The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1922-01-27


shadows. produced by struggle to
think. "Well, but =" he began slowly.
Listen, Grandpa, listen here! You
said-you said you never got scared
the ole Johnnies were goin' to win"
"They did win pretty often" said
the grandfather. ''They won good
many battles"
81 mean, you said youenever got
scared they'd win the war"
mo, we were never afraid of that"
swell, bat if they were good men
and fought like wildcats, Grandpa,
and KEEP winning battles and every
thing, how could that be? How could
you help bein' scared they'd win the
WARP"
The grandtather's feeble eyes twin
killed. brightly. "Why, we knew they
couldn't, Ramsey"
At this, the little vertical shadows
on Ramsey's forehead became more
pronounced, for he had succeeded in
thinking. "Well, they didn't know they
couldn't, did they?" he argued. They
thought they were goin' to win, didn't
theyT
Eyes; | guess they did. But You
see they were wrong"
well, but" Ramsey struggled
Listen Listen here, Grandpa Well
anyway, if they never got scared we'd
win, and nobody got scared they'd win
well, don't see
"YOu don't see what?"
But Ramsey found himself unable
to continue his concentration. "Oh
nothin' much,' he murmured.
81 see" And his grandfather laughed
again. you mean: If the Johnnies
felt just as sure Of winning the war
as we did and kept winning battles,
why shouldn't we ever have had any
doubts we were going to win? That's
1t, isn't it,"
Il guess so, Grandpa"
"Well think it was mostly because
we were certain that we were right"
II see," said Ramsey. "The Johnnies
knew they were on the side of the
devil" But at this the grandfather's
laugh was louder than il had been be-
! eTT'e,,-aId Ramsey looked hurt. well.
you can laugh If you want tot" he
objected in an aggreved voice. ANY
way, the Sunday school sup'intendent
told us when people knew they were
Oh the devils side they always"
II dare say, l dare say the old man
interrupted. little lmpa,iently. But
In this world mighty few people think
they're on the devils side. Ramsey.
The South thought the devil was on
our side, you see"
"Well, that kind O. mixes it all up
more'n ever"
Suppose you look at it this way:
The South was fighting for what II
believed to be its right to be coun.
try by itself; but we were fighting for
Liberty and Union, now and forever,
one and inseparable' There's the rea-
son we had the certain knowledge that
we were going to win the war. How
plain and simple it Isl"
Ramsey didn't think So He had be-
gun to feel bored by the conversation.
and to undergo the oppression he us
ually suffered In school. The earnest
old voice OF the veteran was only a
sound In the boys ears.
Boom" The veterans had begun
to fire their cannon on the crest of the
low hill, out at the cemetery and from
q little way down the street came the
rat-a-tat Of a toy drum and sounds of
a fife played eXecrably file of chill
tn
pers came marching Importantly up
the sidewalk under the maple shade
trees; and in advance, upon veloci.
pede, rode tin-sworded parsonage,
shrleking incessant commands but not
concerning himself with whether or
not any military obedience was there.
by obtained. Here was revivifylng
effect upon young Ramsey; his slug
gard eyelids opened electrically: he
leaped to his feet and, abandoning his
grandfather without preface or apollo
gy, Sped across the lawn and out of
the gate, charging headlong upon the
commander OF the company.
"YOu get off that 1ocipede, Wesley
Bender! he beloved you gimme
that sword What rights you got to go
bein' captain o my army, I'd like to
know! Who got up this army, in the
first place, I'd like to know did.
myself, yesterd'y afternoon. and you
get back in line or | won't let YOU
b1ong TO it at air.
The pretender succumbed: he in.
stantly dismounted, being out-shouted
ana overawed. On foot he took his
place in the ranks. while Ramsey be
came sternly vociferous. .In-tention
company Farwud march Column
right! Right showdler harms Halt !
rar-wud march. Carry harms
The army went trudgng away I'M
der the continuous but unheeded fire
or orders. and presently disappeared
round corner, leaving the veteran
chuckling feebly under his walnut tree
and alone with the empty street All
trace OF what he had said seemed r.
nave been wiped from the grands0n's
nina; but memory has curious WAYS
Ramsey had understood not II fifth nor
tenth of his grandfather's talk, and
already he had forgotten" all of if
yet not only were there many. many
times in the boys later life when
without ascertainable cause, he would
remember words and sentences snol,eu
ny the grandfather. though the lis.
tener, half-drowsily. had heard hut the
sound of an old. earnest volce-and
even the veterans meaning finally
TOOK on greater definiteness till II
became, In the grandson's thoughts
something clear and bright and beauti.