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.

"You are a brute!" put in Pepper. "No fair-minded chap would kick a
fellow when he was down."

"Ditmore, you keep out of this," grumbled the bully.

"I'm going to see that Andy has fair play," returned Pepper.

The encounter had occurred after Captain Putnam and the teachers had
disappeared, so there was little chance of an interruption by the Hall
authorities.

Andy stood up and tried to collect himself. He was "boiling mad," for
the attack had been