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

He had not forgiven he' i"".
later when he entered high schoo' Ill
her company, for somehow ha'''se!
managed TO shovel his way through
examinations and stayed WIN ."e
class He was unable to deny ina!
she had become less awfui iooh'n
than she used to be. At least, ne was
honest enough to make partial re-
traction when his friend and class
mate. Fred Mitchell. Insisted that u"
amelioration Of Dora's appearance
could be actually proven.
"Well III take 1t back. l doht
claim she's every last bit as awiul
lookin' as she always has been, salo
Ramsey, coward the conclusion OF tie
argument. "Ill say this for her, shes
awful loOkin', but she may not ne as
awful loOkin' as she was. she doh
come to school with the edge OF some
of her underclO'es shown below her
dress any more, about every other day.
and her eyewinkers have got to SUCK
in out some, and she may not be so
abbasalootly skinny, but she'll haf to
walt mighty long while before
want to look at her without gettln
sick I"
The Implication that Miss Yocum
cared 10 have Ramsey look at her,
either with or without gettin' sick, was
mere rhetoric, and recognized as such
BY the producer Of 1t :. she had never
given the slightest evidence of any
desire that his gaze be bent upon her.
What truth lay underneath his flour
ish rested upon the fact that he could
not look at her without some symp-
toms of the sort he had tersely
sketched to his friend; and yet, SO
pungent is the fascination of self-in-
nicted misery. he did look at her. dur
ing periods of study, often for three or
four minutes at stretch. His ex'
preston at such times indeed resem-
bled that Of one who has dined UNI
wisely; but Dora Yocum was always
too eagerly busy to notice it. He was
almost never In her eye, but she was
continually In his; moreover, as the
banner pupil she was with hourly fire.
quency an exhibit before the whole
class.
Ramsey found her worst of all when
her turn came in "DeclamatiOn." on
Friday afternoons. When she ascend
ed the platform, bobbed little pre-
paratory bow and began, Listen my
children, and you shall hear" Ram.
sey Included Paul Revere and the Old
North church and the whole Revolu
tionary war in his antipathy. since
they somehow appeared to be the
property of the Teachers Pet. For
Dora held this post In "Declamation'
as we'll as In everything else: here. as
elsewhere, the hateful child's proves
surpassed that Of all others; and the
teacher always entrusted her with the
rendition of the patriotic selections "
Rumsey himself was in the same
section of declalmers. and performed
next--a CHASTITY contrast. He gave n
selection from Shakespeare" assigned
by the teacher; and he began this con.
tinuous misfortune by stumbling VIC.
lently as he assembled the platform
which stimulated general giggle al.
ready in being at the mere calling of
his name. All Of the class were bright
with happy anticipation, for the mis-.
cradle Ramsey seldom failed their
hopes. particularly in "Declamation."
He faced them. his complexion wan.
his expression both baleful and horri.
fled; and he began in loud. hurried
voice, from which every hint Of intel
ligence was excluded:
"Most potent, grave and rev"
The teacher tapped sharply on her
desk. and stopped him. you've for.
gotten to bow" she ssid "And don't
say potent The word Is potent"
Ramsey Topped his head al the rear
wall of the room, and began again:
Most potent potent grave and rev.
enerd signers my very nobe and an.
proved good masters that l have tan
away this sole mans Outer It Is NOSE
Observation-Disclosures