Chapter XXX: 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.

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

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_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.

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TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:

Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.

Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.