"Who's the goat?" came the cries. Bert flushed but went on:
"Closing the nominations before more than one name----"
"The nominations have not been closed," suggested Mr. Leighton.
"Then am I out of order?" inquired Bascome sarcastically. He seemed to know parliamentary law.
"No," answered the coach. "You must speak to the point, however. Have you a name to place in nomination? Mr. Parsons' motion was lost for want of a second."
"I _have_ a name to place in nomination," went on Bert deliberately, "and in doing so I wish to state that I am actuated by no sense of feeling against Mr. Kerr, whom I do not know. I simply wish to see the spirit of sport well diversified among the students, and----"
"I believe Mr. Kerr is highly esteemed," continued Bascome, holding his ground well, "and I honor him. I believe, however, that he belongs to a certain crowd, or clique----"
"Mr. Chairman!" shouted Kerr, springing to his feet, his face strangely white.
"Mr. Bascome has the floor," spoke Mr. Leighton quietly.
"Name your man!" was the cry from half a score of youths.
"I nominate Ford Fenton for manager!" shouted Bascome, for he saw the rising temper of some of the students.
"Second it," came from Henry Delfield, who was the closest chum of the rich lad.
"Move the nominations close!" cried Tom quickly, and this time Phil Clinton seconded it. The battle was on.
"Two students have been nominated," remarked Mr. Leighton, when the usual formalities had been completed. "How will you vote on them, by ballot or----"
"Show of hands!" cried Tom. "We want to see who's with us and who's against us," he added in a whisper to Phil and Sid.
"I demand a written ballot," called out Bascome.
"We will vote on that," decided the chairman, and it went overwhelmingly in favor of a show of hands.
"We've got 'em!" exulted Tom, when this test had demonstrated how few were with Bascome--a scant score.
A moment later the real voting was under way, by a show of hands, Kerr's name being voted on first. He had tried to make a speech, but had been induced to keep quiet.
It was as might have been expected. Possibly had the ballot been a secret one more might have voted for Fenton, but some freshmen saw which way the wind was blowing, changing their votes after having declared for a secret ballot, and all of Bascome's carefully laid plans, and his scheming for several weeks past, to get some sort of control of the nine, came to naught. Fenton received nine votes, and Kerr one hundred and twenty. It was a pitiful showing, and Fenton soon recognized it.