uberant youth, however, must be heard, and so, led by the
irrepressible Ted, they immediately sought fresh inspiration and began
to cheer whomever and whatever came quickly into their minds; first Bill
and Gus, with demands for a speech from Bill; then in answer to the
school yell, they cheered the school and Professor Gray. Finally they
began to cheer the refreshments as these suddenly developed a full-form
materialization. But this was suddenly switched off into a sort of
doubtful hurrah as Mr. Hooper, with his wife trying to dissuade him by
his coat-tails, arose and cleared his throat.

"Lads and lasses: I sez to this 'ere lad, Bill Brown, sez I, some time
back; I sez: 'Bill, me lad, if you ever fix it so's I kin hear my old
friend Bill Medders talkin' out loud more'n a hunderd mile off,' I sez,
'then,' I sez, 'I'll give you a thousand dollers.' Well, this Bill,
he sez: 'No, sir, Mr. Hooper,' he sez: 'We won't accept of no sich,'
he sez, an' what he sez he sticks to, this 'ere lad Bill does, an' so
does his buddy, Gus, 'ere. So, young people, I'm goin' to tell you
what I'm a-goin' to do. I'm goin' to spend that thousand some way
to sort o' remember this occasion by, an' it'll be spent fer whatever
your teacher here an' Bill an' Gus an' any more that want to git into
it sez it shall be. An', b'jinks, if you spring anything extry fine
an' highfalutin I'll double it--make it two thousand; anything to
help 'em along, gettin' an eddication, which I ain't got, ner never
kin git, but my gal shall an' all her young friends. So, go to it,
folks, an' I'm thinkin' my friends, Bill an' Gus--"

Roaring cheers interrupted the earnest speaker. He smiled broadly and
sat down. Professor Gray got to his feet, but Bill, not seeing him, was
first to be heard when the crowd silenced; the boy had got to the
platform and then on a chair. Standing there balanced on his crutch, a
hand where his shoulder usually rested, he was a sight to stir the
pathos and inspire admiration in any crowd.

"I say, people, give three royal yells for Mr. Hooper! He's one of the
dearest old chaps that ever drew breath! Ready, now----"

The roof didn't quite raise, but the nails may have been loosened some
and the timbers strained. With the ceasing of the cheers, Bill shouted
again:

"And now don't forget Professor Gray! He's going to be in on this deal,
big, as you know!"

Again the walls trembled. Once more Bill was heard:

"And I have this suggestion: