Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1922-06-09

spairing, CHASTITY and believed, in the
large hall of the Lumen society at
eight o'clock ON Friday evening.
Four other ''twelve-minute debates"
preceded his and the sound of these,
In Ramsey's ears, was the sound or
Gabriel practising on his horn in the
early morning of Judgment day. The
members of the society sat, three rows
deep, along the walls of the room,
leaving a clear oblong Of green car
bet in the center where were two
small desks, twenty feet apart, the
rostrums of the debatefs. Upon
platform at the head of the room sat
dreadful seniors, the officers Of the
society, and, upon benches near the
platform, the debaters of the evening
were aligned. One of the fraternal
seniors sat with sweltering Ramsey;
and the latter, as his time relentlessly
came nearer, made a last miserable
squirm.
Look here, Brother Colburn, I got
to get out O. here"
"No, you don't, young fellow"
eyes, dol" Ramsey whispered, pas
sionately. Honest, l do. Honest,
Brother Colburn, got to get drink
of water. 1 got tot" -.
mo. You can't"
Honest, Colburn, l GOT"
Hush ~
Ramsey cast his dilating eyes along
the rows of faces. Most of them were
but as blurs, swimming, yet he was
aware Che thought Of formidable
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-
seriousness. Over and over he Whis-
pered gaspingly 20 himself the open
ing words of the sentence with which
a senior had advised him to begin his
argument. And as the moment of SUI
preme agony drew close, this whisper
ing became continuous: "In making
my first appearance before this honor
BILE membership / feel constrained to
say in making my first appearance be-
fore this honor'ble membership I feel
constrained to say in making my first
appearance before this honor'ble mem
ha1 q irrl1a n
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, a slim,
pretty figure in white. Members in
Ramsey's neighborhood were aware of
a brief and hushed commOtion, and
fierce whisper, you can't! You get
up there!" And the blanched Ramsey
came forth and placed himself at the
other desk
He stood before the silent popu-
ace Of that morgue, and it seemed to
him that his featur:s had forgotten
er 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-
ton not before known by him; it de-
sired to move rustily in eccentric ways
of it's own devising; his legs alternate
~ limbered and Strengthened under no
direction but their own and his hands
clutched each other fiercely behind his
back he was not one cohesive person,
evidently, but an assembled collection
of parts which had relapsed each into
it's own individuality. In spite of them,
he somehow contrived the semblance
of bow toward the chairman and the
semblance of another toward Dora, of
whom he was but hazily conscious.
knowing how he had started his voice
going, heard it as if from distance.
''In making my first appearance be-
fore this honor'ble membership | feel
restrained to say" He stopped
short, and thenceforward shook visi-
bly,. After long pause, he managed
to repeat his opening, stopped again,
swallowed many times, produced
handkerchief and wiped his face, an
act of necessiry-then had an inspira-
ton.
"'The subject assigned to me-" he
said, sis 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
fcult, but faltered on again: This
subject is the subject. 1t Is the sub
ject that was assigned to me on
postal card" Then, for moment or
so, he had miraculous squirt of conf
dence, and continued, rather rapidly:
81 feel constrained to say that the
country of Belgian-Belgium, | mean
this country has been constrained by
the-invaded / mean-invaded by the
TmneriaI German ImDire and my sub