“That shows how much one can depend on his friends,” growled Baxter to Mumps.

“Never mind, Dan, maybe you’ll be elected a captain,” answered the toady and sneak.

“I don’t want to be a captain; I want to be a major or nothing,” grumbled the bully.

A little later the balloting for a captain for Company A was started.  There were half a dozen candidates, including both Ritter and Coulter, and Ritter did all he could to get the boys who had voted for Baxter to support him, and then bribed Coulter to step out in his favor.  But Jack, Pepper and Bart Conners worked hard for Harry Blossom, as agreed, and as a consequence Harry was elected on the third ballot by fifty-two votes.

“Hurrah for Harry Blossom!” was the cry, and the newly-elected captain of Company A was congratulated on all sides.

This election was followed by that for a captain for Company B. Here the struggle was as fierce as before, but Dave Kearney won out on the sixth ballot.  Then came ballots for the lieutenants, and Bob Grenwood came out strong with fifty-five votes.  Dale Blackmore was made the new quartermaster, much to his delight, although Dale cared more for athletics than he did for military matters.

Not one of the Ritter or the Baxter crowd got an office, much to their disgust.  Baxter went off by himself to sulk, but Ritter and Coulter denounced their rivals openly.

“I reckon votes were bought,” said Ritter.

“Sure they were bought,” responded Coulter.

“So they were, by Ritter & Company,” retorted Andy, who overheard the talk.

“Oh, give us a rest, Snow!” muttered Ritter.  “I don’t want the old office anyway, and all my real friends know it.”

“Sour grapes,” answered the acrobatic youth.

“Don’t you get fresh, or I’ll punch your head!” cried the bully, savagely.

“Will you?” answered Andy.  “Just you try it, if you dare!”

“I will!” came hotly from Ritter, and leaping forward he hit Andy a sharp blow on the chin.

The assault came so suddenly that the acrobatic youth had no time to defend himself.  He staggered and fell, and as he went down the bully gave him a sharp kick in the side.

CHAPTER XXIV

ANDY SHOWS HIS COURAGE

“Stop that, Ritter!  What do you mean by kicking Andy when he is down?”

It was Pepper who uttered these words, as he rushed up from the other side of the campus.

“I didn’t kick him,” retorted Ritter.  He was startled, for he had not anticipated being seen.

“You did!”

“A fight!  A fight!” was the cry, and soon a crowd of cadets began to collect.

Slowly Andy arose to his feet.  His face was pale, for both the blow on the chin and the kick in the side had been severe.

“You—­you brute!” he gasped.  “You dirty brute!”

“Hi, don’t you call me a brute!” roared Ritter.