The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-03-16
CHAPTER ".

With Wesley Bender, Ramsey was
again upon fair terms before the win.
ter had run its 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 Ill feeling between them died
with the first duet Of spring, yet the
tinkling they made had no charm to
soothe the savage breast of Ramsey
whenever the Teachers Pet came into
his thoughts. He day-dreamed thou
sand ways Of putting her in her place,
but was unable to carry out any Of
them, and had but 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. guess II I 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!"
said Ramsey. 1.-THE timell come when
that ole grin 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"-one
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 in the schoolroom, and, in
fact, lived double life, exhibiting in
his out-of-school hours 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-
nating 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
we're still waiting in May, at 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 APP
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 neighborho0d.
From this nucleus or headquarters
Of the picnic, various expeditions set
forth up and down the creek and
through the woods that bordered tt
Two envied boy. fishermen established
themselves upon 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 te
themselves.
Albert Paxton was one person
who proved his enterprise. Having Wis
tied the spot some days before, he hat
. hired for his exclusive use Throughout
: the duration Of the picnic an old row
boat belonging to a shanty squatter
it was the only rowboat within a mile
or two and Albert had his own use'
{ for it. Albert was the class lover and
, after first taking the three chaperoI
& teachers "out for row." an excursion
, | concluded in about ten minutes, he dis
j embarked them; Sadie Clews steppe'
into the boat a pocket camera in on
' hand, tennis racket in the other; AM
t the two spent the rest Of the day, ex
! cept for the luncheon interval, solemn
a ly drifting along the banks or ground
! ed on a shoal. Now and then Alder
a would row few strokes, and at a
!. most any time when the populate
q shore glanced toward them, Sadi
would be. seen photographing Albert
!. or Albert would be seen photograph
1 ing Sadie, but the tennis racket re
!, NAMED an enigma. They were sis
: teen, and had been engaged" NOR
n than two years.
). On the borders of the little meadoN
j. of baskets there had been deposite
IS two black shapes, which remained III
e disturbed throughout the day, close