nine A.M.
The Would-Be Candidates The big stir came earlier than it had been expected . Every boy who has followed such matters in his own interest will appreciate what the `` big stir '' means . Congressman Spokes , representing the district in which Gridley lay , had a vacant cadetship at West Point within his gift , and also a cadetship at Annapolis . _ `` On December 17 , at nine A.M. , at the town hall in Wilburville , I will meet all young men who believe themselves to possess the other proper qualifications for a cadetship at either West Point or Annapolis . '' _ So ran the Congressman 's announcement in the daily press of the district . Every young man had to be of proper age , height , weight and general good bodily condition . He must , of course , be a citizen of the United States .