Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1922-04-20
CHAPTER xI.-contlnued.

elf upon the window seat WIN pipe,
and proceeded, There's something
about her, when she stands there, she
stands so straight and knows just what
she's up to, and everything, why,
there's something about her makes the
cold chills go down your spine-l
mean my spine, not yours particular
Iy! You sit DOWN. mean anybodys
spine, doggone it" And as Ramsey
increased the manifestations OF MS
suspicious, lifting a tennis racket over
the prostrate figure, "Oh, murder,
Fred said, resignedly. "All right, well
change the subject. That fat little
Werder cutie made out a pretty good
case for Germany, didn't she?
Ramsey disposed himself in an easy
chair with his feet upon the table,
and presently chuckled. "You remem-
Der the time had the fuss with Wes-
ley Bender, back in the ole school
days?"
"Yep."
"All tie frbdub this Werder girl got
Off tonight puts me in mind OF the
way l talked that day. can remem-
Der it as we'll as anything! Wesley
kept yelpin' that whoever mentioned
q ladys name in public place was a
Dup. and Of course didn't want to
hit him for that; boys got reglar
instinct for tryin' to make out hes
on the right side in scrap, and he'll
always try to do something. or say
something, or he'll get the other boy
to say something, to make 1t look as
II the other boy was in the wrong ana
began the trouble. So l told poor ole
Yves that my father spoke my moth
er's name in q public place whenever
he wanted to, and dared him to say
my father was pup. And all so on.
A boy startin' up a scrap, why, half
the time he'll drag in his father and
mother If there's any chance to do 1t.
He'll fix up some way so he can say,
well, that's just the same as If you
called my father and mother a fool
or something ike that. Then, after
ward, he can claim he was scrappin'
because he had to defend his father
end mother. and of course he'll more
than half believe 1t himself.
swell, you take a government-it's
only Just some men, the way / see 1t.
and if they're goin' to start some big
trouble like this war, why, of course
they'll play just about that same old
boy trick, because it's instinct to do 1t,
just the same for a man as 1t Is for a
boy-or else the principles just the
same. or something. Well, anyhow, II
YOU want TO know who started scrap
and worked 1t up, you got to forget all
the talk there Is about 1t, and all what
each side says, and just look at two
things: Who was fixed for It first. or
thought they were, and who hit firstf
When you get the answer to those two
questions everything's settled about
this being attacked business. AS near
as I can make out, this war Degah
with Germany and Austria's startin'
70 wine out two little countries; Aus
tria began shootin' up Serbia, and
Germany began shootin' up Belgium.
I don't need to notice any more than
that, myself-all the girls in the couh-
try can debate their heads off, they
can't change what happened and they
can't excuse it, either"
He was silent, appearing to feel that
he had concluded conclusively. and the
Young gentleman on the window seat,
ofter staring at him for several mo-
ments of genuine thoughtfulness. was
gracious enough to observe. "Well, OLD
Ram. YOU may be little slow in class
hut when you think things out with
yourself you do show signs of some
thing pretty near like real horse-sense
sometimes Why don't you ever say
anything like that to-to some or
your pacifist friends?"
"What do you mean? Who you
Ialkin' about? Whose 'pacitSr
friends'?
"See, here!" Fred exclaimed. as
Ramsey seemed about to rise. You
keep sitting just where you are, and
don't look at me out of the side OF
your eye like that-pretendin' you're q
bad horse. I'm really serious now, and
YOU listen to me. don't think argufy-
ING and debating like that little FRAU
Iejn Werder's does much harm. She's
right nifty young rOlypoly. by the
way, though you didn't notice, OF
course"
'Why didn't II" Ramsey demanded,
sharply. 'Why didn't / notice."
"Oh. nothing. But, as l was saying,
I don't think that sort Of talk does
much harm: everybody knows 1t goes
on among the pro-Germans, and it's
all hot air. anyhow. But think Lin
skis sort of talk does do harm, probly
among people that don't know much
md, what's more. I think Dora YO-
GUMS does some, too. Well, you hit
linski In the snoot. so what are you -
Sit still! My lord! You don't think
I'm askin' you TO 90 and hit Dora, do
you? mean: Aren't you ever goin'
to talk to her about it and tell her
what's whatT
''Oh, you 20 to bed!"
"No. I'm in earnest" Fred urged.
Honestly, aren't you ever goin' tor
"How could do anything like that?'
Ramsey demanded explosively. 81
never see her-to speak to, that is
I probry won't happen to have an
other talk with her. or anything, all
the time we're in college"
"No," Fred admitted, Il suppose net