THE ELECTION FOR OFFICERS
“Company attention! Shoulder arms! Forward march!”
Boom! Boom! Boom, boom, boom!
The drums rang out clearly on the morning air and the Colby Hall battalion swung into line on a march that carried it around the school buildings and then to the lake shore. Here Colonel Colby and Captain Dale inspected the three companies. Then the retiring major, Ralph Mason, was called on for a little speech which brought forth many cheers, and after this the command was dismissed.
It was the day for the election, and there was to be no school session until the afternoon.
At the last election there had been a total of 111 votes cast. But now there were one hundred and twenty-five cadets at the institution. There had been some talk of organizing a new command to be known as Company D, but so far this had not materialized.
As was the custom, the election was held in the main hall of the school and was presided over by Captain Dale and Professor Brice.
“I see they expect a hundred and twenty-five votes,” remarked Randy. “That means sixty-three will be necessary to a choice.”
“Well, I’m sure Jack will get at least forty on the first vote,” returned his brother.
“I hope he gets the whole sixty-three,” put in Dan Soppinger. Dan had once run for a captaincy, but had dropped out and turned most of his attention to athletics.
As at other elections, it was decided by Colonel Colby that each officer should be voted for separately.
“We’ll try for a new major first,” announced the head of the Hall.
The ballot box was placed on the table, and after a short intermission during which there was some very active electioneering among the various groups assembled, a bell rang and the cadets were formed in one long line and told to march up and deposit their ballots in the box.
It must be admitted that Jack was rather anxious, although he did his best to conceal it. He smiled at Captain Glasby, who smiled back. Then he smiled at Lieutenant Harkness, but that under-officer only favored him with a scowl.
“Harkness will never win anything with that look on his face,” was Gif’s comment, as he noticed the scowl. “The fellows like an officer who can take things pleasantly.”
It did not take the cadets long to vote, and as soon as all of the ballots had been cast Captain Dale, assisted by Professor Brice, began to tabulate the vote. In less than ten minutes they had finished. Then a bell rang and Captain Dale came forward to read the result.
| “Total number of votes cast | 125 |
| Necessary to a choice | 63 |
| Louis Glasby has | 51 |
| Jack Rover has | 50 |
| Darrell Harkness has | 24” |
“What do you know about that!” exclaimed Fred. “Jack and Glasby are within one vote of each other!”
“I’ll say that’s getting pretty close,” answered Randy.
“As no cadet has received the number of votes necessary to a choice, I will give the school a recess for fifteen minutes. Then we will vote again—for the same cadets or for new ones if you feel so inclined.”
After this brief announcement by Captain Dale came a hum of voices and there was some strenuous electioneering in all parts of the hall and also in the corridors and out on the campus.
“Glasby is stronger than I thought he was,” remarked Gif to Jack. “We’ll have to do some tall work to overcome his vote.”
“I think we can get some of the Harkness fellows to come over to us,” put in Spouter. “I don’t believe he’s as popular as he thinks.”
“Maybe we can get him to withdraw,” suggested Andy, with a grin.
“Withdraw, not!” broke out Fred. “He’s not that sort.”
While the conversation was going on somebody touched Jack on the shoulder, and turning he found himself confronted by Paul Halliday.
“Say, see here, Rover! I’d like a word with you,” whispered Halliday somewhat excitedly.
“All right, shoot!” answered the young captain.
“This is a little private matter,” went on Halliday. “You can bring your cousins along if you want to,” he added.
Wondering what Halliday had in his mind, Jack, along with Fred and Andy who happened to be close by, followed him to an out-of-the-way corner of a corridor.
“We want to know if you’re willing to make a deal with us,” said Halliday in a low, nervous tone of voice. “You know Harkness got twenty-four votes. Well, he’s willing to throw those votes to you if you are willing to back him for the new captain of Company C.”
“I can’t do that,” answered Jack quickly. “If I get to be major I’m going to back Fred here for the captaincy.”
“Oh, but, Jack, I could drop out of that!” put in his cousin quickly.
“Not much, Fred! I said I was going to do it, and I’m going to stick to my word. Besides that, I might as well tell you, Halliday, that I don’t believe Harkness is the best fellow for the position.”
“Then you won’t consider my offer?” demanded Halliday sourly.
“Certainly not!”
“I don’t believe you can control the Harkness votes,” put in Andy. “I believe Jack will get a whole lot of them on the next ballot.”
“He won’t get a one of them, and he’ll lose some of his own!” answered Paul Halliday. “You just wait and see!” And then he walked away.
“Jack, that move might have given you the majorship,” said Fred.
“If I’ve got to get it that way, Fred, I don’t want it,” was the prompt reply. “I wouldn’t vote for Harkness under any circumstances. He’s in hand and glove with Brassy Bangs, Halliday, Sands, and that whole bunch; and I don’t believe he ought to be an officer.”
A few minutes later came a commotion near the main entrance of the Hall. A cadet named Gibson who was doing some electioneering for Glasby had knocked Paul Halliday down, and there was every prospect of a fight when the two cadets were separated by a number of friends.
“He offered to sell the Harkness vote if our crowd would vote later on the way he wanted us to!” declared Gibson. “You would think he had half the vote of the Hall in his pocket,” and he glared at Halliday, who thereupon lost no time in sneaking out of sight.
The report that Halliday, Sands, and even Brassy Bangs were trying to sell the Harkness vote in exchange for some votes for a captaincy soon spread, and a number of the cadets who had voted for the lieutenant became disgusted and promptly said they were going to change. A lively discussion followed, in the midst of which the bell rang for the second ballot.
“Gee, Jack! if some of those fellows do change their votes I hope they come to you,” murmured Gif.
“Well, I must confess I’m hoping that myself,” answered the young captain, with a smile.
Once more the boys lined up and deposited their ballots. Then came some anxious waiting, and finally Captain Dale announced the result:
“Total number of votes cast.....125 Necessary to a choice............63 Jack Rover has...................67 Louis Glasby has.................46 Darrell Harkness has..............9 Peter Floyd has...................3”
“Hurrah! Jack wins!” cried Fred enthusiastically, and was the first person to grab his cousin by the hand and shake it warmly.
“That’s great, Jack!” exclaimed Gif, slapping him on the shoulder. “Let me congratulate you!”
“It’s just the result I was looking for!” burst in Spouter, his face wreathed in smiles.
Of course, Louis Glasby was much disappointed, but he took his defeat in good part and came up bravely to shake Jack by the hand.
“It was a fair and square contest, Jack,” he said. “And I congratulate you.” And then turning to the other cadets he called out: “Three cheers for Major Rover!” They were given with a will; and then Colonel Colby, Captain Dale, and many of the older persons came forward to congratulate the newly-elected head of the school battalion.
“Speech! Speech!” came the cry from the students. “A speech from the new major!” and almost before he was aware of it Jack was escorted to the platform.
“I don’t know what to say to you,” he said, as he faced his fellow-students. “I thank you very heartily for your support and I will do my best to deserve it. I want to say that I am particularly pleased at the nice manner in which Louis Glasby has taken his defeat. He’s a fine fellow and I hope I shall always have him for my friend.” And following these words there was more cheering.
“Evidently the Harkness combination went to pieces,” remarked Randy. “He polled only nine votes.”
“And that was nine too many,” murmured his brother.
Following the election for major, Captain Dale announced that they would next vote for a new captain for Company A.
“I don’t know what you fellows are going to do, but I know I’m going to vote for Louis Glasby,” announced Jack.
“I think a whole lot of fellows will do that,” answered Fred. “He’ll probably get every one of his original fifty-one votes.”
Again there was an intermission of a quarter of an hour, and then the boys were lined up for the vote to fill the vacancy in Company A. On the first ballot Glasby got 60 votes while Fred poled 18 votes, the rest being scattering. Then on the second ballot Glasby was declared elected with 69 votes in his favor.
“Three cheers for Captain Glasby of Company A!” called out Jack quickly, as he shook hands with his late rival, and the cheers were given with as much of a will as they had been for the newly-elected major.
“Well, I got thirty-two votes on that last ballot,” announced Fred. “That shows I’ve got some friends in this school. I don’t want to be the captain of Company A. I’d rather remain a lieutenant of Company C.”
“But we’ve got to have a new captain for Company C now that Jack has stepped out,” put in Phil Franklin.
A quarter of an hour later the balloting began for a new captain for the company Jack had commanded. Here developed a spirited rivalry, and it was not until the fifth ballot that the final vote was taken. Then Fred won by 64 votes with the other votes scattered among eight contestants.
“Three cheers for Captain Fred Rover!” shouted Phil Franklin enthusiastically, and threw his cap high in the air. He had electioneered as hard as anybody for the youngest Rover.
Then Fred was called on for a little speech, and after that there was another election for lieutenants and a number of minor officers.
“It certainly was our day, Fred,” said Jack, as he and his cousin shook hands.
“Right you are, Major Rover,” and Fred saluted in the most precise military fashion.
“Bonfires to-night, boys!” sang out Andy. “And we’ll have some big doings, believe me!”
“Right you are!” declared his twin.