The New Cadet, or, Faraday in Strange Company

This issue features "The New Cadet," a serial by Easing Clarke set at Annapolis Naval Academy. The narrative centers on cadet Clif Faraday and the new plebe Dazey, a blunt, witty newcomer from New York's Bowery whose uncle arrives unexpectedly intoxicated. The uncle, in his inebriated state, enters the gun shed housing heavy naval cannons and becomes obsessed with playing with the artillery—striking matches, lighting a bottle in a cannon's muzzle, and accidentally firing a shot that destroys a sentry house. When the cadets attempt intervention, Dazey's uncle becomes belligerent and dangerous, manipulating firing apparatus while ranting. Clif attempts to manage the escalating crisis while Dazey warns that his uncle, a habitual "Bowery tout," will be unpredictably violent until the intoxication runs its course. The chapter ends with Clif determined to subdue the man despite Dazey's protests.