The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1922-05-18


Yocum as an orator is Just an actual
perfect wonder. Got any objections 2"
"N-no"
"All right then" Fred settled him.
self upon the window seat with pipe
and proceeded, There's something
about her, when she stands there, she
stands so straight and knows just what
she's up to, and everything, why,
there's something about her makes the
cold chills go down your spine-I
mean my spine, not yours particular
lyl You sit down. mean anybody's
spine, doggone It'll" And as Ramsey
increased the manifestations of his
suspicious, lifting tennis racket over
the PROSTATE figure. "Oh, MURDER"
Fred said, resignedly. "All right, We'll
change the subject. That fat little
Werder cutie made out q pretty good
case for Germany, didn't she?"
Ramsey disposed himself In an easy
chair with his feet upon the table,
and presently chuckled. you remem-
Der the time had the fuss with Wes-
ley Bender, back In the ole school
days"
"Yep."
"All the fiubdub this Werder girl got
off tonight puts me In mind of the
way / talked that day. / can remem.
Der it rs well as anything! Wesley
kept yelpin' that whoever mentioned
a lady's name in public place was a
pup, and Of course I didn't want to
hit him for that; boys got regular
instinct for tryin' to make out he's
on the right side In scrap, and he'll
always try to do something, or say
something, or he'll get the other boy
to say something, to make 1t look as
if the other boy was in the wrong and
began the trouble. So told poor ole
Yves that my father spoke my moth
er's name in public place whenever
he wanted to, and / dared him to say
my father was pup. And all so on.
A boy startin' up a scrap, why, half
the time he'll drag In his father and
mother II there's any chance to do 1t.
y
well, that's just the same as If yon
called my father and mother fool,
or something like that. Then. after
ward, he can claim he WAS scrappin'
because he had to defend his father
and mother, and of course he'll more
than half believe 1t himself.
swell, you take government--it's
only Just some men, the way l see 1t,
and If they're goin' to start some big
trouble like this war, why, of course
they'll play just about that same old
boy trick, because it's instinct to do 1t,
lust the same for man as Ii is for a
boy-or else the principles just the
same, or something. Well, anyhow, If
you want to know who started scrap
and worked 1t up, you got to forget all
the talk there is about it, and all what
each side says, and just look at two
things: Who was fixed for 1t first, or
thought they were, and who hit firsti
When you get the answer to those two
questions everythlng's settled about
this being attacked business. AS near
rs i can make out, tnis war pesdn
with Germany and Austria's startn'
to wipe out two little countries; Aus
trIa began shootin' up Serbia, ana
Germany began shootin' up Belgium.
/ don't need to notice any more than
that, myself-aH the girls In the coun-
try can debate their heads on, they
can't change what happened and they
can't excuse 1t, either"
He was silent, appearing to feel tnat
he had concluded conclusively, ana the
young gentleman on the window seat
after staring at him for several mo-
ments of genuine thoughtfulness. was
gracious enough to observe. well, old
Ram. you may be little slow In class.
but when you think things out with
yourself you DO show signs Of some
thing pretty near like real horsesease
sometimes. Why don't you ever say
anything like that toto some Of
your pacifist friends?'
"What do you neans Who you
talkin' about? Whose 'pacifist
friends'?" -