“No,” and Bernice shut her lips tightly together; “I won’t speak to father about it at all, if I’m not made President. A bargain is a bargain.”
So Dolly redoubled her efforts. But the trouble was, the opposing candidate was a favourite of all, Molly Mooney, a girl who lived over on the other side of town, was not in the Two D’s set, but she was a merry, good-natured girl, whom everybody liked. And so, many of the class declared their intention of voting for Molly Mooney, and couldn’t be persuaded to alter their decision.
It was a very trying situation, for Dolly couldn’t explain why she was so desperately anxious to have Bernice elected; and many of her best friends laughingly refused to listen when she urged them to vote on her side.
The contest promised to be a close one. Up to the very day of the election, Dolly and Dotty never ceased trying to turn the tide in their favour.
The two girls felt sure they would win, but Lollie said he was doubtful. He had persuaded Joe Collins to help him in his electioneering, and Joe was doing it for the fun of the thing.
“I don’t care a red cent,” Joe said, “who is President. It’s only a figurehead position anyway, when a girl holds it. The Committee decides everything. But if you two girls want Bernice so terribly, why I’ll help all I can. She is in our set, and Molly Mooney isn’t. Though Molly is an awful nice girl.”
So Joe hustled around, and announced the day of the election, that he had secured two more votes that morning. “But some are backing out,” he added. “The fellows promise, and they go back on their word. Awful mean, but they do, all the same. Now, Hy Landon, he told me yesterday he’d vote for Bernice, and to-day he told Lollie he didn’t intend to at all! So you can’t tell.”
The election was to take place directly after school was out in the afternoon. All day, Dolly and Dotty were in a state of nervous excitement. Usually most exemplary of conduct in school hours, this day found them writing notes and whispering in the class rooms, and so preoccupied were they with the one idea, that each missed a lesson.
“But,” poor Dolly thought to herself, “it doesn’t matter if I do miss my lessons, if I’ve got to move away from Berwick!” and then the tears would force themselves to her eyes, and she had to dab furtively with her handkerchief.