CONCLUSION
When the two weeks had elapsed, the town hall was crowded to its utmost
capacity with one of the finest audiences that had ever been seen in
Cliffwood. Of course, Uncle Silas, Grandpop Horner, Dick’s mother and
little sister Susie were present to see how the boys who participated
in the minstrels carried out their various parts, and Mr. Nocker also
came, accompanied by his daughter-in-law.
The Y. M. C. A. boys had rehearsed faithfully, under the supervision of
Mr. Holwell, who must have had a revival of his old-time interest when
he coached the amateur performers.
Dick was one of the end-men, and Peg played the part of his rival at
the other extremity of the line. If the jokes which ran through the
first part of the entertainment caused considerable hilarity in the
audience some of the credit was due to the ability shown by these two
performers.
[Illustration: THE MUCH-TALKED-OF FARCE WOUND UP THE EVENING’S
ENTERTAINMENT.]
Then followed other features of the show, and in one of these Dick
was enabled to display his really wonderful powers as an amateur
ventriloquist, playing the banjo during the same turn quite cleverly.
The much-talked-of farce wound up the evening’s entertainment, and
every one agreed that it was about as humorous a sketch as they had
ever heard or read. Even Nat was to be seen in the audience, his
customary grin adorning his bold face; and it was quite evident that he
had come out to hear what sort of thing Dick had originated to compete
against his own stolen effort.
In the commencement of the evening Harry Bartlett had made an
announcement to the effect that the entertainment was to be repeated
for two successive nights.
“The receipts are to be devoted to several purposes connected with this
new branch of the Y. M. C. A.,” he went on to state; “one of which I
am pleased to say will be the extending of the Boys’ Library, which
already contains over one hundred volumes of books written by such
authors as the boys love. All of these books have been approved by a
capable censor, Mr. Holwell, who knows what a boy should read better
than any other person in Cliffwood.”
As Harry made this broad statement there was a sudden whirlwind of
applause for a full minute that must have cheered the heart of the
minister; nor would the boys stop clapping their hands until from his
corner, where he had hoped to remain unobserved, Mr. Holwell was forced
to stand up, and, waving his hand, smilingly say:
“Thank you all, a thousand times. I would rather be reckoned a true
friend of the boys of Cliffwood than to conquer a kingdom. And to the
older persons present, some of whom may have entertained doubts about
the success of our latest movement to interest our lads in clean sports
and indoor entertainments, I wish to say, watch the streets these
nights, and compare things with what they were six months ago. That is
all.”
When the farce had finally come to an end amidst uproarious laughter,
there was no disposition on the part of the audience to disperse
immediately.
“They want you, Dick!” said Leslie, behind the curtain.
“Listen to ’em calling your name!” added Peg, delightedly. “The fellows
are shouting it in concert, just as they do the school yell at the
football games.”
“You’ve got to step out before the curtain and say a few words, or
they’ll pull the house down,” Elmer told the laughing and excited
author of the piece.
“I’d rather take a licking, but I suppose I’ll just have to do it,”
Dick went on to say, with a shrug of his shoulders.
When, black face and all, Dick made his appearance before the curtain,
there was a tumultuous shout, after which all became quiet, as they
listened for what he would say. Fortunately, Dick was not so bashful
that he lost command of his tongue. Besides, he could see that little
mother sitting there so proudly watching him; yes, and closer up there
was Connie Swazy too, with her eyes sparkling and her little hands
clapping vigorously.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” began Dick, bravely, “it is very kind of you
to give a poor struggling author so much encouragement in his first
effort. I did the best I could, and I hope you got your money’s worth
from the entertainment as a whole. We mean to try to do a heap better
tomorrow night, so ask your friends to attend, if one dose is all you
can stand.”
“Hear! hear!” cried a crowd of the boys seated close to the stage.
“And there’s just one thing more,” continued Dick, casting a roguish
look in the direction of Connie, who instantly shook her finger, at
the same time turning rosy red. “I noticed that you seemed to enjoy
the original airs to which my poor songs were sung. They were composed
by Miss Connie Swazy, and I believe will be whistled by every boy in
Cliffwood for a long time to come. That’s all I’ve got to say. Thank
you.”
Everybody voted the affair a huge success. If the other two nights did
as well there would be a substantial sum put in the bank for the Junior
Department of the local Y. M. C. A., which would purchase much needed
equipment in the gymnasium, as well as many new books quoted on the
fall lists of city publishers.
As was to be expected there was an influx of new members at once, and
Mr. Holwell realized that he had made no mistake in getting up the
entertainment with the object of arousing fresh interest in the work he
was doing.
“And the best part of it all is,” remarked Dick, as he and several
others talked over matters one afternoon when on the way home from
school, “we’re going to have a glorious time week after week from now
on, what with the lectures, the gymnasium nights, the regular meetings,
and all the fun that’s in store for us.”
“Yes,” added Leslie, “Mr. Holwell never knows when to stop once he gets
started doing things for boys. My Uncle Henry is interesting old Mr.
Nocker in some new scheme right now. They won’t give me a hint of what
it is; but I’ve got a suspicion it has to do with a grand big outing
for next summer. Why, the old deacon is a different man nowadays from
what he used to be! That coming of little Billy put new life in him,
let me tell you!”
“No matter what they’re planning ahead for us,” said Dick, “one thing
we know, and that is the biggest event that ever happened for the boys
of Cliffwood came out of that fierce Hallowe’en joke of Nat Silmore’s.
Mr. Holwell says it was the stepping stone that led to his thinking up
the Junior League of the Y. M. C. A.”
“I only wish every town had a man like Mr. Holwell in it, who knew boys
from the ground up,” ventured Peg Fosdick, vehemently. “And all the
same I’d give something to learn what sort of good time they’re fixing
up for us.”
Perhaps Peg would have had his curiosity satisfied had he been able to
read the title of the next story in this series, which will be, “The
Y. M. C. A. Boys on Bass Island; or The Mystery of Russabaga Camp.” In
that volume we shall see how Jed Nocker came to the front in a most
unexpected manner; and what his offer to the Y. M. C. A. boys led to.
Dick was very happy when he looked at the five shining five-dollar gold
pieces which the committee had handed over to him.
“Now I’ve got my own new suit of clothes,” he said to Leslie, “I am
going to buy something for mother and little Susie. And five dollars is
going to the good of every boy in the Y. M. C. A.”
“What do you mean by that, Dick?” his chum asked him.
“I am going to buy books with it for our Library--cracking good stories
that all the boys will like.”
“Hurrah! Dick, that will be fine!”
And here, for the time being, let us bid farewell to the Y. M. C. A.
Boys of Cliffwood.
THE END
THE Y.M.C.A. BOYS SERIES
By BROOKS HENDERLEY
12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume, 60 cents, postpaid.
[Illustration]
This new series relates the doings of a wide-awake boys’ club of the
Y. M. C. A., full of good times and everyday, practical Christianity.
Clean, elevating and full of fun and vigor, books that should be read
by every boy.
THE Y. M. C. A. BOYS OF CLIFFWOOD
_or The Struggle for the Holwell Prize_
Telling how the boys of Cliffwood were a wild set and how, on
Hallowe’en, they turned the home town topsy-turvy. This led to an
organization of a boys’ department in the local Y. M. C. A. When the
lads realized what was being done for them, they joined in the movement
with vigor and did all they could to help the good cause. To raise
funds they gave a minstrel show and other entertainments, and a number
of them did their best to win a gold medal offered by a local minister
who was greatly interested in the work of upbuilding youthful character.
THE Y. M. C. A. BOYS ON BASS ISLAND
_or The Mystery of Russabaga Camp_
Summer was at hand, and at a meeting of the boys of the Y. M. C. A.
of Cliffwood, it was decided that a regular summer camp should be
instituted. This was located at a beautiful spot on Bass Island, and
there the lads went boating, swimming, fishing and tramping to their
heart’s content. There were a great many surprises, but in the end the
boys managed to clear up a mystery of long standing. Incidentally,
the volume gives a clear insight into the workings of the now justly
popular summer camps of the Y. M. C. A., throughout the United States.
_Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue_
WHITE RIBBON BOYS SERIES
By RAYMOND SPERRY, Jr.
12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume, 60 cents, postpaid.
[Illustration]
This new series deals with the great modern movement for temperance.
Clean-cut, up-to-date stories that will please all growing boys and
girls and do them a world of good.
THE WHITE RIBBON BOYS OF CHESTER
_or The Old Tavern Keeper’s Secret_
Chester was a typical factory town with its quota of drinking places.
The father of one of the boys was a foreman in one of the factories,
and he advocated temperance so strongly that some of the men, urged on
by an old tavern keeper, plotted so that he lost his position. One day,
when partly intoxicated, the tavern keeper’s son climbs in a factory
window, smashes things, and is badly burned by acid. He is rescued by
the boys who are advocating temperance, who take him to his mother.
When the tavern keeper sees the condition of his son, he breaks down,
and confesses to the plot against the discharged foreman. Temperance
wins out, and the town of Chester becomes far more prosperous than ever
before.
THE WHITE RIBBON BOYS AT LONG SHORE
_or To the Rescue of Dan Bates_
In this tale the scene is shifted to the seashore, where the boys are
having a vacation for the summer. Encouraged by the temperance work
done in their home town, they join a local crusade to close the various
drinking and gambling houses. They fall in with another lad, the son of
a well-known drunkard of the summer resort, and do all they can to aid
him. A good, clean-cut boys’ story, full of life and action, not at all
preachy, but teaching the best of morals.
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THE MOTOR BOYS
SECOND SERIES
(_Trade Mark, Reg. U. S. Pat. Of._)
By CLARENCE YOUNG
12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 60 cents, postpaid.
[Illustration]
This, the Second Series of the now world famed Motor Boys virtually
starts a new series, but retains all the favorite characters
introduced in the previous books. The Motor Boys Series is the
biggest and best selling series of books for boys ever published.
NED, BOB AND JERRY AT BOXWOOD HALL
_or The Motor Boys as Freshmen_
Fresh from their adventures in their automobile, their motor boat
and their airship, the youths are sent to college to complete their
interrupted education. Some boys at the Institution of learning have
heard much about our heroes, and so conclude that the Motor Boys will
try to run everything to suit themselves.
A plot is formed to keep our heroes entirely in the background and not
let them participate in athletics and other contests. How the Motor
Boys forged to the front and made warm friends of their rivals makes
unusually interesting reading.
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UP-TO-DATE BASEBALL STORIES
THE BASEBALL JOE SERIES
By LESTER CHADWICK
Author of “The College Sports Series”
12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 60 cents, postpaid.
[Illustration]
BASEBALL JOE OF THE SILVER STARS
_or The Rivals of Riverside_
In this volume, the first of the series, Joe is introduced as an
everyday country boy who loves to play baseball and is particularly
anxious to make his mark as a pitcher. A splendid picture of the great
national game in the smaller towns of our country.
BASEBALL JOE ON THE SCHOOL NINE
_or Pitching for the Blue Banner_
Joe’s great ambition was to go to boarding school and play on the
school team. He got to boarding school but found it harder making the
team there than it was getting on the nine at home.
BASEBALL JOE AT YALE
_or Pitching for the College Championship_
From a preparatory school Baseball Joe goes to Yale University. He
makes the freshman nine and in his second year becomes a varsity
pitcher and pitches in several big games.
BASEBALL JOE IN THE CENTRAL LEAGUE
_or Making Good as a Professional Pitcher_
In this volume the scene of action is shifted from Yale College to a
baseball league of our central states. Baseball Joe’s work in the box
for Old Eli had been noted by one of the managers and Joe gets an offer
he cannot resist.
BASEBALL JOE IN THE BIG LEAGUE
_or A Young Pitcher’s Hardest Struggle_
From the Central League Joe is drafted into the St. Louis Nationals. At
first he has little to do in the pitcher’s box, but gradually he wins
favor. A corking baseball story that fans, both young and old, will
enjoy.
BASEBALL JOE ON THE GIANTS (_New_)
_or Making Good as a Twirler in the Metropolis_
How Joe was traded to the Giants and became their mainstay in the box
makes an interesting baseball story.
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THE MOTOR GIRLS SERIES
By MARGARET PENROSE
Author of the highly successful “Dorothy Dale Series”
12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 60 cents, postpaid.
[Illustration]
Since the enormous success of our “Motor Boys Series,” by Clarence
Young, we have been asked to get out a similar series for girls. No
one is better equipped to furnish these tales than Mrs. Penrose, who,
besides being an able writer, is an expert automobilist.
THE MOTOR GIRLS
_or A Mystery of the Road_
THE MOTOR GIRLS ON A TOUR
_or Keeping a Strange Promise_
THE MOTOR GIRLS AT LOOKOUT BEACH
_or In Quest of the Runaways_
THE MOTOR GIRLS THROUGH NEW ENGLAND
_or Held by the Gypsies_
THE MOTOR GIRLS ON CEDAR LAKE
_or The Hermit of Fern Island_
THE MOTOR GIRLS ON THE COAST
_or The Waif from the Sea_
THE MOTOR GIRLS ON CRYSTAL BAY
_or The Secret of the Red Oar_
THE MOTOR GIRLS ON WATERS BLUE
_or The Strange Cruise of the Tartar_
THE MOTOR GIRLS AT CAMP SURPRISE (_New_)
_or The Cave in the Mountain_
_Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue_
THE MOTOR BOYS SERIES
(_Trade Mark, Reg. U. S. Pat. Of._)
By CLARENCE YOUNG
12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 60 cents, postpaid.
[Illustration]
The Motor Boys
_or Chums Through Thick and Thin_
The Motor Boys Overland
_or A Lone Trip for Fun and Fortune_
The Motor Boys in Mexico
_or The Secret of The Buried City_
The Motor Boys Across the Plains
_or The Hermit of Lost Lake_
[Illustration]
The Motor Boys Afloat
_or The Stirring Cruise of the
Dartaway_
The Motor Boys on the Atlantic
_or The Mystery of the Lighthouse_
The Motor Boys in Strange Waters
_or Lost in a Floating Forest_
The Motor Boys on the Pacific
_or The Young Derelict Hunters_
[Illustration]
The Motor Boys in the Clouds
_or A Trip for Fame and Fortune_
The Motor Boys Over the Rockies
_or A Mystery of the Air_
The Motor Boys Over the Ocean
_or A Marvellous Rescue in Mid-Air_
The Motor Boys on the Wing
_or Seeking the Airship Treasure_
[Illustration]
The Motor Boys After a Fortune
_or The Hut on Snake Island_
The Motor Boys on the Border
_or Sixty Nuggets of Gold_
The Motor Boys Under the Sea
_or From Airship to Submarine_
The Motor Boys on Road and River
_or Racing to Save a Life_
CUPPLES & LEON CO., Publishers, NEW YORK
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:
Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.
Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.
Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.