"Madam Chairman! Madam Chairman! Mrs. Chair! The chair! Hear! Hear!"
"Prepare your ballots!" came the order from the chair, ignoring the call from the floor.
There was no need to give this last call, for scarcely Judith uttered the word "prepare" than the girls, all primed for the cue, made another rush for the ballot box.
By this time the other side had "gained consciousness," as Minette expressed it, and were massing to form a blockade. To reach the ballot box, deposit the votes every one of which was correctly signed, then to seize the box, count the votes and announce the winner would constitute a legal election. And some work!
In spite of the scramble and seeming disorder, every turn of the proceeding was carried out according to parliamentary rules--all but one detail: the candidate had not accepted the nomination.
"Where is she? Where is Jane Allen? Jane, dig in!" came shout after shout, as the girls pressed their way to the little box, therein to deposit the fateful slip of yellow paper. But Jane did not appear.
Nevertheless the voting went on, wildly, madly.
Groups of the opposition surrounded groups of the less experienced girls--those among the freshmen, but captives were quickly released by the forceful breaking in of the sophs. The call for Jane grew wilder and more persistent.
"Is she hiding?" someone asked.
"Jane Allen hide!" came back the indignant denial. "You don't know your candidate."