CHAPTER III A CASE OF BRIBERY
When the boys got back to the boathouse they found Pepper Ditmoreawaiting them.
"Dashed off that bit of writing as soon as I could," said he. "My, butwasn't it mean of old Crabtree to make me do it! But wait, I'll getsquare on him!"
"Pep, we met that strange sloop again," said Jack, and told of what hadbeen said.
"There's a mystery there, that's certain," answered Pepper. "Perhaps wehad better report to Captain Putnam."
"It won't do any harm."
"Then come on now. We've got ten minutes before parade."
Captain Putnam's office was a finely furnished apartment, just off themain classroom. They found the master of the school engaged in writing aletter.
"Well, young gentlemen, what can I do for you?" he said cheerily as theyentered.
"We've got something to tell you, sir," they answered, and then Jackquietly related their story.
The master of Putnam Hall listened with close attention, and questionedeach one of the party.
"This is certainly odd," said he, meditatively. "Still, there may benothing of importance in it. If you see the sloop hovering around again,let me know."
"We will, sir," answered Jack, and then he and his companions hurriedoff.
The drum was already rolling, and all of the cadets lost no time ingetting out on the parade ground. It was a beautiful day in earlyOctober, with just enough of coolness to make it bracing.
"The battalion will fall into line!" was the command, from one of the oldarmy officers present, and then the cadets of Company A and Company Btook the places assigned to them.
"Company, attention!" was the command from the officer in charge ofCompany A, to which Jack, Pepper, and Andy belonged. And then followed asimilar command to Company B.
While the battalion was at attention, Captain Putnam came forth andmounted a small stand that was handy.
"Young gentlemen," said he, gazing, at the assembled cadets, "I have anannouncement of importance to make to you. In the past you have beenunder the command of Captain Wilson and Lieutenants Plummer andMontgomery, who have drilled you thoroughly in the arts and duties of thesoldier. These instructors will leave the Hall early next week, and thenI intend to place the battalion in charge of such officers as you mayselect for yourselves."
"Hurrah!" came the shout. "Three cheers for Captain Putnam!"
"Three cheers for Captain Wilson and his assistants!" was the added cry,and the cheers were given with a will.
"As you well know, ever since this school was organized I have beenkeeping a close watch on every cadet, to find out who was fit to takecommand. I have prepared a list of sixteen names, which you will findhung up in the general library and in the gymnasium. Of these names thefirst eight are eligible for the rank of major of the battalion, and allare eligible for the rank of captain, or first or second lieutenant. Theposition of sergeant or corporal may be filled by any cadet in theschool. Voting for the various officers will take place to-morrow,directly after the regular school session."
"Hurrah!" came another shout, as the captain stepped down.
"Battalion, attention!" came the command, a moment later. "Carry arms!Present arms! Support arms! Shoulder arms! Forward, march!"
"Tap! tap! tap-tap-tap!" went the drums, and off moved the youngsoldiers. They marched around the parade ground twice, and then into themess-hall, where each cadet took his place at one or another of the longdining tables. It was a spirited scene, and one calculated to make theheart of each boy bound with enthusiasm.
"Your name is on that list, Jack," whispered a cadet sitting near. "I sawPeleg Snuggers tacking it up in the gym as I came away." Peleg Snuggerswas the general utility man around Putnam Hall.
"I hope you are on it, too, Joe," answered Jack.
"I am," returned Joe Nelson, who was a quiet and studious cadet, hailingfrom Philadelphia. "And Andy Snow and Henry Lee are on it, too," he wenton. "I think----"
"Silence at the table!" broke in the rough voice of Josiah Crabtree. "IfI hear any more of that, I'll send you away without your supper!"
"Oh," murmured Joe Nelson. It was rarely that he had any trouble with anyof the teachers.
"Say, but old Crabtree is crusty enough to make pie of," was Pepper'swhispered comment.
"Silence, I say!" thundered the first assistant. "I will have silence!"And he looked around the board so fiercely that hardly anybody dared tosay another word.
At the next table sat Dan Baxter and Mumps, the sneak. The former scowleddarkly at Jack and Andy, while the sneak put his tongue into his cheek atthem.
"I'm going to fix Mumps," whispered Pepper, who had been told of theoccurrence in the school yard, and watching his chance, he leaned back inhis chair and dropped a bit of sharp fish-bone down inside the sneak'scollar.
At first the sneak did not notice what had been done, but then he made aside turn and of a sudden uttered a yell of pain.
"Hi! who's sticking me with a pin?" he roared. "Drop it!"
He glanced around, but the boys on both sides of him were busy with theireating.
"What is it, Master Fenwick?" questioned George Strong, the secondassistant.
"Somebody stuck me with a----Oh, I'm stuck again! Oh! oh! Something isdown my back!" And the sneak began to wiggle from side to side. "Oh, dearme!"
"You had better leave the room and find out what is the matter," said theteacher, and still twisting and squirming, Mumps left the mess-hall in ahurry.
"Baxter, do you know anything of this?"
"No, sir."
"It is strange; what could be the matter?"
There were a few minutes of silence, and then the sneak came back anddropped into his chair.
"It was a fish-bone--awfully sharp, too," he said. "Somebody must havedropped it down my back, sir."
There was a titter, in which our friends joined. Pepper winked at Jack,Andy, and Joe Nelson, and they understood.
As soon as the meal was over, the cadets rushed off to the library ofPutnam Hall and to the gymnasium, to scan the list of names the masterhad mentioned.
"Bart Conners is at the head," said Andy. "Harry Blossom comes next, Jackis third, Henry Lee fourth, myself fifth, Dave Kearney sixth, StufferSingleton next, and Dan Baxter next."
"And those are the ones who may be made major," came from a cadet namedDale Blackmore, one of the leading athletes of the academy.
"You are up next, Dale," returned Jack. "That means you may become acaptain."
"I'd rather be captain of the football team," answered Dale, with asmile.
As soon as the list was scanned, an animated discussion took placeregarding the merits of the different candidates. As among men, andespecially politicians, there was a good bit of "log-rolling" andelectioneering.
"I think Henry Lee ought to be major," said Jack. "He is one of our bestsoldiers."
"He is no better soldier than you are, Jack," returned Andy.
"Just what I say," came from Pepper. "Jack ought to be major, and Henryone of the captains."
"Dan Baxter is working hard to become major," came from a cadet who hadjust strolled in. "Somebody told me he was actually trying to buy votes!"
"Buy them? Do you mean with money?" queried Jack.
"So somebody told me."
"Oh, that can't be true, Jerry. Why, who in this school would be meanenough to sell his vote?"
"Well, Baxter has got a wad of rocks all right enough. I saw the moneymyself."
"I'm going to watch him," came from Pepper, and he motioned for Andy Snowto go along.
"What will you do, if you learn he is really offering money for votes?"questioned Andy, as they hurried away.
"I don't know yet, Andy. But it would be a mean piece of business. Why,in politics that is bribery, and they can arrest a man for it."
"I know that--but it's seldom a briber is caught."
It was not difficult to trace Dan Baxter. From a small
cadet they learnedhe was down by the lake, back of the row of bathing-houses.
By going down to the boathouse first, and then stealing along a fringe ofbushes skirting the lake shore, they reached the bath-houses withoutbeing seen. As it was past the bathing season, the houses were supposedto be "out of commission," and locked up, but one of them--thelargest--stood wide open.
"Well, that is the chance of your life, if you only know it," reachedtheir ears, in the voice of Dan Baxter. "Besides, you know well enoughthat I would make as good a major as anybody in the school."
"That's a fine way to blow one's own horn," murmured Pepper.
"And what will you give me, Baxter, if I work for you?" came from a bigboy named Gus Coulter. He, too, was a bully, and, coming from humbleparentage, had very little spending money.
"I'll give you five dollars, Gus."
"Will you give it to me now?"
"Yes, if you'll promise to do all you can to elect me major."
"All right, then, hand over the money," answered Gus Coulter. "I'd justas soon work for you as anybody."
"Why can't I have a fiver, too?" put in Mumps, who was present. "I'llwork as hard as Gus."
"I'll give you two dollars, Mumps," said the bully. "I can't afford anymore."
"Where do I come in on this?" came from a lad named Paxton.
"I'll give you two dollars, too, Nick, if you'll vote for me and try toget others to do so, too."
"Humph! Aren't my services worth as much as Gus Coulter's?" demanded NickPaxton.
"Well, if I'm elected I'll give you two dollars more."
"Very well, hand over the dough, Dan. As Gus says, I'd just as soon workfor you as for anybody."
"What a barefaced thing to do!" whispered Andy Snow. "Baxter can't have abit of honor about him!"
"The others are just as bad--to take his money," whispered Pepper inreturn. "If they--who's this?"
"Hullo, what are you doing here?" demanded a rough voice behind them, anda cadet named Sabine appeared on the scene.
"Who is there?" cried Dan Baxter, and rushed from the bath-house. "Humph!Pepper Ditmore and Andy Snow! So you've been spying on us, eh? That's anice business to be into, I must say!"