“Well, what do you think of it?” asked Ned, as Frank continued to stare at the poster. “We’ve got to do something, so why not do this? You know we’ve both been keen on getting on a battleship, and this is our chance. Maybe we wouldn’t have come to it if it hadn’t been for our misfortune. I’m sure we can pass the examination,” he went on. He and his brother were in excellent physical trim, for they were active lads, always in training.
“Well, since you’ve brought up the matter,” said Frank, speaking slowly, “I don’t mind telling you, Ned, that I had something like this in mind all along.”
“Sure. After the crash, and when Uncle Phil had to go away, I knew there’d be a shortage of money. Now, though we have pretty good educations, we haven’t been trained for any work yet. So I looked into this navy business, knowing you were as crazy about battleships as I was, and I found out that not only does Uncle Sam train young fellows to be good sailors, marines and soldiers, but by enlisting in the navy you can acquire a trade at which you can earn your living if you want to quit after your term of enlistment is up.”
“It sure is. Why we can learn to become machinists, bakers, firemen, shipwrights, plumbers and fitters, boiler makers, cooks or musicians.”
“Well, I should say so! I read it all up. But your proposition sort of took me—er—”
“Call it amidships, if we are to enlist,” suggested Ned, with a laugh.
“All right—it sort of took me amidships,” agreed Frank. “I was figuring on looking about New York a bit, trying to get work, perhaps, and then enlisting.”
“And you never told me. Though you did speak something about a chance to get near Atlanta, where Uncle Phil is imprisoned.”
“Yes, that was part of the game. You know when a fellow used to enlist in the navy he was sent to a training ship. Well, that’s all done away with, and now the government has a number of naval training stations on shore, near the water, of course. There’s one at Norfolk, Virginia, and we might ask to be sent there. If we were, we could get leave and go to Atlanta, perhaps.”
“Say, you have it all thought out, haven’t you?” exclaimed Ned, admiringly.
“Not all,” Frank admitted. “And perhaps we couldn’t get to Atlanta after all. But it’s worth trying. So now I’m with you, old man, and we’ll enlist—or try to. Maybe they won’t take us.”