Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1922-03-25

not the Mllla Rust who sat beside him.
but an lridescent. fragile creature who
had become angelic.
He spent the rest of the day daw.
ding helplessly about her; wherever
she went he was near, as near as pos
sible, but OF no deliberate volltion Of
nis own. Something seemed to tie him
to her, and Milla was nothing 10th.
He seldom looked at her directly, or
for longer than an instant, and more
rarely still did he speak to her except
as reply. What few remarks he
ventured upon his own initiative near
ly all concerned the landscape, which
he commended repeatedly In a weak
voice, as "kind of pretty" though once
he said he guessed. there might be bugs
In the bark of a log on which they sat;
and he became so immediately per-
sonal as to declare that II the bugs
had to get ON anybody he'd rather
they got on him than on Milla. She
said that was "just perfectly lovely"
of him, asked where he got his sweet
nature, and In other ways encouraged
him to continue the revelation. but
Ramsey was unable TO get forward
with 1t, though he opened and closed
| his mouth great many times IN the
effort to do so.
/ AT Ave O'clock everybody was sum.
moned again to the rendezvous for
ceremony preliminary to departure;
| the class found itself In large circle,
standing. and sang THE Star Spangled
Banner" Ordinarily. on such an OPEN
| air and out-of-school occasion, Ramsey
/ would have Joined the chorus uprohr-
/ iousIy with the utmost blatancy OF
which his vocal apparatus was cara
| BILE; and most OF the other boys es-
| pressed their humor by drowning out
the serious efforts of the girls; but
he sang feebly, not much more than
hummIng through his teeth. Standing
beside Milla, he was incapable of his
former inelegancies and his voice was
In a semi-paralyzed condition, like the
rest OF him.
Opposite him, across the circle, Dora
Yocum stood little In advance OF
those near her, for of course she led
the singing. Her clear and earnest
voice was distinguishable from all
Others, and though she did not glance
toward Ramsey he had queer feeling
that she was assuming more superior
ity than ever, and that she was icily
scornful OF him and Milla. The old
resentment rose--he'd 'show" that girl
yet, some day!
When the song was over, cheers
were given for the class. "the good ole
class of Nineteen Fourteen" the
school, the teachers, and for the pic
mic. thus officially concluded; and then
the picnickers, carrying their baskets
and faded wild flowers and other sou.
, venirs and burdens, moved toward the
big express wagons" which We're to
take them back into the town. Ram
sey got his guitar case, and turned to
Milla.
"Well--g'by.'
"Why, no." said Milla Anyway.
not yet. You can go back In the sane
wagon wifi me, It's going to stop at
the school and let us oil out there,
and then you could walk home With
me IL you felt Hike It."
"Weil---well, I'd be perfectly will
Ing Ramsey said. "0nly heard we
all had to go back In whatever wagon
we came out In, and / didn't come In
the same one with you, So"
Mllla laughed and leaned toward him
little. II already tended to that
she said confdentlally. II asked
Johnnie Fiske, that came out in my
wagon, to go back in yours, so that
makes room for you"
"Well--then guess could do It,"
He moved toward the wagon with her.
II expect 1t don't make much differ
ence one way or the other"
"And you can carry my basket II
you want to-" she said, adding solicit.
ously, unless It's too heavy when you
already got your guitar case to carry,
Ramsey"
This thoughtfulness Of hers almost
overcame him: she seemed divine.
"I--rll be glad to carry the basket
too" he faltered. "It--it don't weigh
! anything much"
"Well, let's hurry, SOS we can get
places together"
Then, as she Unanswered him
through the little crowd about the
! wagon, with soft push this way and
gentle pull that, and hurried him up
the lmprovised steps and found place
where there was room for hem both
to sit, Ramsey had another D'enthless
sensation heretofore unknowd to him.
He found himself taken under dove
like protectorship; a wonderful, mex
pressible Being seemed to have become
his proprietor.
"Isu't this just perfectly loyelyw
she said cozily, close to his ear.
He swallowed, but found no words
for he had no thoughts; he was only
an incoherent tumult. This was his
: first love.
isn't II, Ramsey" she urged. The
coy voice had just the hint of q re-
proach. "Don't yor think It's just
: perfectly lovely, RamseyT
"Yes'm"