Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1922-01-27

"'Most Potent, Grave and Rev"
true true | have marry dur the very
headan frun tuv my Tending hath this
extent no more rude am in speech
In spccch-rude am in speech-in
speech-in spccch-in speech"
He had stalled. Perhaps the fatal
truth Of that phrase. and some sense
of its applicability to the occasion had
he had set in operation TO get rid of
the recitation" for him. At all events.
the machine had to run of its job all
at once, or 1t wouldn't run ut all. He
gulped audibly. Crude rude rude am
rude am ! in spcech-in speech-in
speech. Rude am l in speech"
Yes" the irritated teacher said, as
Ramsey's failing voice continued husk-
lily to insist upon this point. 81 think
you arer' And her nerves were lit
tie soothed by the shout of laughter
from the school-it was never difficult
for teachers to be witty. $50 sit 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-
Gums. Her laughter was precoclous |;
1t was that of confirmed superior, in
suffcrably adut-she was laughing at
him rs a grown person laughs at Il
child. Conspicuously and unmistuka.
bly,, there was something indulgent in
her amusement. He chOked, 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 EN-. They
Yocum. They We're all lot of smart
les anyway and he hated the whole
stew of 'eml
There was one, however, whom he
somehow couldn't manage to hate,
even though this one officially seemed
to be as Intimately associated with
Dora Yocum 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 doubt, Dora and the
teacher thought Lincoln belonged 60
them and their crowd of exclusives;
they seemed to think they owned the
whole United States; but Ramsey was
sure they were mistaken about Abra-
ham Lincoln.
He felt that 1t was just like this lit
tie Gocum Snppet to assume such a
thing, and 1t made him Sicker than
ever to look Mt her.
Then, one day, he noticed that her
eye-winkerS were sticEin out farther
and farther.
His discovery irritated him the
more. Next thing, this ole Teachers
Pet would do she'd get to thnkn' she
was pretty! If that happened, well,
nobody could stand her The long
lashes made her eyes shadowy, and it
was fact that her shoulder blades
ceased to insist upon notoriety; you
couldn't toll whnrp thpy were Mt nil
any more.
A contemplate thing happened.
Wesley Bender was well known to be
the most untitdy boy In the class, and
had never shown any rcmorse for his
reputation or made the slightest effort
either to improve or to dispute 1t, He
was content: ii failed to lower his
standing with his fellows or to i'm
press them unfuvorably. In fact, he
was treated as one who has attained
slight distinction. 1t helped him 90
become better known, and boys liked
to be seen with him. But one day,
there was Il Encouragement of the
seating In the schoolroom: Wesley
Bender was given desk next in front
of Dora Yocums; and within n week
the whole room knew that Wesley had
begun voluntarily to wash his neck
the back Of II, anyhow.
This was nj the bottom of the fight
between Ramsey MiIholland and IVES
ley Bender and the Diplomatic ex