The St. Johns herald., 1922-08-24

aware (ne CnOugnt) or IOrmlQaDle and horrible impassive scrutiny of himself, a glare seeming to pierce | through him to the back of the belt round his waist, so that he began to have fearful doubts about that belt, about every fastening and adjustment of his garments, about the expression of his countenance, and many other things jumbling together in his con- | sciOusness. Over and over he Whis- pered gaspingly to himself the open ing words of the sentence with which a senior had advised him to begin his argument. And as the moment of su- preme agony drew close, this whisper ing became continuous: 'In making my first appearance before this honor ble membership I feel constrained to say in making my first appearance be- fore this honOr'ble membership feel constrained to say in making my first appearance before this honor'ble mem -n
 .. It had come. The chairman announced the subject of the fourth freshman twelve-minute debate; and Dora YOcum, hitherto unperceived by Ramsey, rose and went forward to one of the small desks in the open space, where she stood cOmposedly, slim, pretty figure in white. Members in Ramsey's neighborhOod were aware of a brief and hushed commotion, and a fierce whisper, You can'tl You get up there!' And the blanched Ramsey came forth and placed himself at the other desk.
 He stood before the silent popu- lace of that morgue, and 1t seemed to him that his features had forgotten that he was supposed to be their own CT and in control of them; he felt that they were slipping all over his face, regardless of his wishes. His head, as a whole, was subject to an agita- tion not before known by him; 1t de- sired to move rustily in eccentric ways of its own devising; his legs alternate ly limbered and strengthened under no direction but their own and his hands clutched each other flercely behind his back; he was not one cohesive person, evidently, but an assembled collection of parts which had relapsed each into Its own individuality. In spite of them, he somehow contrived the sembIance of a bow toward the chairman and the semblance of another toward Dora, of whom he was but hazily conscious. Then he opened his mouth and, not knowing how he had started his voice going. heard 1t as if from a distance.
 Tn making my first appearance be- fore this honOr'ble membership I feel restrained to say" He stopped short, and thenceforward shook visi- ply. After a long pause, he managed to repeat his opening, stopped again, swallowed many times, produced a handkerchief and wiped his face, an act of necessity-then had an inspira- ton.
 'The subject assigned to me-" he said, 'is resolved that Germany is mor'ly and legally justified in Bel gians-Belgiums This subject was assigned to me to be the subject of this debate" He interrupted himself to gasp piteously. found breathing diff flcult, but faltered on again: 'This subject is the subject. It Is the sub- ject that was assigned to me on a postal card" Then, for a moment or so, he had miraculous spurt of confi- dence, and continued, rather rapidly; q feel constrained to say that the country of Belgian-Belgium, mean this country has been constrained by the-invaded I mean-invaded by the Imperial German Umpire and my sub- ject in this debate is whether it ought to or not, my being the informative, affirmative I mean-that I got to prove that Germany is mor'ly and legally justified. I wish to state that"
 He paused again, lengthily, then struggled on. q have been requested to state that the German Imp-Empire that it certainly isn't right for those Dutch-Germans, mean-they haven't got any more business in Belgium than have myself, but Fl feel constrained to say that I had to accept whatever side of this debate got on the postal card, and so am constrained to take the side of the Dutch. 1 mean the Germans. The Dutch are sometimes caIled-I mean the Germans are some times called the Dutch in this country, but they aren't Dutch, though some times called Dutch in this country. We'll, and so-so, well, the war began last August or about then, anyway, and the German army invaded the Bel gian army. After they got there, the invasion began. First they came