The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1922-03-23


fiy 10 il.,,SI upon ais punt. Tn.l1S
You are - And her nerves we're lit
tie soothed by the shout of laughter
from the school-it was never difficult
for teachers 10 lie witty. Go sill down.
Ramsey, and do it after school"
His ears roaring, The unfortunate
went to his seat and. among all the hi
lariouS faces. one stood out-Dora Yo-
cums. Her laughter WAS preeoCious +;
ii WAS that of II confirmed superior, in
SulferablN adult-Shr WAS laughing at
him as II grown person laughs at a
child Conspjcuously and unmiStaka-
bly,, there WAS something indulgrnt in
her amusement. lie chokpd. He
didn't care for George Washington, or
Paul Revere, or the teacher. or the
President of the United States. or
Shakespeare, or any of 'cm They
could all go to the dickens with Dora
Iocum. They We're all lot of smart
les anyway and he hated the whole
stew of EN-
There WIS one, however, whom he
even though this one officially seemed
to he rs intimately associated with
Dora locum and superiority as the
others We're. Ramsey couldn't hate
Abraham Lincoln, even when Dora
was chosen to deliver the Gettysburg
Address, on the twelfth of February
Lincoln had said Government of the
people, by the people. for the people,
and that didn't mean government by
the teacher and the Teachers Pet and
Paul Revere and Shakespeare and
suchlike; it meant government by
everybody, and therefore Ramsey had
as much to do with it as anybody else
had. Beyond a doubt, Dora and the
teacher thought Lincoln belonged to
them and their crowd Of exclusives i;
they seemed To think they owned the
whole United States; but Ramsey WIS
sure they were mistaken about Abra-
ham Lincoln.
lie felt that II was just like this lit
tie Yocum snippet to assume such
thing. and ii made him sicker than
ever to look at her.
Then, one day, he noticed that her
eye-wlnkers were stickin' out farther
and farther.
His discovery irritated him the
more. Next thing. this ole Teachers
Pet would do she'd get to thinkin' she
was pretty! If HAT happened, well.
nobody could stand her, The long
lashes made her eyes shadoWy, and it
WAS fact that ncr shoulder blades
ceased to insist upon notoriety: YOU
couldn't tell where they were at all,
any more.
\ contemplate thing happened
Wesley Bender was well known to be
the most untitdy boy IN the class, and
had never shown any remorse for his
reputation or made the slightest effort
either To improve or to dispute it. He
WIS content: it failed to lower his
standing with his fellows or to I'M
press them unfaYorably. In fact, he
WAS treated as onr who has attained
n slight distinction. It helped him to
become better known. and boys liked
70 he seen with him. But one day,
there was Encouragement of the
seating in the schooroOm Wesley
Bender was given desk next in front
of Dora Yocum's; and within a week
the whole room knew that Wesley had
begun voluntarily to wash his neck
the back Of 1t. anyhow.
This was at the bottom Of the fight
between Ramsey Milholland and Yves.
ley Bender, and the diplomatic ex-
changes Immediately preceding HOSTILE
ties were charmingly frank and I'M
hypocritical, although quite as mixed
up and off-the-issue as if they had
been prepared by professional foreign
office men. Ramsey and Fred Mitchell
and four other boys waylaid young
Bender on the street after school, in
tending jocosities rather than violence,
hut the victim proved sensitive. you
take your ole hands off q mel he
said fiercely, as they began to push
him about among them
"Ole dirty Wes!" they hoarsely bel
lowed and squawked, in their chang
ing voices. washes his ears U 4.