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.
At last came the time to vote, and the ballot-box was placed on a table in charge of two cadets and George Strong, who had consented to act as judge of the election.
"This is for a new major only," announced George Strong.

"You will step up and vote as your names are called." It took but a few minutes to cast the eighty-three ballots.