entered that hall with a big speech in him, all ready, or how he
had always carried it out again unspoken.

A little after the Christmas and New-Years' holidays there was a
question proposed for the society to debate that Billy was sure he could
handle. It had something to do with the Constitution of the United
States, and Grandfather Morton said it "was too political altogether";
but Billy silently determined that at last he would make himself heard.
He read several things in order to get his mind ready, especially the
_Life of Benjamin Franklin_ and _Captain Cook's Voyages_.

He could not see just how they helped him, but he knew that was the way
to do it. Then he practiced his speech, too, in the garret, and up in
the pasture lot, and out in the barn, where he was sure nobody could
hear him, and the night before the debate was to be he hardly slept a
wink.

He knew Grandfather Morton and all the family would be there; and they
had scared him out of making more than half a dozen speeches before, but
he made up his mind not to be afraid of them this time. Speak he would!

He was careful about his dress, as every public speaker should be, and
succeeded in borrowing one of his father's standing collars. It was
dreadfully stiff with starch, but it would not hurt his ears if he held
his head straight.

When he got to the Lyceum Hall it seemed to him to have grown a good
deal since the week before, and to have a greater multitude of men and
women in it than he had ever dreamed of.

It was warm, too, and grew warmer very fast, and he wondered why the
rest did not take off their overcoats. Perhaps they would have done so
if they had known Billy was going to address them.

He knew who was to open the debate on both sides, for that was always
arranged beforehand, and his chance would come afterward.

He listened to them, and could not help thinking how much better they
must feel when their speeches were all spoken. He knew very well what a
troublesome thing a speech was to keep in, and without any cork.

Billy thought he had never known men to talk so long as they did--two
young lawyers, three young doctors, the tutor of the village academy,
the sub-editor of the _Weekly Bugle_, Squire Toms's son that was almost
ready to go to college, and the tall young man with red hair who had
just opened the new drug store.

That was the man who did Billy the most harm, for his argument was
nothing in the wide world but a string