“Do you think either of them will be elected?” asked Andy.

“Not if I can prevent it,” replied the young major.  “Neither of them deserves any office.”

“I understand Dan Baxter wants to be major,” said Stuffer.  “Talk about gall!  What has he ever done for the school?  Nothing.”

“He won’t get the office,” said Jack.

“Is Bart going to have a walkover?” asked Pepper.

“Hardly.  Both Dave Kearney and Harry Blossom will run against him, and so will Bob Grenwood, and they all have their friends.”

“Well, let the best fellows win, say I!” cried Andy, and then he ran off, to do some fancy “stunts” in the gymnasium.

The excitement attending the disappearance of Bart Conners’s stickpin and Dan Baxter’s money had somewhat subsided, and now the cadets could think of nothing but the coming election.

“How many cadets are there to vote?” asked Pepper, as he and Jack walked away to the river to skate.

“Eighty-three.”

“Then it will take forty-two votes to elect anybody.”

“That’s it.”

“Well, I hope Bart gets the forty-two votes.”

“I have been doing a little figuring, and I think he can count on at least thirty-one votes.  But I am not so sure of the other eleven.”

The election of officers was made the occasion of a holiday at Putnam Hall.  Immediately after breakfast, the battalion was formed and marched around the campus and then to the gymnasium.  Here Captain Putnam made a little speech, in which he announced that the balloting for a major would be immediately followed by the balloting for one captain and then the other, and then for the lieutenants.

“It is now nine-thirty,” concluded Captain Putnam.  “Balloting for a new major will take place promptly at ten o’clock.”

“Captain Putnam, may I say a word?” asked Major Jack, saluting with his sword.

“Certainly, Major Ruddy.”

“Fellow cadets,” began Jack, in a clear, steady voice.  “All I wish to say is this:  As major of the Putnam Hall Battalion I have enjoyed myself very much, and I trust my successor, whoever he may be, will have as good a time.  I understand that some of you want to vote for me again.  Let me say that I am not a candidate, and will not accept the office even if elected.  I expect to leave this institution next June, and in the meantime hope to devote my time mostly to my studies.  I thank you for your attention.”

“Hurrah!” shouted a number of the cadets.

“Three cheers for Major Ruddy!” shouted Pepper, and they were given with a will.

“We’ll never get a better major!” called out one enthusiastic cadet.

After that there was a great canvassing for votes.  Dan Baxter was unusually active, and Jack and Pepper felt certain that he was trying one of his old tricks, namely, that of buying votes.  Some of the poorer cadets had very little spending money, and it was a great temptation to them to have money offered for their ballots.  Of course, buying votes was dishonorable, and Baxter had to work on the sly.  Ritter also tried to buy votes, but soon found out that very few of the cadets would even listen to him, because of the way he had misled them in the past.