. There, in a fine dinner, they forgot,
momentarily, many of the discouragements of the forenoon.

In the afternoon came a lot more of drilling of awkward squads by
other cadet corporals. Greg soon found, under the tender mercies
of another corporal, why Brayton was considered "easy."

These cadet corporals are all members of the yearling class, the
class directly above the plebes. As corporals these members of the
yearling class get their first direct experience in military
command.

Later in the afternoon all candidates were notified that academic
examinations would begin at eight o'clock the next morning in the
Academic Building.

And now the candidates began to shiver! "Bad" as the start had
been, they hoped, to a man, that they would pass these academic
examinations. To fail meant to return home, the dream of being a
cadet shattered!

"Ugh!" muttered Greg, rubbing his hands in quarters. "Br-r-r! Dick,
I'm afraid I'm scared cold!"

Prescott smiled, but he, too, was worried over the coming
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