"All right, I'll promise! I'll promise anything!" spluttered Leeds. "Only let me get out of this." And then he climbed up the river bank and, dripping with water, made a wild rush for the back entrance to the school.
Of course there was a good deal more of horseplay, and it can be surmised that Andy and Randy went in for their full share of it. Even Job Plunger was caught by the crowd and hoisted on the top of a barrel which was waiting to be placed on one of the bonfires.
"Speech, Shout! Speech!" cried Andy gaily.
"Tell us what you know about ball playing in the olden times," suggested Ned Lowe.
"You let me down off of this barrel!" cried Plunger, in alarm. "You let me down before this barrel caves in!" and poor Shout, as he was so often called, looked anything but comfortable as he balanced himself on the top of the barrel.
"We've got to have a speech, Shout. Come on, you know you are a first-class talker when you get at it."
"What is it you boys want?" demanded the janitor, with his hand over his ear.
"Give us a speech, a speech!"
"Teach! I never did teach! What are you talking about?"
"We didn't say teach!" screamed Andy. "We said speech—talk—words—sentences—speech!"