Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1922-06-02

He started out in business when he
was only thirteen years old, and this
trip he was gettin' up for his father
and mother and Milla was the first
vacation he ever took Well, of course
she wouldn't like my tellin' you, but
can't see the harm of it, now every
things all over"
"All-all over? You mean Milla's
going to be-to be married."
"She already is" said Sadie. "They
got married at her Aunt Jess and I'm
Gle Purv's house, up in Chicago, last
Thursday. Yes, sir; that quiet, little
Milla's a regular old married woman
by this time, I expect, Ramsey
When he got over the shock, which
was not until the next day, one pre-
dominating feeling remained: 1t was
a gloomy pride-a pride in his proven
maturity. He was old enough, it ap-
peared, to have been the same thing
as engaged to a person who was now
a Married Woman. His manner thence
forth showed an added trace of seri-
BUSINESS and self-consideration.
Having recovered his equipoise and
something more, he entirely forgot that
moment of humble admiration he had
felt for Dora Yocum on the day of his
fiattest prostration. When he saw her
sitting in the classroom, smiling bright
ly up at the teacher, the morning of
the schools opening in the autumn,
all his humility had long since van
ished and she appeared to him not
otherwise than as the scholar whose
complete proficiency had always been
so irksome to him.
Look at her!" he muttered to him
self. "Same ole Teachers Petw
Now and then, as the days and sea-
sons passed, and Dora's serene prog
ress continued, ~never checked or even
fiawed, there Stirred within him some
lingerings of the old determination
to SHOW her; and he would conjure
up day-dream of Dora in loud la
mentation, while he led the laughter
of the spectators. But gradually his
feeling about her came to be merely
a dull oppression. He was tired of
having to look at her Gas he stated
it) and he thanked the Lord that the
time wouldn't be so long now until
he'd be out of that ole school, and
then all he'd have to do he'd just take
care never to walk by her house it
was easy enough to use some other
street when he had to go down town.
"The good ole class of Nineteen
Fourteen is about gone" he said to
Fred Mitchell, who was still his most
intimate friend when they reached the
senior year. Eyes, sir; it's held to-
gether a good many years Fred, but
after June it'll be busted plum up,
and | hope nobody starts a move to
have any reunions. There's q good
many members of the ole class that
| can stand and there's some | can't,
but there's one l just won't! If we
ever did call a reunion, that ole YO-
cum girl would start in right away
and run the whole shebang, and that's
where I'd resign. You know, Fred,
the thing | think is the one biggest
benefit of graduating from this ole
school? It's never seem Dora Yocum
again"
This was again his theme as he sat
by the same friends side, in the rear
row of the class at Commencement,
listening to the delivery of the Vale
dictory Thinks she's just sooblime,
don't she!" he whispered morosely.
''She wouldn't trade with the Presi-
dent of the United States right now.
Never mind! Just about q haitian
hour more and that's the last O you,
ole girl Yes, sir, Fred; one thing we
can feel pretty good over: this is
where we get through with Dora Yo-
cumr'
Ramsey and Fred had arranged to
room together at Greenfield, the seat
of the state university, and they made
the short journey in company the fol
lowing September. They arrived hi
larious, anticipating pleasurable ex-
elements in the way of fraternity
pedgings and limitations, encounters
with sophomores, class meetings, and
elections and, also, they were not alb
solutely without interest in the matter
of Girls, for the state university was
co-educational, and it was but natural
to expect in SO broad field, all new
to them, possible vision of something
rather thrilling. They whispered
cheerfully of all these things during
the process of matriculation, and
signed the registrars book on fresh
page; but when Fred had written his
name under Ramsey's and blotted it,
he took the liberty Of turning over the
leaf to examine some of the auto
! graphs of their future classmates,
written on the other side. Then he ut
tered an exclamation, more droll than
dolorous, though it affected to be Who'll
ly the latter; for the shock to Fred
was by no means so painful as it was
to his friend.
Ramsey leaned forward and read