“I say, fellows,” he began, eagerly, “we’ve got a chance now to choose our captain, and I move that we boom Griffin. I, for one, don’t want any such prig as Graham or Raleigh put over us. Griffin here is worth a dozen such chaps.”
All eyes were turned on Griffin as Coyle sat down, and somebody called, “Speech, speech.”
“I’m not much of a speechifier,” said Griffin, rising, “but I appreciate the honor you have done me, and if I’m elected, I’ll do my best to help you win the red ribbons next June.”
Then Barber sprang up.
“Griffin hasn’t got quite such high marks as those other fellows,” he said, “but he’s no end better up in tactics, and I’d rather have him for captain if he wasn’t.”
Coyle started vigorous applause at this, but now another spoke up.
“I haven’t a thing to say against Griffin,” he began. “He’s well up in the drill, and understands the duties of a captain; but the same is true of Graham, and I’m sure that most of the officers will vote for him. I don’t believe we could elect Griffin.”
“Oh, shucks! We can elect him if we all hang together,” cried Coyle, springing to his feet again. “Now see here—there are twenty-two officers, and in Company C there are forty men. Now if the company will go solid for Griffin, even without a vote from a single officer, we shall elect him by a big majority.”
Carr, a boy with a quiet, resolute face, now rose and said quietly, “I shall vote for Graham, because I believe that he can do more for Company C than any other on the list.”
Barber hissed then; whereupon another boy sprang up and cried, “I move that any fellow that hisses be put out. If we can’t discuss this matter like gentlemen, we’d better adjourn right now. Every fellow here has a right to his own opinion, I take it—and I’ve just as much right to vote for Graham as Barber has to vote for Griffin, and I intend to do it.”