ont of the Silvey house. John's
watch told of at least a quarter of an hour before supper time, and they
perched themselves on the top step to talk of fishing, of the May
vacation of a week which would soon be upon them, of the leaky roof in
the shack, and lastly of the baseball team.

"Joe Menard's folks had to move," said Silvey, as he thought over the
roster of last year's organization.

"We'll get a pitcher somewhere," said John, a trifle impatiently, as he
changed the subject. "So Sid wants to be captain, does he?"

Silvey smiled, as does an adult listening to the vagaries of a child.
"You know him as well as I do."

"But who'll vote for him? There's Red and Skinny and you and me and
Perry and the Harrison kids, all don't like him. If it wasn't for that
baseball and bat, and those gloves of his, he couldn't a' played with us
last year."

Silvey shrugged his shoulders. "He's going around school, saying that
he's going to be captain of the 'Tigers' this year."

"You're president of the club, aren't you?" said John, thoughtfully.

His chum nodded.

"I'll go around and see all the fellows. Any of 'em who won't vote for
me, you tell 'em they'll be dropped from the club. We'll have a meeting
when everything's fixed, and Mr. Sid DuPree won't think himself so
smart."

Never was precinct canvassed more thoroughly by a municipal candidate
than was the membership of the "Tigers" by the two boys during the week
which followed. John dropped the usual walk home with Louise, one day,
that he might talk to Skinny Mosher, and hung around the school yard
another noon, that he might reassure himself of Brown's loyalty. With a
clear majority of six assured over Sid's lone vote, code notices were
sent back and forth between the different members until Miss Brown
threatened to send the responsible parties to the principal's office.

With victory certain, John raced across the school yard and caught up
with a certain maiden whom he had neglected sorely of late.

"We're going to have a ball team election tomorrow," he explained, as he
took possession of her school books. "I've been awfully busy."

"I know," she replied absently. "Sid told me. Says he's going to be
captain."

"Guess not!" John was too pleased with the surprise prepared for his
rival to realize the revelation in her words. "Smarty DuPree hasn't much
show when six of the fellows are going to vote for me."

Conversation lagged. Miss Martin was nervously alert