Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1922-03-11
CHAPTER ll.-continued.

Sometimes, too, there were moments
of relaxation In her class, when she
would stop the lesson and tell the
children about Germany: What a beau
tiful good country 1t was, so trim and
orderly, with such pleasant customs,
and all the people sensible, energetic
and healthy. There was Music" again
In the German class, which was an
other alienation; though 1t 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 1t was
amusing to sing them In German. In
German they sounded sort 90 funny
SO he didn't mind this bit of the days
work.
Half an hour later there arrived 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 to make lucid the proper reply to
a fatal conundrum In decimals, and
under the glare and focus of the
whole room he breathed heavily and
itched everywhere; his brain at once
became sheer hash. He consumed as
much time as possible In getting the
terms of the problem stated in chalk ;
then, affecting to be critical Of his own
handiwork, erased what he had done
and carefully wrote 1t again. After
that he erased half of it, slowly re-
traced figures, and stepped back as II
to see whether perspective improved
their appearance. Again he lifted the
eraser.
Ramsey NIilhollandi"
"Ma'am?"
Put down that eraser!
"Yes'm. / just thought"
Sharply hidden to get. forward with
Ills task, he explained IN feeble voice
that he had first to tie shoestring
and stopped to do so, but was not per-
United. Miss Ridgely tried to stimu-
late him with hints and suggestion !;
found him, so far as decimals went,
mere protoplasm, and, wondering how
SO helpless a thing could live, sum
moned to the board little Dora Yocum,
the star of the class, whereupon Ram
-ey moved toward his seat.
"Stand still, Ramsey You stay
right where you are and try to learn
something from the way Dora does
it,
The class gigg!ed, and Ramsey stood,
but earned nothing His conspicuous
ness ras uncomfortable, because oil of
his schoolmates naturally found more
enter tainment in watching him than
In following the performance of the
capable Dora.
instructed to watch every figure
ehalked up by the mathematical Won
de his eyes, grown sodden, were UNI
pble to remove themselves from the
part In her hair at the back of hcr
head, where two little braids began
their separate careers to end In cou-
pie of blue-and-red- checked bits Of rib
bon, one upon each of her thin Shout
der blades. His sensations clogged his
intellect; he suffered from unsought
aotoriety, and hated Dora YG.um |;
most of all he hated her busy little
shoulder blades.
He had to be kept in" after school |;
aud when he was allowed to 90 home
he averted his eyes as he went by the
house where Dora lived. She was out
in The yard, eating doughnut, and
ne knew II; but he had passed the age
when it Is Just as permissible 10 throw
/. rtck at a girl as at a boy and
.ti.lh,g his normal inclinations, he
walk, d sturdily ON, Though he INDUCED
himself so sar as tc engage In a muir
nured conversation with one of the
familiar 81 irits DWELLING somewhere
within him. "pfa!" said Ramsey to
himself-or himself TO Ramsey, since
1t is difficult to say which was which.
sPfai Thinks she's smart, don't she?'
Well, gutss she does, but she
sin'tr II hate her. don't your
"You bet your life hate her"
~Teachers Pet. that's what ! call her !"
"Well, that's what call her,
too don't II" "Well, do; that's all
she is, anyway--dirty ole Teachers
Petit"