“And how about you, Joe?”
“Same here,” replied Chambers. He was a tall, intellectual-looking youth who wore glasses and was popularly believed to be an embryo great journalist.
“Good enough,” said Alf. “You’d better get busy, Dan, and hunt up some of your class fellows and get them pledged. There’s Walpole over there; tackle him.”
But Walpole was very sorry and had just promised Hiltz to vote for him. “Wish I had known before, Dan,” he said. “I’d rather stood for you if you’d told me. I didn’t know you were running.”
It didn’t take Dan long to discover that Hiltz had been busy, for everyone of the dozen or so Second Classmen he spoke to had been approached by his adversary. A few only had not definitely promised their support and these willingly pledged their votes to Dan. Dan went back to the group in the corner.
“Say, Paul, how many Second Class fellows are there in Cambridge?”
“I can tell you in a minute.” Rand went to his desk, unlocked a drawer and looked over the membership list. “Twenty-nine,” he announced, returning with the list in his hand. “Want to get the names?”
“Yes,” said Dan, “that’s a bully idea. Read them out to me, will you?” So Paul read and Dan jotted them down on a piece of paper. When he had finished he said: “I’ve seen eleven to-night and seven of them are promised to Hiltz. If that ratio works out with the rest I’ll get only about ten votes.” He looked doubtfully at Alf.
“I don’t believe Hiltz has seen them all,” answered Alf. “What you want to do is to get busy right away. There’s Thompson now. Talk to him, Dan.”
Arthur Thompson had just entered with Gerald in tow and Dan crossed over to them.