Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1922-02-23
CHAPTER w.

again upon fair terms before the win
ter had run it's course; the two were
neighbors and, moreover, were drawn
together by a community of interests
which made their reconciliation ne
cessity. Ramsey played the guitar and
Wesley played the mandolin.
All i'll feeling between them died
with the first duet of spring, yet the
tinkling they made had ne charm to
SOOthe the savage breast of Ramsey
whenever the Teachers Pet came into
his thoughts. He day-dreamed a thou
sand ways Of putting her in her place,
but was unable to carry out any of
them, and had but a cobwebby salts
faction in imagining discomftures for
her which remained imaginary. "Just
once - he said to Fred Mitchell. That's
all | ask, just once Just gimme one
chance to show that girl what she
really is. l guess if l ever get the
chance she'll find out what's the mat
ter with her, for once in her life, any
way" Thus it came to be talked about
and understood and expected in Ram
sey's circle, all male, that Dora 70
GUMS day was coming. you'll see! y
said Ramsey. "The time'H come when
that ole grill wish she'd moved out O.
this town before she ever got appointed
monitor of our class! Just you wait!'
They waited, but conditions appeared
to remain unfavOrable indefinitely.
Perhaps the great opportunity might
have arrived if Ramsey had been able
to achieve a startling Importance in
any of the various divergent yet
parallel lines of school endeavor'-on
of the phrases by means of which
teachers and principal clogged the
minds Of their unarmed auditors. But
though he was far from being the
dumb driven beast of misfortune that
he seemed i'm the schOolroom, and, in
fact, lived a double life exhibiting in
his t-of-school hours a remarkable
example of secondary personality
a creature fearing nothing and capable
of laughter; blue eyed, fairly robust,
and anything but dumb-he was never
theless without endowment or attain
ment great enough to get him distinc-
ton.
He tried for the high-School
eleven, and tried for the nine, but
the experts were not long in elimi-
mating him from either Of these COM
petitions, and he had to content him.
self with cheering instead of getting
cheered. He was by no manner of
means athletic, or enough of anything
else, to put Dora Yocum in her place,
and so he and the great opportunity
were still waiting in May, az the end
of the second year of high school,
when the class, now the 40 A." revert
ed to an old fashion and decided to
entertain itself with woodland pic
mic.
They gathered upon the sandy banks
of a creek in the blue shade of big,
patchy-barked sycamores, with dane
ing sky on top Of everything and gold
dust atwinkle over the water. Hither
the napkin-covered baskets were
brought from the wagons and assem-
bled in the shade, where they ap-
peared as an attractive little meadow
of white napery, and gave both sur
prise and pleasure to communities Of
ants and to other original settlers of
the neighborhood.
From this nucleus or headquarters
of the picnic, various expeditions set
forth up and down the creek and
through the woods that bordered it.
Two envied boy fishermen established
themselves upon a bank upstream,
with hooks and lines thoughtfully
brought with them, and poles which
they fashioned from young saplings.
They took mussels from the shadows,
for bait, and having gone to all this
trouble, declined to share with friends
less energetic and provident the per-
quisites and pleasures secured to
themselves.
Albert Paxton was one person
who proved his enterprise. Having Wis
tied the spot some days before, he had
hired for his exclusive use throughout
the duration of the picnic an old row.
boat hpl0npinu RI q choufv cuuatfor.