It must be confessed that Dick was exceedingly anxious when the time for balloting arrived. Would he succeed or fail?
Just before dinner Captain Putnam brought out a square box into which ballots might be cast.
"The cadets will stand up in a row to be counted," he said.
"Major Conners, will you will kindly count your command."
"Eighty-seven, including myself," announced the youthful major, after he had gone down the line and back with care.
"Are any cadets absent?"
"No, sir."
"Very well then, we will proceed to vote by having each cadet come up and cast a slip of paper with his favorite's name on it in the box. The line will march in single file, one pace from man to man. Forward!"
The captain stood by the ballot box, and up came the file, Major Conners first and Captain Blossom following. In a few minutes all of the eighty-seven ballots were in the box, and then began the sorting out.
"I will now read the result of the first ballot," announced Captain Putnam, holding up a paper with the figures, and amid a dead silence he began:
Whole number of votes cast 87
Necessary to a choice 44
Fred Garrison has 32
Richard Rover has 8
George Granbury has 15
John Fenwick has 12