uspended. "If so, I declare the poll closed."

It was a moment of intense excitement on the spar deck of the Young
America when Mr. Lowington stood up on the hatch to announce the vote.
There was a pleasant smile upon his face, which indicated that it would
not be his painful duty to veto the choice of the independent electors.

"Young gentlemen, your balloting appears to have been conducted with
entire fairness," said he, "and I will proceed to declare the result.
Whole number of votes, eighty-seven; necessary to a choice, forty-four.
Paul Kendall has five; Charles Gordon has seven; Robert Shuffles has
twenty-two; Richard Carnes has fifty-three, and is elected captain of
the Young America for the succeeding three months."

The party who had worked and voted for Carnes applauded the result most
lustily, and gave three cheers for the new captain, which, on this
exciting occasion, were not objected to by the principal. Shuffles's jaw
dropped down, and his lip quivered with angry emotion.

"That little whipper-snapper of a Kendall did that," said Wilton, in a
low tone, to the disappointed candidate. "I was afraid of this when I
saw him blowing about the deck."

"I'll settle it with him when I get a good chance," growled Shuffles, as
he went to the rail and looked over into the water, in order to conceal
his disappointment and chagrin.

"Young gentlemen will bring in their votes for first lieutenant," said
Professor Mapps, as he placed the box on the fife-rail again.

The boys marched around the mainmast, and deposited their ballots for
the second officer, as they had done before. The friends of Shuffles
rallied again, hoping that something might yet come of the compact they
had made with him, and gave him their votes for first lieutenant,
though, in his chagrin, he declared that he would not accept the
position. Fortunately for him, he was not called upon to do so; for
Charles Gordon was elected by a very large majority. As the election
proceeded, it became evident that there was no office for Shuffles. Paul
Kendall was elected fourth lieutenant and the announcement of the vote
was greeted by even more hearty applause than had been bestowed upon the
captain.

At the conclusion of the balloting, Shuffles found that not a single one
of the wire-pullers, or of the candidates nominated by them, had been
elected. The attempt to bribe the independent voters, by giving them
office, had been a signal failure; and it is to