The Red Cloud chief., 1922-06-15
CHAPTER discontinued.

cts, picked n zeal from u lilac DuSn pc
side the path, and put the stem Of the
leaf seriously into a corner Of his
mouth, before finding anything to say.
"Well-well, all right" he finally re-
sponded. "Tll tell you-lf It's any
thing I know about"
you know about It." said Dora.
"That Is, you certainly do IL you were
at your frat meeting last night.
Were your"
"Yes, I was there" Ramsey an
swered, wondering what In the world
she wanted to know, though he sup
posed vaguely that It must be some
thing about Colburn, whom he had
several times seer walking with her.
"Of course I couldn't tell you much"
he added, with an afterthought. "You
see, a good deal that goes on at a frat
meeting isn't supposed to be talked
about"
yes" she said, smiling family,
though with n satire that missed him.
"Tve been q member Of a sorority since
September, and l think I have an Idea
Of what could be told or not told.
Suppose we walk on. II you don't mind.
Ny question needn't embarrass you"
Nevertheless, as they slowly went on
together, Ramsey was embarrassed.
He felt queer" They had known
each other so long; In a way had
shared so much. sitting daily for years
near each other and undergoing the
same outward experiences; they had
almost "grown up together" yet this
was the first time they had ever talked
together or walked together.
swell" he said. "If you want to
ask anything It's all right for me to
tell you-well, ] just as soon, I guess"
ut has nothing to do with the secret
proceedings Of your frat" said Dora,
primly. "What / want to ask about
has been talked Of all over the place
today. Everyone has been saying 1t
was your frat that sent the FIRST tele-
gram to members of the government
offering support In case Of war with
iermany. They say you didn't even
wait until today. but sent Off a mes
cu6C iuSt HiSHt Nhut Il WuItcu W
ask you was whether this story Is true
or not?"
"Why, yes" said Ramsey. mildly.
"That'sI what we did"
She uttered an exclamation, a sound
Of grief and Of suspicion confirmed.
"Ah! / wns afraid so !"
"'Afraid SOP What's the matter?'
he asked, and because she seemed ex-
cited and troubled, he found himself
,ot quite so embarrassed as he had
been ut first; for some reason her agi-
tation made him feel easier. "What
vas wrong about that?"
"Oh, it's all so shocking and wick
ID and mistaken !" she cried. "Even
the faculty has been doing It, and half
the other 'frats' and sororities! And
I was yours that started It,"
"Yes, we did," he said. thoroughly
puzzled. "We're the oldest frat here,
nd of ~course"-he chuckled mOdestly
-"of course we think we're the best.
DO you mean you believe we ought
to've sat back and let somebody else
start Ill"
"Oh, moi" she answered, vehemently.
Nobody ought to have started 1t
That's the trouble; don't you see? II
nobody had started II none Of II might
have happened. The rest mightn't
have caught 1t. II mightn't have got
Into their heads. A war thought Is the
most contagious thought In the world
but IL 1t can be kept from starting, It
can be kept from being contagious.
It's just when people have got into an
emotional state, or a state Of smoul-
dering rage, that everybody ought to
be so terribly careful not to think wal
thoughts OF make war speeches-or
send war telegramsl I thought-oh.
] "a so sure I'd convinced Mr.. Col
burn of all this, the last time we
talked Of It'll He seemed to under
stand. and I was sure he agreed with
me-" She bit her lip. "He was only
pretending-I see that noww
II guess he must "a BEEN" said
Ramsey, with admirable simplicity.
"He didn't talk about anything like
that last night. He was as much for
1t as anybody"
"Pve no Doubt |"
Ramsey made bold to look at her
out Of the side Of his eye, and as she
was gazing teDsely forward he contin'
ued his observation for some time. She
was obviously controlling agitation, al
most controlling tears, which seemed
to threaten her very wide-open eyes
for those now fully grown and notice
able eye-winkers of hers we're subjec,
to fluctuations indicating such Z
threat. She looked "hurt." and Ram
sey was touched. There was somethin,
human about her, then, after all. Ant
II he had put his feeling into words a
the moment, he would have said thai
he guessed maybe he could stand thi,
ole girl, for a few minutes sometimes
better than he'd always thought h,
could.
well" he said, "Colburn probry
wouldn't want to hurt your feelings
or anything. Colburn--"
HE? He didn't I haven't the