Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1922-06-03
CHAPTER xi.-continued.

il
"All right then" Fred settled him
self upon the window seat with pipe,
and proceeded, There's something
about her. when she stands there. she
stands 30 straight and knows just what
she's up to. and everything. why.
there's something about her makes the
cold chiils 60 down your spine--I
mean my spine, not yours particular
lyi You sit down. mean anybody's
spine, doggone i'll" And as Ramsey
increased the manifestations Of his
suspicious, lifting tennis racket over
the PROSTATE figure. "Oh. murder"
Fred said. resignedly. "All right, we'll
change the subject. That fat little
Werder cutie made out q pretty good
case,for Germany, didn't shef'
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
daysT
"Yep."
"All the flubdub this Werder girl got
Off tonight puts me In mind OF the
way | talked that day. can remem-
Der 1t MS well as anythingl Wesley
kept yelpin' that whoever mentioned
ladys name in public place was a
pup, and Of course I didn't want to
hit him for that; boys got reg'lar
instinct for tryin' to make out he's
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
IL the other boy was In the wrong and
began the trouble. SO 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 30 on.
A boy startin' up scrap, why, half
! the time he'll drag In his father and
mother If there's any chance to do 1t.
He'll Ak up some way so he can say,
We'll, that's just the same as II you
called my father and mother a fool
or something like that. Then, after
ward. he can claim he was scrappin'
because he had to defend his father
and mother, and OF course he'll more
than half believe 1t himself.
swell, you take goyernment-its
only Just some men, the way / see It,
and II 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 It.
| lust the same for man as 1t Is for O
boy-or else the principles just the
same, or something. Well, anyhow, II
you want to know who started scrap
and worked It 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 1t first OF
thought they were, and who hit first
When you get the answer to those tive
questions everythings settled about
this being attacked business. AS near
as | can make out, this war began
with Germany and Austria's startin
to wipe out two little countrfesi Aus.
tria began shootin up Serbia, and
| Germany began shootin' up Belgium
/ don't need to notice any more than
that, myself-all the girls In the coun
| 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 conclusiveiy, and thu
young gentleman on the window seat
after 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
but 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 toto some OF
your pacifst friends?"
"What do you meanf Who you
talkin' about? Whose 'pacifisl
friends'7"
"See, here!" Fred exclaimed, as
Ramsey seemed about to rise. You
keep sitting just where you are, anc
don't look at me out Of the side OF
your eye like that--pretendn' you're
bad horse. I'm really serious now, anc
you listen to me. | don't think argufy
Ing and debating like that little Frau
lein Werder's does much harm. She's
right nifty young rolypoly, by the
way, though you didn't notice, Of
course"
"Why didn't n" Ramsey demanded
sharply. "why didn't notice?'
ooh, nothing. But, as was saying
don't think that sort OF talk does
much harm: everybody knows 1t goes
on among the pro- Germans, and ifs
all hot air, anyhow. But ! think Lin
skis sort of talk does do harm, prob'ly
among people that don't know much
and, what's more, think Dora 70
GUMS does some, too. Well, you MI
Linslsi In the snoot, so what are you =
Sit still! My lord You don't thlnF
I'm askIn' you to go and hit Dora, %
your ] mean; Aren't you ever goin
to talk TO her about 1t and tell hel
what's whatT
"Oh, you go t. bedp'
"No, I'm In earnest" Fred urged
-. ..e.aI. ...n.4ta min tftY