Aleck arose and made his way to the platform. The Riverbeds applauded him vigorously, and the guests mildly, as he went. He started out bravely enough on his speech.
"Colonel Butler, teachers and guests: It gives me pleasure, on behalf of the Chestnut Hill public school, to accept this beautiful flag--"
He made a sweeping gesture toward the right-hand corner of the platform, as he had done at rehearsals, only to discover that the flag had, at the last moment, been shifted to the left-hand corner, and he had, perforce, to turn and repeat his gesture in that direction. There was nothing particularly disconcerting about this, but it broke the continuity of his effort, it interfered with his memory, he halted, colored, and cudgeled his brains to find what came next. Back, in the rear of the room, where the Hilltops were gathered, there was an audible snicker; but Aleck was too busy to hear it, and Miss Grey, prepared for just such an emergency as this, glanced at a manuscript she had in her hand, and prompted him:
"--so graciously given to us by our honored townsman and patriotic citizen, Colonel Richard Butler."
Another pause. Again Miss Grey came to the rescue.
"Sure, they're no words of yours," said some one in a stage-whisper, far down in the audience.
Suspicion pointed to Elmer Cuddeback, but he stood there against the wall, with such an innocent, sober look on his round face, that people thought they must be mistaken. The words had not failed to reach to the platform, however, and Miss Grey, more troubled than before, again had recourse to her manuscript for the benefit of Aleck, who was floundering more deeply than ever in the bogs of memory.
Another pause. Again the voice back by the wall:
The situation was growing desperate. Miss Grey was almost at her wit's end. Then a bright idea struck her. She thrust the manuscript into Aleck's hand.
"Oh, Aleck," she exclaimed, "take it and read it!"
He grasped it like the proverbial drowning man, turned it upside down and right side up, but failed to find the place where he had left off.
[Illustration: Aleck Turned it Upside Down and Rightside Up, But Failed to Find the Place]
Again the insistent, high-pitched whisper from the rear, breaking distinctly into the embarrassing silence: