Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1922-05-18
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On, yeS-yeS she laugneQ, Cncn
grew serious. "My feeling about yor
that you were person to be relied
on, meant think 1t began that eve
ming in our freshman year, after the
Lusitania, when | stopped you on tile
campus and you went with me. and
couldn't help crping. and you were sc
nice and quiet. l hardly realized then
that 1t was the first time we'd ever
really talked together-of course die
all the talking land yet we'd known
each other so many years. / thought
of it afterWard. But what gave me
such different view of you, I'd al
ways thought you were one of that
truculent sort of boys, always just
bursting for fight; but you showed
me you'd really never had fight in
your life and hated fighting, and that
you sympathized with my feeling about
war;" She stopped speaking to draw
in her breath with sharp sigh. "Ah
don't you remember what I've told you
all along? How it keeps coming
closer and c1Oser-and now it's almost
here! Isn't it unthinkable? And what
can we do to stop it, we poor few who
feel that we must stop it,"
"Well-" Ramsey began uncomfort.
ably ''Of course IT,
"You can't do much" she said. 81
know. None of us can. What can any
little group do? There are so few of
us among the undergraduates
only one in the whole faculty. All the
rest are for war. But we mustn't give
up; we must never feel afterward that
we left anything undone; we must
fight to the last breath !"
Flight" he repeated wonderingly,
then chuckled.
"Oh, as figure of speech" she said
impatiently. "Our language is full of
barbaric figures left over from the
dark ages. But, oh, Ramsey !"-she
touched his sleeve-''I've heard that
Fred Mitchell is saying that he's going
to Canada after Easter, to try to get
into the Canadian aviation corps If
it's true, he's a dangerous firebrand, ]
think. Is it true"
II guess so. He's been talking that
way, some."
"But why do you let him talk that
Way?" she cried. "He's your roommate !;
surely you have more influence with
him than anybody else has. Couldn't
you"
He shook his head slowly, while upon
his face the family indicated model
ings of a grin limited of an inner
laughter at some surreptitiOus thought.
"Well, you know, Fred says himself
tallzer exactly!"
Il know. But don't you see? That
sort-of thing is contagious. Others will
think they ought to go if he does; he's
popular and quite leader. Can't you
do anything with him?"
She waited for him to answer
Cant you?" she insisted.
The grin had disappeared and Ram
sey grew red again.
He seemed to wish to speak, to
heave with speech that declined to be
spoken and would not rouse up from
his inwards. Finally he uttered words
"I-I-well, i"
ooh, | know" she said. "a man
or a boy always hates to be intrud-
ing his own convictions upon other
men, especially in a case like this,
where he might be afraid OF some
idiots thinking him unmanlike. But
Ramsey" Suddenly she broke off
and looked at him attentively; his dis
comfort had become so obvious that
suspicion struck her. She spoke sharp
ly. Ramsey, you aren't dreaming of
doing such thing, are you?"
what such thing?"
Fired hasn't influenced you, has he
You aren't planning to go with him.
are your"
"Where?"
'"To join the Canadian aviation"
mo; hadn't thought of doing it."
She sighed again, relieved. III had a
queer feeling about you just then
that you were thinking Of doing some
such thing. You looked so Odd-and
you're always so qulA, anybody might
not really know what to think. But
I'm not wrong about you, am /, Ram
sey" q
They had come to the foot Of the
steps that led up to the entrance Of
her dormitory, and their walk was at
an end. As they stopped and faced
each other, she looked at him earnest
ly; but he did not meet the scrutiny,
his eyelids fell.
I'm not wrong, am /, Ramsey?
about what?" he murmured, un-
comfortably.
"You are my friend, aren't your?
yes"
s"Then it's all right, she said. 'That
relieves me and makes me happier
than I was just now, for of course II
you're my friend you wouldn't let me
make any mistake about you. be-
lieve you, and now, just before I 90