Simms must have been right when he said they were waiting for that name, for such a burst of applause went up as to set the fixtures shaking above the table. Napkins waved and goblets rang. Kendall, staring bewilderedly, told himself that it was a dream; that he had not heard aright! And yet they were all looking at him and waving at him and crying his name! He gazed about, the color rushing into his cheeks, and showed such a terrified countenance that the cheers grew into laughter. Merriwell was rapping for silence again. “Are there any more nominations?” he asked, trying to make himself heard. It seemed that there were not. “Then please come to order, fellows. You have three candidates to vote on——”

“Leave me out, Charlie!” called Pete Girard. “I decline the honor!”

“Then two,” began Merriwell again. But Crandall was on his feet.

“I want to thank the fellows who nominated me,” he announced, “but I withdraw, too, please. And I’d like to make Burtis’s nomination unanimous!”

In the confusion of cheering that followed, Merriwell had hard work making himself heard. Finally, though: “Those in favor of the election of Kendall Burtis will stand up,” he announced. Every chair was pushed back save those of Merriwell, who was already standing, of Coach Payson and Andy Ryan, who had no voice in the proceedings, and of Kendall himself. Marion mounted a chair and called for “Three cheers for Burtis, fellows! Let her go!” The cheers came with a will and were followed by cries of “Speech! Speech!” Kendall, his eyes on the table, and his well hand nervously employed in the manufacture of bread pills, felt himself being lifted to his feet. It was an awful thing to have to say anything, for his voice was nowhere to be found at first; and when it did come it was so shaky and low that for a moment no one could hear it.

Finally, however, his halting words reached them.

“—Awfully afraid you’ve made a—a most horrible mistake,” he was saying, “and I wish you’d change your minds, fellows. Honestly—” and he looked appealingly about—“I don’t think I could do it, fellows!”

A howl of delight and derision went up. Kendall faltered again.

“I—I’d like you to excuse me, please, and——”

“Not on your life! You’re elected, Burtis!”

Kendall turned questioningly, pleadingly, to Simms. Simms, laughing, shook his head. “No use,” he said. “You’re it!”

Kendall gulped, smiled wanly, started to sit down, reconsidered and went on: “Then all I can say is that I’m awfully much obliged and that I—I’ll do the best I know how. But I hope you’ll all help me a lot, because—because I don’t know much about my job!”

Merriwell, looking worried, went down the table and for a minute conversed in whispers with Coach Payson. The coach frowned and, nodding, finally arose and walked to the side of the room. Merriwell tapped Kendall on the shoulder.

“I say, Burtis, just come over here a minute, will you?”

Kendall, wondering, accompanied the other to where the coach stood. The rest of the team followed them with curious eyes.

“Burtis,” said Payson, pulling a folded sheet of paper from his pocket, “have you ever seen this before?”

Kendall looked at it in surprise. Then, “Why, yes, sir, I think so. I drew that diagram, but I didn’t do all that writing.”

“How did you happen to make the diagram?” asked Merriwell.

“Why, a fellow came to my room one night, and we got to talking about signals; the different systems, you know; he had some scheme of his own and wanted to know what I thought of it. I didn’t think much of it, though.”

“Who was this fellow?” asked Payson.

Kendall hesitated. “Is there—is there any trouble about this?” he asked.

It was Payson’s turn to hesitate, and he looked uncertainly at Merriwell. Finally: “Yes, this has made some trouble, or very nearly.”

“Then I guess I’d better not say who the fellow was,” replied Kendall.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to, Burtis. This sheet of paper contains a full explanation of our signals for the Broadwood game, the original signals, you understand. It was sent to someone at Broadwood and got to the hands of the captain. He returned it to Merriwell. Now you see some explanation is necessary, Burtis.”

“But I only made the diagram. It was before we learned the new signals, Mr. Payson.”

“This other chap, whose name you won’t tell, took this paper away with him when he left?”

“Yes, sir. I never thought——”

“And you did not tell him afterwards about the signals for the Broadwood game?”

“No, sir. We never spoke of the thing again.”

“And you say this is not your writing?”

“No, sir; it isn’t.”

“And you know nothing more of this than you’ve told us, Burtis?”

“I really don’t. I’m awfully sorry I made that diagram, but—he said——”

“This other fellow?”

“Yes, sir. He said he wanted to work out a better system, and asked me to explain the one we were using then. That was all there was to it, Mr. Payson.”

Payson frowned. “I’m very much inclined to believe you, Burtis,” he said kindly, “but you must see that until this matter is cleared up you can’t—er—very well accept the captaincy. If I were you I’d see that other fellow right away and get him to tell what he knows, Burtis.”

“Yes, sir. And—and am I to—to tell them that I can’t be captain, sir?”

“No, that isn’t necessary. I think—Hello, Davis! Want to see me?”

“Why, yes, I guess so, Mr. Payson. Are you talking about that business of the signals? Because if you are I can clear that up in a jiffy.”

“Well, for goodness sake, do it!” ejaculated Payson. “What do you know?”

“I know the whole story,” replied Perky importantly. “Here’s how it was. Cotton got Burtis to make that diagram for him. Then he sneaked into the gym that night we were having signal drill—I told you I saw someone, but you wouldn’t believe me!—and got the signals. Maybe he was there another time, but he doesn’t own to it.”

“Then he acknowledges this?” asked Merriwell.

“Sure! He had to; I made him!”

“How did you get hold of it, Perky?”

“Did a little detective work. Got a clue from George Kirk just by accident. Kirk saw Cotton and that fellow Gibson together in Greenburg the day he came back from the golf match with Broadwood. I put two and two together, found that Cotton was at Broadwood two years ago, and then went and told him I knew all about it. He thought I did and ’fessed up.”

“Where is he now?” asked Merriwell angrily.

Perky shrugged his shoulders. “Search me,” he said. “He left here this morning. That’s all I know!”

A half-hour later Kendall opened the door of Number 28. Outside there were still faint echoes of the cheering that had greeted the announcement of the election. Gerald, who had dined at home that evening, was in the room, and with him was Harry Merrow. Had Kendall been especially discerning just then he might have told from the expressions on their faces that they had heard the news. But he wasn’t; he was too excited for one thing. And, being excited, he tried not to show it. He said, “Hello” restrainedly, laid his cap down and took a chair.

“Hello,” responded Gerald carelessly. “Been to the banquet?”

Kendall nodded.

“Did they elect a captain?” asked Harry gravely.

Kendall nodded again. There was a silence. Finally and rather sheepishly Kendall said:

“What do you suppose those fellows did, Gerald?”

“What fellows?” asked Gerald, suppressing a grin.

Kendall nodded vaguely in the direction of commons. “Those fellows, the—the football team.”

“Oh, I don’t know. Raised rough-house, I suppose. What did they do, Kendall?”

“They—they”—Kendall found himself blushing—“they made me captain!”

“What!” Gerald turned and viewed the grinning Harry in wild amazement. “Why, I was never so surprised in all my life!”

THE END

THE LATEST BOOKS FOR BOYS

Around the End By Ralph Henry Barbour

Author of “For Yardley,” “The Half-Back,” “The Junior Trophy,” etc. With Pictures in Colors by C. M. Relyea, Cloth, Large 12mo. Price $1.35 net. By mail $1.47.

“What’s the new Barbour book about?” is generally the boy’s first question each season. And we might as well confess, right at the start, that this year’s book is all school life and football. Yardley Hall, where most of Mr. Barbour’s best stories occur, is the scene and Kendall Burtis, the boy who last year kicked a goal at the very last minute, is the hero. Kendall isn’t “green” any more and he gets into the game right at the start. And then somebody sells the team’s signals to Broadwood and accuses Kendall and a fine mess it all is. But Mr. Barbour can tell the story better than we can, and this year he has written the best ever.

Change Signals By Ralph Henry Barbour

Author of “The Half-Back,” “For Yardley,” “Forward Pass!” etc. Pictures in colors by C. M. Relyea, Large 12mo. Cloth, $1.50.

Another of Barbour’s famous football stories for boys, quite as good as “The Half-Back,” “Behind the Line,” and other great successes. The scene is Yardley Hall and some characters of former books appear, though the hero is a new boy. Kendall Burtis of Maine, who knows more about potato raising than football, is the central figure; and the story of how Kendall developed into a star kicker and the hero of the big game of the season is more than ordinarily thrilling. The book is not all football, of course. There are plenty of the lesser incidents of preparatory school life, and plenty of good fun.

Five Yards to Go By Hawley Williams

Author of “Quarterback Reckless,” “Batter Up,” etc. With Pictures in Color. Cloth, Large 12mo. Price $1.25 net. By mail, $1.37.

An exciting story of life at Lansing Academy and particularly the life of the football squad and the fellows who are trying to make the team. A chief figure is Rudolph Kraft, a young German of tremendous strength, who wants to make the team but prefers sausages and buckwheat cakes to the plain food of the training table. The story is of football from start to finish.

Quarterback Reckless By Hawley Williams

Colored Pictures and Colored Inlay on cover. 12mo. Cloth, $1.25.

A story of school life in which football takes a large part. The intense rivalry between “Ches” Hall and “Tilly” Scott for the position of quarterback on the ’Varsity team, some underhanded work by “Ches,” his conscience-stricken endeavors to make amends, and his manly behavior which finally gets him into the principal game of the season, are dramatically described. A scene between “Ches” and his big brother “Bob,” a former Lansing star, in which “Ches” is brought to his senses, will be read with good effect by many boys who need just such advice to make them manly.

Danny Fists By Walter Camp

Author of “The Substitute,” “Jack Hall at Yale,” etc. With Pictures in Color. Cloth, Large 12mo. Price $1.35 net. By mail $1.47.

Another story by Walter Camp. That in itself is enough for any boy. But Danny is not a Yale undergraduate. He is a lovable, hot-tempered “prep school” lad who hopes some day to go to Yale, but who just now is actively engaged in winning football games for Manor Hall. This is probably the most exciting story Mr. Camp has ever written and the football advice in it is within range of every school boy.

Strike Three By William Heyliger

Author of “The Captain of the Nine,” “Bartley, Freshman Pitcher,” etc. With Pictures in Colors. Cloth, 12mo. Price $1.25 net. By mail $1.37.

This is a story of school life and baseball by a writer who is rapidly becoming the favorite author of thousands of American boys through his stories in The American Boy, The Boys’ Magazine and other juvenile papers. “Strike Three” is a story of St. Mary’s School with the famous Bartley again the hero; and the “inside baseball” which all boys love to know about is here a-plenty. The manliness and sturdy courage of the boys in Mr. Heyliger’s books make them well worth while.

Bucking the Line By William Heyliger

Author of “Bartley, Freshman Pitcher.” Illustrated. Cloth, $1.25.

A college story for boys, with football as the main theme. There is a spirited plot dealing with the attempt of an unscrupulous boy to discredit the best player on the football eleven.

The Captain of the Nine By William Heyliger

Author of “Bartley, Freshman Pitcher,” “Bucking the Line,” etc. 20 Pen and Ink Pictures. 12mo. Cloth, $1.25.

Another splendid story of the school known as St. Mary’s. Bartley, the hero, is elected captain of the nine; and Mellen, the defeated candidate, is so disgruntled that he tries every possible way to prevent Bartley from having a successful season. Mellen’s attempt to decoy away a crack player on the eve of the big game, and Bartley’s wild ride on a bicycle to frustrate the attempt, bring about the climax of the story. The book has lots of snap to it and a goodly dash of “inside” baseball which will appeal to boys.

The Junior Trophy By Ralph Henry Barbour

Pictures in Color. $1.25 net. Postpaid, $1.37.

Mt. Pleasant Academy, a small private school in New York State; is the scene of “The Junior Trophy.” “Kid” Fairchild, in an endeavor to earn money, becomes an agent for Tinkham’s Throat Ease, and gets himself into hot water by “high finance” methods. Hockey and baseball contests enliven the story, and the way Kid Fairchild wins the deciding ball game for his team will win the admiration and envy of every boy.

Batter Up By Hawley Williams

Colored Pictures and Colored Inlay on cover. 12mo. Cloth $1.25.

This is another story of Lansing Academy, a companion book to “Quarterback Reckless.” Chester Hall is again the hero. “Ches” loses his place on the ’Varsity nine and is called a coward because he appears to be afraid of the rival pitcher. The coach does not know that the same pitcher has once knocked “Ches” unconscious with a “bean” ball, and “Ches” doesn’t tell. The story then tells of “Ches’s” great fight to get back on the nine, a fight in which he is aided greatly by a professor who was a star pitcher at Princeton in his college days. These two stories are splendidly told, and are sure to find a large circle of boy readers.

The Luck of Laramie Ranch By John Harbottle

With Pictures in Colors. Cloth, Large 12mo. Price $1.30 net. By mail $1.42.

This is a new theme for a juvenile. It is different from the usual school boy life, for the two young heroes work on a cattle ranch in the far West, where they try to help support their family and also save enough money to secure an education. The boys work side by side with the cattlemen on the ranch and do the same work, herding the cattle, breaking in the young cows, saving them from the wolves, and protecting the ranch from the Indians and the cattle thieves. The book is filled with descriptions of life on the open prairie and the exciting episodes connected with work on a ranch.

Rifle and Caravan By James Barnes

Author of “The Hero of the Erie,” “A Giant of Three Wars,” etc. Colored Pictures. Cloth $1.50.

This is the story of the thrilling adventure of two boys while hunting wild game in German East Africa. The wealthy father of one of the boys provides them with money for the big hunt. They go to Mombasa, procure an outfit and plunge into the jungle, where they become involved in a lot of adventure. They are captured by savages and have many hairbreadth escapes from death. Finally they find a gold mine and the real source of the Nile, down which they return home. The story is as exciting as any boy could wish.

The Texan Star By Joseph A. Altsheler

Author of “The Scouts of the Valley,” “The Border Watch,” etc. Pictures in color by Hutchinson. Large 12mo. Cloth, $1.50.

A story of the Texan struggle for independence. It opens in the City of Mexico, where Ned Fulton, the young hero, is held prisoner. He escapes by means of a singular device, and attempts to make his way to Texas. After many adventures with Indians and Mexicans he is again captured and thrown into a submarine dungeon. Once more, while a great storm is raging, he escapes, is pursued by brigands, and just as his doom seems sure, he is rescued by the famous Colonel Bowie. Santa Anna, Sam Houston, “Deaf” Smith and other historical characters appear in the course of the narrative.

The Texan Scouts By Joseph A. Altsheler

Pictures in Color. Large 12mo. Cloth, $1.25 net.

“The Texan Scouts” is the story of the further adventures of Ned Fulton, the young hero of “The Texan Star” and his friends. There is plenty of thrilling adventure and excitement, and at the same time the background of the story is historically true. The book is complete in itself, and it is not necessary to have read the previous books by Mr. Altsheler to thoroughly enjoy this.

The Texan Triumph By Joseph A. Altsheler

Pictures in Color, Cloth, Large 12mo. Price $1.35 net. By mail, $1.47.

Here is a another volume about the Texan struggle for independence, written in Mr. Altsheler’s best style. Ned Fulton and his friends of former books are all there and figure in many an exciting escapade, winding up with the famous battle of San Jacinto, where the Mexican General Santa Anna is defeated. One fine thing about Mr. Altsheler’s stories is that they always have a background of real history and the incidents in them are true to the times.

Apache Gold By Joseph A. Altsheler

With Pictures in Color. Cloth, Large 12mo. Price $1.35 net. By mail, $1.47.

This is a story of the far Southwest, of the high mountains, abandoned dwellings, venomous Apaches, and a hunt for a treasure lost by Spaniards many generations ago. Charles Wayne is a telegrapher at a small way station in Arizona. A man who seems to be a tramp, staggers from the desert into his little office and dies there. But before his death he utters disjointed sentences about a great treasure concealed in the distant and lofty mountains. The adventures of Charles in search of this treasure form the basis of the story.

D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK