Glasby was a fellow who was very well liked, while Harkness was a lieutenant who at one time had been more or less of a crony of Nappy Martell, Gabe Werner, and others of the crowd that had been opposed to the Rover boys.
“Well, I sha’n’t complain if Glasby gets the position,” declared Jack. “But I’d hate mightily to see Lieutenant Harkness at the head of the school battalion.”
“I never liked Harkness myself,” put in Spouter. “He isn’t a bit better in many respects than Gabe Werner.”
It was soon noised around the school that Brassy Bangs and his cronies were doing their best for Harkness, while another crowd, led by Bart White, were rooting in rather a lively fashion for Captain Glasby.
“We’ve got to get busy for Jack,” said Gif to Spouter. “Come on! Let’s sound out all the fellows in the Hall we think we can influence.” And thereupon he and Spouter and a number of others set to work to electioneer for Jack as hard as they could.
Several days before the election Andy and Randy obtained permission to go to Haven Point on an errand. It was rather a disagreeable, misty day, and they were tramping along through the mud on the outskirts of the town when they saw Brassy Bangs and a stranger ahead of them. The stranger was a tall, thin individual, dressed in an old-fashioned suit of rusty black and with a big slouch hat pulled well down over his head. He was puffing away at a large black cigar, and seemed to be very much in earnest in what he was saying to Brassy.
“I saw that fellow around the school about a week ago,” declared Randy. “He didn’t look like a very nice sort, either.”
“He certainly has a fierce-looking mustache,” was Andy’s comment. “And it’s as red as his hair.”
“I tell you I can’t do it, and that’s all there is to it,” the boys heard Brassy exclaim, in reply to something the stranger had said.
“And I say you’ve got to do it,” returned the man, and his tone was decidedly ugly. “You’ve got to do it—or otherwise you’ve got to take the consequences.”