The diamond drill., 1922-02-10
CHAPTER ~

Ramsey Mlholland sat mlsernbly In
school. his conscious being consisting
principally OF duh hate. Torpor
was a little dispersed during fifteen
minute interval OF Music" when he
and all the other pupils In the large
room OF the "Five r. Grade" sang re-
peatedly fractions OF what they enun-
ciated as "The Star -guh-hulled
Banner: but afterward he relapsed
into the low spirits and anlmosity nat
ural 10 anybody during enforced con-
fnement under instruction. No allevia-
tion was accomplished by an Invaders
temporary usurpation OF the teachers
platform, n brisk and unsympathetical-
~ cheerful young woman mounting
thereon to teach German"
For a long time mathematics and
German had been about equally re-
pulslve 10 Ramsey, who found himself
daily In the compulsory presence OF
both but he was gradually coming TO
regard German with the greater hor
ror, because, after months of patient
mental resistance. he az last began to
comprehend that the German language
has sixteen special and particular ways
OF using the German article corre-
spending 10 that flexible hit OF word
so easily managed In English-the.
What In the world was the use OF
having sixteen why's Of doing a thing
that could Just as well be done In one :?
III the Germans had contented them
selves with insisting upon sixteen use
less variations for infrequent words,
such as hippopotamus, for instance,
Ramsey might have thought the affair
unreasonable hut not necessarily vi
cious-it would be easy enough TO
avoid talking about hlppopotamus
II he ever had 10 90 10 Germany. But
the fact that the Germans picked out
and the and many other little words
In use all the time, and gave every one
OF them sixteen forms, and expected
Ramsey Aiilholland 10 learn this dizzy
ing useessness down 10 the last
crotchety detail, with "When Is employ
Which" as a nausea 10 prepare for the
final convulsion when one didn't use
Which. because II was an Exception"
there was fashion OF making easy
matters hard that was merely hellsh.
The teacher was strict but enthu-
siastic; she told the children, over and
over. that the German was a beautiful
language. and her face always had a
glow when she said this. AT such
times the children looked patient they
supposed II must he SO, because she
was an adult and their teacher; and
they believed her with the same man
ner OF believing which those OF them
who went 10 Sunday school used there
when the Sunday school teachers were
pushed into explanation of various
matters set forth In the Old Testa-
ment. or gave reckless descriptions OF
heaven. That IN Ia say. the children
did not challenge or deny; already
/ they had been driven into habits OF
resignation and were passing out OF
the age when childhood In able TO re-
ject adult nonsense.
Ramsey Milholland did not know
whether the English language was
beautiful or not he never thought
about II. Moreover. though his deeper
| lnwartis hated German" he liked his
German teacher. and II was pleasant
10 look nj her when that glow came
upon her face.
Sometimes. too. there were moments
OF relaxation In her class. when she
would stop the lesson and tell the
children about Germany What a bca o.
tiful. good country II was. SO trim and
orderly. with such clensant customs
and all the people s-nslble. energetic
and healthy. There was Music" again
In the German class which was an
other nilevlation though II was the
same old "Star Spangled Banner over
again. Ramsey was tired OF the song
and tired OF "My Country 'Tis OF
Thee: they were bores. but II was
amusing to sing them IN German. In
German they sounded "s0rt o. funny "
So he didn't mind this hit OF the days
work.
Half an hour later there arslved his
supreme trial of this particular morn.
ing. Arithmetic then being the order
Of business before the house, he was
sent alone TO the blackboard. supposed.
ly 10 make lucid the proper reply 70
a fatal conundrum In declmals, and
under the glare and focus OF the
whole room he brcathed heavily and
itched everywhere; his brain at once
became sheer hash. He consumed as
much time ms possible In getting the
terms of the problem stated in chalk
then. affecting TO be critical of his own
handlwork. erased what he hal q ~
and carefully wrote II again. After