Gordon asked permission for a few of the boys to remain in the school-room during the intermission, and then the situation was earnestly discussed. The list of members of Company C was carefully scanned. Some, they knew, would vote for Griffin; some, they were sure, would not. But there were twenty doubtful ones.
“We must manage to see every one of these twenty,” Gordon said. “Some of them, probably, are pledged to Griffin, but some, I’m sure, would rather have Graham over them.”
“Unless Coyle has managed somehow to set them against Graham,” interposed Hamlin.
“How could he set them against Graham?” said Gordon.
“I don’t know how, but he’s capable of lying to any extent to do it. We all know that,” answered Hamlin.
“That’s so,” cried several voices.
“Why can’t we go to some of the nice fellows in the company and ask them point-blank about it?” suggested Clark.
“Yes, why not? Seems to me that’s the thing to do,” said Reed.
“Who’s the best one to do it, then?” questioned Gordon. “If Coyle has told ’em a lot of stuff to set ’em against Graham, likely he’s said as much about Hamlin and me, and all the rest of us.”
“Yes, but all the same, some in Company C are real good fellows, and if they found that Coyle had been lying to them about Graham, they wouldn’t stand by him or his candidate,” said Hamlin.