The Bienville Democrat., 1922-05-18

tell If she was lOokin' at me- kind OF
thought not thought it might look
sort O nutty to bow to her if she
wasn't, so l didn't
"And you didn't tell her you wouldn't
be one of the ones to help her with her
pacifsm and anti-war stuff and all
that?"
"No. I started to, but Shut up"
Fred sat up, giggling. $50 she thinks
you will help her. You didn't say any
thing at all, and she must think that
means she converted you. Why didn't
you speak up?"
"Well, l wouldn't argue with her."
said Ramsey. Then, after a silence, ne
seemed to be in need of sympathetic
comprehension. "It was kind O funny
though, wasn't it?" he said, appealing.
ly.
"What waS?"
"The whole business"
"What whole bus"
"Oh, get out! Her stoppin' me, and
me goin' pokin' along with her, and
her-well, her crying and everything,
and me being around with her while
she felt so upset, l mean. 1t seems
we'll, 1t does seem all kind O. funny to
me-"
"Why does it?" Fred inquired, pre-.
serving his gravity. "Why should 1t
seem funny to you?"
II don't mean funny like something's
funny you laugh at," Ramsey explained
laborlously. "I mean funny like some.
thing that's out Of the way. and you
wonder how it ever happened to hap
pen. I mean it seems funny I'd ever
be sittin' there on a bench with that
ole girl l never spoke to in my life or
had anything to do with, and talkin'
about the United States goin' to war.
What we were talkln' about, why, that
seems just as funny as the rest Of it.
Lookin' back to our class picnic, f'r
instance, second year Of high school,
that day l jumped in the creek after
Well, you know, it was when | started
maxim a fool of myself over girl.
Thank goodness, l get that out O my
system; it makes me just sick to look
back on those days and think Of the
fool things l did, and all thought
about that girl. Why, She Well, I've
got old enough to see now she was
Just about as ordinary girl as there
ever was, and If l saw her now l
wouldn't even think she was pretty;
I'd probly think she was sort Of loud.
lookin'. Well, what's passed IS past,
and it isn't either here nor there.
What started to say was this: that
the way it begins to look to me, 1t
looks as if nobody can tell in this life
a darn thing about what's goin' to hap
pen, and the things that do happen are
the very ones you'd swear were the
last that could. / mean-you look back
to that day Of the picnic-my! but I
was rube then-well, I mean you look
back to that day, and what do you
suppose I'd have thought then If some
body'd told me the time would ever
come when I'd be way off here at COL
lege sittin' on a bench with Dora Yo-
cum-with Dora Yocum, in the first
place-and her crying and both of us
talking about the United States goin'
to war with Germany! Don't It seem
pretty funny to you, Fred, too"
"But as near as I can make out"
Fred said, "that isn't what happened"
"Why isn't it?"
"You say and both Of US talking
and so on. As near as can make out,
you didn't say anything at ALL"
"Well, l didn't-much,' Ramsey ad.
mitted, and returned to his point with
almost pathetic persistence. but
doesn't it seem kind o funny to you,
Fred"
"Well, don't know
1T does to me-" Ramsey insisted. 1T
certainly does to me-"
EYES," said Fred cruelty. 1--WE no
ticed you said so, but 1t don't look any
funnier than you do when you say
It."
Suddenly he sent forth a startling
shout. "Wow! You're as red as 4
blushing beet!"
II am not!"
"Y'arev shouted Fred. Wow! The
ole woman.hater's get the flushes. Oh,
look at the pretty posy!"
(TO BE CONTINUED.)