The diamond drill., 1922-02-10


true true ! have marry dur the very
headan frun tuv my Tending hath this
extent no more rude am In speech
In speech-rude am 1 In speech--in
speech-ln speech--in speech"
He had stalled. Perhaps the fatal
truth OF that phrase. and some sense
of it's applicability 10 the occasion had
lnterfered with the mechanism which
he had set I'm operation TO get rid OF
the recitation" for him. At all events.
the machine had to run off its Job all
at once. or IL wouldn't run at all. He
gulped audibly. "Rude rude rude am
I--rude am In speech--in speech--in
speech Rude am In speech"
Eyes" the irritated teacher said, as
Ramsey's failing voice continued husk-
ily 20 insist upon this point. II think
you are !" And her nerves were lit
tie soothed by the shout OF laughter
from the school-lt was never difficult
for teachers to be witty. "Go sit down,
Ramsey. and do 1t after school"
His ears roaring, the unfortunate
went TO his seat and among all the hi
1arious faces, one stood out--Dora Yo-
Gums. Her laughter was precocious;
Il was that OF confirmed superior, In
sufferably adut-she was laughing at
him as grown person laughs at a
child ConspicuousIy and unmlstaka-
bly,, there was something indulgent In
her amusement. He choked. He
didn't care for George Washington, or
Paul Revere, or the teacher. or the
President of the United States. or
Shakespeare, or any OF 'em. They
could all go 10 the dickens with Dora
Yocum. They were all lot OF smart
les anyway and he hated the whole
stew OF 'eml
There was one. however. whom he
somehow couldn't manage 10 hate,
even though this one officially seemed
10 be as intimately associated with
Dora Yocum and superiority as the
others were. Ramsey couldn't hate
Abraham Lincoln, even. when Dora
was chosen to deliver the Gettysburg
Address" on the twelfth OF February
Lincoln had said Government of the
people. by the people. for the people"
and that didn't mean government by
the teacher and the Teachers Pet and
Paul Revere and Shakespeare and
suchlike: II meant government by
everybody, and therefore Ramsey had
as much TO do with Il as anybody else
had. Beyond a doubt, Dora and the
teacher thought Lincoln belonged to
them and their crowd OF exclusives;
they seemed TO think they owned the
whole United States; but Ramsey was
sure they were mistaken about Abra-
ham Lincoln.
He felt that II was just like this lit
tie Yocum snippet TO assume such a
thing, and II made him sicker than
ever 10 look at her.
Then, one day. he noticed that her
eye.winkers were stlckln' out farther
and farther.
His discovery irritated him the
more. Next thing, this ole Teachers
Pet would do she'd get TO thinkin' she
was pretty IL that happened, well,
nobody could stand her The long
iashes made her eyes shadowy, and IL
was a fact that her shoulder blades
ceased 10 insist upon notoriety: you
couldn't tell where they we're az all.
any more.
A contemplate thing happened.
Wesley Bender was well known TO be
the most untItdy boy In the class, and
had never shown any remorse for his
reputation or made. the slightest effort
either to improve or TO dispute H. He
was content: n failed TO lower his
standing with his fellows or 20 Inn
press them unfavorably. In fact. he
was treated as one who has attained
a slight distinction. II helped him to
become better known. and boys liked
TO be seen with him. But one day,
there was Encouragement OF the
seating In the schoolroom: Wesley
Bender was given desk next In front
Of Dora yocums; and within a we~x
the whole room knew that Wesley had
begun voluntarily 10 wash his neck
Sh~ hack ~ IL .nvhow