The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1922-05-11

cold" said Fred, still keeping his back
turned.
Il expect maybe she did-though
don't know; most the time she didn't
seem to notice me much, kind Of
"She didn't?
/ mo. She was too upset, | guess, by
what she was thinkin' about
but If it hadn't been for that"
Fred suggested, YOU mean she'd have
certainly paid more attention to who
was sitting on the bench with herr"
"Get out You know how it was
Everybody those few days thought we
were goin' to have war, and she was
just sure of 1t, and 1t upset her OF
course most people We're lot more
upset by what those Dutchmen did to
the Lustanla than by the idea of war (;
and she seemed to feel as broken up as
anybody could be about the Lusitania
but what got her the worst was the
notion of her country wantn' to fight,
she said. She really was upset, too,
Fred; there wasn't no putin on
about it, l guess that ole girl GER
tainly must have good deal of feel
ing, because, doggoned, after we'd
been sittin' there Il while If she didn't
have to get out her handkerchief She
kept her face turned away from me
just the same as you're dom now to
keep from laughin'-but honestly, she
cried like somebody at funeral.
felt like the darndest fool -
I'm not laughing said Fred, but
he did not prove 1t by turning 50 that
his face could be seen. what did she
sayT"
"Oh, she didn't say such an awful
lot. She said one kind o. fanny thing
though: she said she was sorry she
couldn't quite control herself, but If
anybody had to see her cry she minded
it less because it was an old school
mate. What struck me so kind O.
funny about that is-Why, it looks as
if she never knew the way l always
hated her So"
"Yes," said Fred. ut wasn't fiat
tering"
"Well, sir, 1t isn't, kind Of" Ram
scy agreed, muslngly. ut certainly
isn't when you look at 1t that way"
"What did you say when she said
that?" Fred asked.
"Nothn'. | started to, but sort of
baked again. Well, we kept on sitting
there, and afterwhle she began to
talk again and got kind Of excited
about how no war could do anything
or anybody any good, and all war was
wicked. no matter what 1t was about.
and nothin' could be good that was
founded on fear and hate, and every
war that ever was fought was always
founded on fear and hate. She said
if the Germans wanted to fight us we
ought to go to meet them and tell
them we wouldn't fight"
"What did you say?'
"Nothin' / kind o started to-but
what's the use? She's got that In her
head. Besides, how are you goln' to
argue about a thing with a person
that's crying about it? tell you, Fred,
l guess we got to admit after ALL that
ole girl certainly must have n lot of
heart about her, anyway There may
not be much fun to her-though of
course l wouldn't know hardly any
way to tell about thnt-but there
couldn't be hardly any doubt she's got
a lot of feeling. Well, and then she
went on and said old men made wars,
hut didn't fight; they left the fighting
to the boys, and the suffering to the
boys mothers"
YES !" Fred exclaimed, and upon
that he turned, free of mirth for the
moment. "That's the woman of 1t. I
guess. Send the old men to do the
fighting For the matter of that, ]
guess my father'd about a thousand
times rather go himself than see me
and my brothers go; but Fathers so
fat he can't stoop You got to be able
TO Stoop to dig trench, / guess Well,
suppose we sent our old men up
against those Dutchmen the Dutch
men would Just kill the old men, and
then come after the boys anyway, and
the boys wouldn't be ready, and they'd
get killed, too; and then there
wouldn't be anybody but the Dutchmen
lpIT, ana Illdl ne oue HIe NOf!u,
wouldn't 1t -
ayes" said Ramsey. "Course l
thought of that
did you tell herr"
mo"
"What did you sayT'
"l;othin'. I couldn't get started any
, way but. besides, what was the use?
But she didn't want the old men to go;
she didn't want anybody to GO"
"What did she want the country to
do?" Fred asked. impatlently.
Gust what 1t has been doin,, sup
pose. Just let things simmer down,
and poke along and let them do what
they like to u.s."
II guess So" said Fred. "Then,
afterwhile, when they got some free
time on their hands, they'll come over
and make 1t really interesting for us,
because they know we won't do any
thing but talk. Yes, I guess the way
things are settling down ought to suit
Dora. There isn't goin' to be any
war"
Ucha uac nretty eurp fhpra uaS