Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1922-06-30
CHAPTER Ix.-cOntInued.


IL
Most uncomfortably astonished.
Ramsey took his hands out Of bis peck
cts, picked a leaf from lilac bush be-
side the path, and put the stem of the
leaf seriously into a corner Of his
mouth, before finding anything to say.
"Well-well, all right" he finally re-
sponded. "TH tell you-if it's any
thing I know about"
"You know about it," said Dora.
'That is, you certainly do If you were
at your frat meeting last night.
Were youY
eyes, I was there" Ramsey am
swered, wondering what in the world
she wanted to know, though he sup
posed vaguely that it must be some
thing about COlburn, whom he had
several times seen walking with her.
"Of course I couldn't tell you much,
he added, with an afterthought. "You
see, good deal that goes on at frat
meeting isn't supposed to be talked
about"
eyes," she said, smiling family,
though with a satire that missed him.
"Tve been member of a sorority since
September, and I think have an idea
of what could be told or not told.
Suppose we walk on, If you don't mind.
My question needn't embarrass you"
Nevertheless, as they slowly went on
together, Ramsey was embarrassed.
He felt queer" They had known
each other so long; in way had
shared so much, sitting daily for years
near each other and undergoing the
same outward experiences; they had
almost "grown up together" yet this
was the first time they had ever talked
together or walked together.
"Well-" he said. IF you want to
ask anything It's all right for me to
tell you-well, 1 just as soon, I guess"
at has nothing to do with the secret
proceedings of your frat said Dora,
prinly. "What I want to ask about
has been talked Of ali over the place
today. Everyone has been saying it
was your frat that sent the. first tele-
gram to members Of the government
offering support in case Of war with
Germany. They say you didn't even
wait until today, but sent off a mes
sage last night. What I wanted to
ask you was whether this story is true
or not?"
'Why, yes" said Ramsey, mildly.
''That's what we did"
She uttered an exclamation, a sound
of grief and of suspicion confirmed.
''Ah! I was afraid SOP
"'Afraid soY What's the matter?"
he asked, and because she seemed ex-
citod and troubled, he found himself
not quite so embarrassed as he had
benn at first; for some reason her agt-
tation made him feel easier. what
was wrong about that?"
ooh, it's all so shocking and wick
ed and MISTAKEN" she cried. Even
che faculty has been doing 1t, and half
the other 'frats' and sororitiesl And
it was yours that started It,"
eyes, we did," he said, thoroughly
puzzled. "We're the Oldest frat here,
and of course"-he chuckled modestly
.-"of course we think we're the best.
DO you mean you believe we ought
to've sat back and let somebody else
start it?'
ooh, noP' she answered, vehemently.
Nobody ought to have started iFl
That's the trouble; don't you see? If
nobody had started it none Of it might
have happened. The rest mighCn't
have caught it. It mightn't have got
into their heads. A war thought is the
most contagious thought in the world;
but if it can be kept from starting, it
can be Kept from being contagious.
It's just when people have got into an
emotional state, or a state Of smoul-