professor keene had no need to ask for attention when, the next day, he was ready to announce the names of the committee. there was great surprise and some disappointment among the officers when it was found that only two of them were of the number, the other two being privates of company c. these last were knox, one of the most troublesome fellows in the battalion, and carr, one of the most faithful and reliable.
knox, after the first shock of surprise, was immensely elated at having been selected. he would not have been quite so jubilant over it if he had been present at a conference between the professor, gordon and graham the night before.
gordon’s whispered words to the professor had been a request for a talk with him before the names of the committee should be announced, a request which was readily granted. the hour that the two lads spent at the professor’s house that evening had given him a clearer understanding[187] than he had had before of the state of affairs in company c, and indeed in the whole battalion. he saw that these two boys had given very serious thought to the situation, and he appreciated the wisdom of gordon’s suggestion that knox, who, though one of the most troublesome in the company, was really one of the most soldierly boys, and one who, if his enthusiasm could once be aroused, might do perhaps more than any other to raise the standard of feeling and purpose in the battalion, should be one of the visiting committee. carr was appointed partly to make it pleasanter for knox than it would have been had the other three been officers.
graham had wanted very much to be on the committee, as, owing to the trouble he had had with his company, he was extremely anxious to see for himself if the new method was one likely to work well in the high-school battalion; but he saw that it might not be best for three out of a committee of four to be taken from company c. so hamlin and one other captain were appointed.
there was a good deal of grumbling over the proposed innovation, and many of the boys declared that they would not stay on if any such scheme was carried out; but all the same, the four members of the committee were regarded with not a little envy and scarcely a boy but wished that he had been[188] lucky enough to be selected, especially as the fortunate four were to be excused from recitations and given perfect marks for the time of their absence. coyle and griffin, even, would have liked to visit that school, even though they scoffed at the idea of the plan proposed.
coyle had deteriorated steadily as the weeks passed. he was a thorn in the flesh to gordon, hamlin and clark, for his frequent failures in class brought down the record, in spite of the good work of the majority. coyle rejoiced that this was so. in no other way could he have so effectually annoyed and tormented these three, whom he hated more and more as he saw how their influence was growing in the school. they had even succeeded in arousing a feeble ambition in barber, and consequently, barber was “no fun at all,” these days. he insisted on pegging away at his lessons, and wouldn’t, half the time, help coyle “make things a bit lively in class.” in short, coyle considered himself decidedly aggrieved because the boys of section d were working for honors, or for solid[194] acquirements, this year, instead of wasting their time in foolish tricks, or idling the hours away without accomplishing anything. true, there were still in company c a few jolly chaps who went in for good times, but most of the fellows had taken up with that fol-de-rol about self-government, and wouldn’t so much as wink or “crack a smile” in drill, nor answer back, no matter what ridiculous order an officer might give them. all this was contrary to coyle’s ideas, and he came to the conclusion at last that he would let them all see that he, for one, had a little spirit and independence, and didn’t choose to be ordered about by any of them. wasn’t he battalion quartermaster, ranking as high as any of the captains? long he pondered and planned, but he could not hit upon any way of asserting his independence and humiliating his brother officers at the same time.
he not only neglected his studies and fell steadily behind the class, but he attended so poorly to his duties as quartermaster that gordon was finally obliged to speak to him on the subject, and though he took pains to speak privately, and in the most courteous way possible, coyle was very angry, and answered so insolently that gordon had hard work to control his temper.
a few days after this, the quartermaster’s accounts were sent to gordon for approval, and finding[195] several errors in them, he sent them back for correction. without stopping to look over the accounts, coyle went directly to gordon and angrily accused him of picking flaws in the accounts on purpose to bring him—coyle—into disgrace.
“the accounts are right to a penny, and you know it,” he shouted furiously. “you’ve been trying to find something against me all this year, and now you’ve hatched this up. if there is any error in the books you’ve changed the figures yourself, that’s all.”
gordon turned fairly white in the strong effort he made to control himself, while hamlin started to his feet with an indignant exclamation, and another officer who was standing by clenched his fists and took a step forward, looking as if he longed to knock the impudent fellow down.
there was a moment of silence, then gordon turned to his adjutant, and said very quietly, “you will consider mr. coyle under arrest.”
“i’d like to see you try to arrest me,” blustered coyle, who had lost all control of himself by this time. as he spoke, prof. keene entered the room.
“what is that, coyle?” he said, sharply, “please repeat what you said.”
coyle shrank a little before the professor’s stern eyes, but he repeated still angrily, “i said that i’d like to see gordon arrest me. he’s finding fault with me about—”
“silence, sir,” interrupted the professor; “if major gordon has ordered you under arrest, he must have had good reasons for so doing, and your case will be tried by court-martial.” and without another word, the professor left the room.
so it came about that coyle was the first offender tried and sentenced under the new rules. prof. keene was not present during the trial, but a full account of the proceedings, in shorthand, was submitted to him, and he fully approved the sentence, which was that coyle be degraded to the ranks or permitted to resign, whichever he chose. he chose the latter, and did not appear again in the school, which was altogether the most satisfactory ending to the matter, since, with such a boy, there was no hope of any real reform.
this affair of coyle’s had a good effect upon the worst element in the battalion. the boys saw that the majority were determined to put down disorder and insubordination, and that prof. keene was ready to second their efforts at reform. they did not want to be suspended from the battalion or the school, or told that their permanent absence was desired—and so they concluded that it would be wisest for them to obey orders and do their best, instead of worst, in drill and class-room, and the result was soon seen in better recitations, and much more orderly class-rooms, and a steady improvement in the drill.
