Page:Baseball Joe on the School Nine.djvu/89

 new crowd. There were many of them, and with the usual element always ready to break away from him, Hiram knew that he would lose on the combination.

"One moment!" he shouted, banging his gavel. Then he hurried over to Luke and the two conferred excitedly, while there was a near-pandemonium in the gymnasium.

"I have an announcement to make!" shouted Hiram after a bit, making his way back to the platform. "It is true that you have the right to nominate any one you please—that is, a member of the athletic committee has, and members have the right to vote as they please. But I have to inform this audience that Sister Davis is not yet a fully-qualified member of this committee. That is not just yet." Hiram sneered disagreeably.

"Why not? I signed my application, was properly endorsed, and paid in my dues!" cried Tom. "And so did these other fellows."

"That's right," shouted his crowd in a chorus.

"Very true," went on Hiram coolly. He was master of the situation now, and he knew it.

"But there is a rule of this organization, which states that at the discretion of the chairman, and the manager and captain of the team, or any two of them, new members may be taken on