Wednesday night, busy as bees preparing for the great event of the year.
The boys had put up a brush arbor in the grove near by, and provided
plenty of plank seats beneath.

We had a rousing Christian Endeavor meeting that night, the last of the
session. All of the students belong to the Senior or Junior branch, and
with the schedule topic, "The Widening of Christ's Kingdom," brought
home and made personal, "What can I do to extend Christ's Kingdom during
this vacation?" Many very practical talks were given, and many pledges
of best endeavor to this end in the home life or where they were
expecting to teach through the summer. Strange noises were heard during
the night, which the morning light explained by the covered wagons,
prairie schooners we would call them at the West, which had come in and
camped out near the spring. As the hour approached a perfect string of
nondescript vehicles bringing the whole family, and many others on
muleback or on foot, came pouring in from near and far, until by 10 A.M.
nearly one thousand people had gathered in and around the arbor; some of
them coming from thirty to fifty miles overland.

"Old Glory" had been floating from the flagstaff above the central
school building all the morning, and now the scholars, neatly dressed,
came marching up the hill and crowded the platform to sing their welcome
song. Prayer was offered by one of the first graduates, now a minister.
Then the principal, and lady general, gave out the orders for the day in
such a womanly and winning way as showed her fully mistress of the
situation.

"No _smoking_ anywhere on the school-grounds; no changing of seats
during any exercise; no selling of liquors or even ice cream, lemonade,
or other refreshments--not because these latter were not good in