"Hey, you Cotton-Top, what are you lallygagging up here for?" demanded Soda, as he caught sight of Fred. "Get a move on and come down. We need your vote."
Thus besought, the left half-back opened his mouth to speak, but the others would not let him, seizing him and carrying him downstairs by main force.
When Sandow had called the Seconds to order, he briefly asked for nominations for captain.
Promptly, Taffy proposed Bart's name, while Soda performed the same office for Fred.
No other names being suggested, the leader of the Firsts called for a vote.
"Let's not have ballots—let's just state our preference, when our name is called," suggested Lefty.
This proposition evoked a storm of protest, and, as time was pressing, Sandow ordered ballots to be used.
"Just write the name of your preference on a piece of paper and bring it to me," he directed.
Quickly the boys obeyed, and when all had cast their votes, the captain of the school team counted them.
"The vote's a tie," he announced. "Seven for Bart and seven for Fred."