The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-07-30
When William Made
His First Speech.

rushing into the mouse IKE HuFTiCdne'
'sI'm on the affirmative. The boys are
all as mad as March hares about it, can
tell you.,
"Why, what for?" asked Rose, coolly,
as she continuedato paste her scrapbook.
"What for?" echoed William with
look of an older brother who pities
sisters ignorance, "why to think I'm
put on the question instead of one of the
rest. There hasn't been a boy in our
class spoken in the lyceum yet, added
he, Jerking his sisters elbow by way OF
pointing the remark. II suppose that
you know that. don t your
81 know you don't talk grammar, re-
turned Rose, land know you have made
me drop a great blot of paste on my
book. See here!"
''W ell, don't fuss. Just reach the big
dictionary, won't you. I'm going to read
up from the foundation of the world
down to the battle of Island Number
Ten. Where's 'Plutarch's Lives'?'
"Do tell me, have you got to speak on
ancient history" said Rose, looking up.
"Of course not, child. Question reads,
Resolved, That the fear of punishment
has better effect on mankind than the
hope of reward argue that 1T has, l
think exactly the reverse, mind you; but
when we make speeches we do 1t for the
sake of argument, you see.
''Do WEI" laughed Rose. "Weil, l
suppose the fact is you want me to help
you write your speech; that is what you
were going to say, isn't it?'
"Me?" said William IN dignifed amaze
ment. "Great help you would be! You
can write moonlight pieces and such
nonsense for the Lyceum paper; but what
do you know about logic? Now. you see.
this sort of thing just suits my turn OF
mind, Rose. I'm gong off into the
library, and don't you let anything or
anyone disturb me until supper time. l
shall write like telegraph, for my
mind is in the potential mood, present
tense"
Rose pressed her lips together just in
time to prevent provoking smile. She
remembered certain compositions
which had been wrenched out of his head
like sound teeth.
William locked himself in the library
and tried to collect his thoughts. In the
course of an hour the exultant express
sion had left his face; he began to look
puzzled.
ooh, bother this writing" sighed he;
Il can't piece the sentences together
without making an ugly seam. 1t l
could get a start now! It's like spool
of thread; if you begin right it will un-
wind ever so easy; but can't get hold
of the end"
Two hours later, Williams speech.
which he had intended should be an IRON
chain of argument, bedecked with flow
ers of rhetoric. where was it? Farther
off than ever. His thoughts would not
come at all; they believ d in "State SOW
ereignty" and paid no respect to the
Federal land.
Look here, Rose" said William next
morning, looking rather sheeplsh, you
girls have a knack of fixing things up.
I've got ideas enough; fact is, I've got
too many. All that plaques me IS what
to do with them. Suppose tell you what
to write and you write it? Now, that is
good girl, Rose; iii do as much for you
sometime
Rose kindly refrained from saying
Gust as | expected, and took the PEN
Gil and paper from her brother with a
pleasant smile.
Now" said William, greatly relieved
to find he was not being laughed at, II
want the speech to be real sound, you
know, and sort of elegant too. must get
in something about Demostnenes Or some
of those fellows, and that golden-mouth-
ed what's his name? Something about
the settlement of America and soaring
the Quakers. Put in that Bible verse,
Don't spare the ROD or you'll spoil the
child. Say it's an awful thing TO bring
children up TO expect presents instead OF
whippngs- there S the point of the argu-
ment, you know-and wind up with some
poetry, it won't make much difference
what.
well, William Lawrence, said Rose
in despair, II should think your brains
had been churned. You've been chasing
great ideas about till You re dizzy, let s
talk about it while before we begin.
William complied in humble state of
mind, very much ashamed of himself for
appealing to Rose. who was only a'girl,
and did not understand logic, yet very
grateful to her after ALL
Fortunately she seemed to understand
his confused ideas far better than he did,
William regarded as a sensational speech,
commencing with, ''Mr. President" and
ending with few lines from Milton.
"Now, Rose" said William, chats
just about the thing. But found the
ideas, didn't l? I'll learn it by heart and
see If | don't deliver it with a grand
flourish. There's a great deal, you know
in the gestures. It's enough to make
you ache to see how stiff some of the fell
lows stand when they speak. They get
scared, suppose.
But William exalted too soon. People
are very brave before they ever have
tooth out, and boys are very brave before
they have ever tried to speak in public.
William thought he was not afraid of
anything, but when be was called out to
speak he felt as if the joints in his body
had all turned to hard wood, and would not
bend. He heard a suppressed litter from
the little boys, and the eyes of the audi
ence seemed to prick through his nerves
needles. Everybody took savage pleas
ure in his misery, that was plain. Oh, to
think that he should have ever laughed
at boys for being stiff when they
couldn bend.
He made his bow to the wrong side and
turned his back OH the president.
"Mr. President, he said in whisper,
turning right about face. "Mr. Presi-
dert-Sir," repeating the words in
hoarse voice that sounded to him as if 1t
came from some other boys throat.
"Mr. Lawrence, replied the president,
smiling encouragingly.
But If William had been trying to get
possession of q rainbow or fash of
lightning he could have caught either of
them as som IA one word of his sneech