ink without
any regard to the consequences."

The _Gazette_ was circulated among the boys of the Academy and also sent
to their parents and to many other schools which exchanged with them,
so that it had a considerable circulation.

In a short time there were complimentary notices of the latest number of
the _Gazette_ in several of the school periodicals, all of them noticing
its improvement and speaking highly of the new editor.

"Somebody thought that the _Gazette_ would be a dead one," laughed Billy
Manners one afternoon when reading over one of the other papers with a
number of his chums, "but it will be livelier than ever now. Jack is
just the boy to run it and make it one of the best there is."

Billy Manners was one of the chief funmakers of the Academy, although he
was a good student as well and stood high in his classes.

He was fond of a joke even if it happened to be at his own expense but
more often it was at that of some one else.

Billy and the others were so much interested in reading the
complimentary notice of the _Gazette_ that they failed to observe the
coming of Colonel Bull, the military instructor of the Academy.

Now the Colonel was a bit of a stickler for ceremony and the boys were
always obliged to salute him when they met him.

Failing to notice his approach, however, he was upon them before they
saw him and the only warning of his coming was the hearing of a sharp
command:

"Attention! Where are your manners, you cubs? Salute me this instant
and keep your eyes about you another time."

The boys were at attention in a moment and gave the salute in the
customary stiff and wooden fashion to which they were used.

"What are you reading?" demanded the Colonel. "Some sentimental rubbish,
I suppose. Let me see it."

Billy handed over the magazine and the Colonel looked at it, being
obliged to put on his glasses in order to read it, however.

"H'm! foolish but not as bad as I thought. Now you may go but at another
time keep your eyes about you. Break ranks!"

The boys assumed a natural attitude and Billy stooped to pick up the
paper which the Colonel had thrown contemptuously upon the ground.

Billy was not a ventriloquist but he did have a way of altering his
voice and now, feeling a bit sore at the pompous Colonel and desiring to
be revenged suddenly shouted in an ear-piercing tone:

"Look out! Mad dog!"

At once the Colonel, who was fat and more than forty, let out a sudden
eja