The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1922-03-31

"Its-it's kind OF tough luck,' his
friend contrived TO say; and he began
to pace the floor again.
"Oh-well-" he said.
"See here, ole stick-in-the-mud'
Fred broke out abruptly. AFTER her
saying what she did Well. it's none
o. my business, but-but-"
"well. what?" Ramsey murmured.
Il don't care what you say. " you
want to say anything"
"well. got to say IT," Fred half
groaned and half blurted. AFTER she
said that-and she meant it-why. II
I were In your place I'd he darned II
I'd be seen out walking with her
again"
"Pm not going to be" Ramsey said,
quietly.
"By George" And now Fred halted
In front of him. both being huskily
solemn II think | understand little
Of what that means to you. old RAM
sey; think I do. | think | know
something OF what II costs you TO
make that resolution for. your coun-
try's sake" Impulsively he extended
his hand. Its pretty big thing for
you to do. VIII you shake handsT
But Ramsey shook his head. II
didn't do It. wouldn't ever have done
anything just on account of her talk
In that way. She shut the door on
met was good while ago"
"She did! What for;"
well. Tn not much Of a talker. you
know. Fred" said Ramsey. staring at
the pen he played with. "Fm not much
OF anything. for that matter. prob'ly,
but I-well-I-"
'You what?"
well, | had TO tell her | didn't feel
about things the way she did She'd
thought had. all along. | guess. Any
way, 1t made her hate me or some
thing. ! guess; and she called ii all
of. expect there wasn't much TO call
of, so far as she was concerned. any
how" He laughed feebly. "She told
me better go and enlist"
pheasant of herr" Fred muttered.
Especially as we know what she
thinks enllsting means" He raised his
voice cheerfully. swell, that's settled .
and, thank God, old Mr.. Bernstorff's on
his way to his sweet little vine-clad
cottage home! They're getting guns
on the ships. and the big shows liable
to commence any day. We can hold
up our heads now, and we're going to
see some great times. old Ramsey boy (!
It's hard ON the home folks-Goshl
don't like to think OF that And
guess it's going to be hard on lot of
boys that haven't understood what it's
all about, and hard on some that their
family affairs, and business, and so on,
have got 'em tied up so it's hard to 70
and Of course there's plenty that just
can't, and some that aren't husky
enough-but the rest of us are going
to have the big time In our lives. We
to think of what l don't know about
being any sort OF rear-rank pri-
vate. Why, it's regular profession.
like practicing law, or selling for a
drug house on the road.
"Golly Do you remember how we
talked about that. way back in fresh
man year, what we were going to do
when We got out of college? You were
going to be practicing law. for In
stance, and well, fr instance. re-
member Coiburn; he was going to be
a doctor and he did go to some medi-
cal school for one year. Now he's In
the Red Cross, somewhere In Persia
Golly!"
He paused. then chartered briskly
on. well, there's one good old boy
was with our class for a while. back
In freshman year; ] bet we won't see
him In any good old army Old rough
neck Linski that you put the knob on
his nose for. Tommie Hopper says he
saw him last summer In Chicago soap
boxin'. yellin' his head off cussin' every
government under the sun, but mostly
ours and the allies, you bet, and going
to run the earth by revolution and rep
resentatives OF unskilled labor immi-
grants, nobody that can read or write
allowed to vote. except Linski. Tom
mie Hopper says he knows all about
Linski: he never did days work In
his life-too busy trying to get the
workingmen stirred up against the peo-
pie that exploit 'em Tommie says he
had big crowd to hear him, though,
and took up quite a little money for
a cause or something. Well, let him
holler! ! guess we can attend to him
when we get back from over yonder.
BY George, old Ram, I'm gettin' kind
Of fioppy in the gills" He admins
tered resounding slap to his COM
rade's shoulder. 1T certainly looks as
IL our big days were walking toward
u.s."
He was right. The portentous DAYS
came on apace, and each one brought
a new and greater portent. The faces
OF men lost driven look besetting
them in the days of badgered waiting.
and instead of that heavy apprehen-
sion one saw the look mems faces must
have worn in 1776 and 1861, and the
history of the old days grew clearer
In the new. The President went to
the congress, and the true indictment
ne made there reached scofiing Pots
dam with an unspoken prophecy some.
what chilling even to Potsdam. one
guesses|and then through an April
night went almost quietly the steady
word: we were at war with Germany.
The bugles sounded across the CONT.
nent; drums and flies played ND and
down the city streets and In town and
village squares and through the coun-
trysides. Family in all ears there was
muititudinous noise like distant
hoarse cheering and a sound
ike that was what, Dora Yocum heard.
one night, as She sat ianaiV In H..