"Agostino, Pedro V."

"Aye!" He was a Lancedale man.

So it went on. Graves voted for the motion. Joyner voted against it.
All the Lancedale faction, now convinced that their leader had the
opposition on the run, voted loudly for it.

"The vote has been one hundred and eighty-three for, seventy-two
against," Literate President Morehead finally announced. "The motion
is herewith declared carried. Literate Lancedale, I appoint you to
organize a committee to implement the said motion, at once."

* * * * *

Prestonby flung open the door of the rest room where Sergeant
Coccozello and his subordinate were guarding the unconscious Pelton.

"Sergeant! Who's in charge of store police, now?"

Coccozello looked blank for an instant. "I guess I am," he said.
"Lieutenant Dunbar's off on his vacation, in Mexico, and Captain
Freizer's in the hospital; he was taken sick suddenly last evening."

Probably poisoned, Prestonby thought, making a mental note to find out
which hospital and get in touch with one of the Literate medics there.

"Well, come out here, sergeant, and have a look around the store on
the TV. We have troubles."