Meantime, Coyle joined another group of the members of Company C. After listening for a few minutes, to what one and another had to say, he remarked casually, “I’ve been thinking it over, and I’d about made up my mind to let Griffin go, and vote for Graham. He’s a prime fellow if he is a little too stiff—but something I heard this morning made me rather inclined to stick to Griffin.”
“What was it you heard?” questioned several of the group.
“Why, that Gordon and Hamlin are working for all they are worth, to get self-government into the battalion.”
“Self-government? What do you mean by that?” queried one, while all listened for the reply.
“Don’t you know how they manage in some of the military schools? The boys elect a judge and jury from their own number, and if any boy does anything contrary to rules, they try him and pronounce sentence themselves, subject of course to the principal’s approval.”
“Well, what’s the matter with that? We’d have it all in our own hands, and we could make our punishments as light as we pleased,” laughed one.
“Not much—if Graham or Raleigh was captain, and Gordon judge, as he would be. Those fellows are both right under Gordon’s thumb, and he thinks it’s a sin to smile in school hours. He’s crazy on the subject of the reputation of the Central, and he’s got every fellow in our section, except Barber and me—and his royal highness, St. John—to work for honors. You can see how it will be if his candidate, Graham, is elected—no more jolly times for Company C. All but three or four of the officers are ready to back Gordon and Hamlin, whatever they propose, and if they put their self-government scheme through, we fellows in Company C, that like a bit of fun now and then, won’t have any show at all. Cigarette smoking will be a capital crime, and if a fellow happens to say ‘by ginger’ he’ll be in disgrace for a month. We’ll get no favors—you’ll see. It will be the fellows that dig into Latin and geometry day and night, that will be favored, and those of us that like to see a little of life and have a good time now and then, will get sat upon every time.”
“But are you sure that Graham favors this self-government scheme, Coyle?” questioned one.
“Heard Graham himself say to Hamlin that if he was elected, that’s the thing he’d work for—another form of the L. A. O. they’re so proud of in our section,” replied Coyle.
“If that’s so, I’m inclined not to vote for Graham. How about Raleigh? Is he of the same mind?” questioned another.