Show NOBODY PASSED There is an officer In the regular army who Is stationed not a hundred miles away from Governors Island this very day said a West Pointer rc cprttly who would never have graduated gradu-ated at the academy had it not been for his cool nerve plus his quick wit on a trying occasion And the West Pointer went on to tell of the cause anl effect of that nerve and quick wit I Twenty odd years ago when he was at West Point there was a cadet there who funked In his final examination in his fourth year He was a popular fellow and all his classmates felt sorry for him They wero all to doff the gray for the blue In a few days and the poor fellow it had leaked out despite regulations regu-lations would be declared on graduation gradua-tion day deficient the only one out of a class of more than sixty It so happened that a night or two before graduation day Mr Xlet him be called that was obliged to be on sentry duty The ofilcer of the guard that night got a sudden idea into his head the cadet misfit le so disheartened disheart-ened that he would be neglectful of his duty He would test him see if he had soldier stuff In him even though all odds wero against his l future It was a dark rainy night The officer of-ficer of the puard suddenly came across the cadets post The click of steel at the same time warned the intruder that the sentrys keen eyes were upon him = at least that his quick hearing had detected the stealthy steps on the wet sod Then came out In a half muffled voice Who goes there 7 This was the moment the ofllccr of the guard had fixed In his mind for a test of the cadets soldierly qualities The answer came quickly to the sen trys challenge Nobody To the amazement of the officer the cadet came to a right shoulder shift as it wa called in those days paced by him and said All right my orders are to let I Nobody pass Major The cadet had recognized the officer His answer even 1C not regular in a military sense was correct but It ana an-a tough one on the Major The story waso good it could not keep and It went to Washington 0 ro make a long story short said the West Pointer that answer under tho circumstances won Influence enough for that cadet not to leave the academy as a deficient but merely to he put back for another years chance Result He graduated with high honors hon-ors in the following Juno and was my commander In the Philippines six 0 months ago 0 |