The diamond drill., 1922-03-10
CHAPTER x.

Ramsey kept very few things from
Fred Mitchell. and usually his conf
dences were immediate upon the occa
sion OF them; but allowed several
weeks 10 elapse before sketching for
his roommate the outlines OF this ad-
venture. .'
"One thing that was kind o. funny
about II. Fred" he said, II didn't
know what 10 call her"
Mr.. Mitchell. stretched upon tho
window seat In their study" and look
ing out over the town street below
and the campus beyond the street. had
already thought II tactful TO ambush
his profound amusement by turning
upon his side, SO that his face was
toward the window and away from his
companion. "what did you want to
call herr he inquired In a serious
voice. "Nnmesi"
mo. You know what / mean. 1
mean had To keep calling her you;
and that gets kind OF freaky when
you're talkin' TO anybody good while
like that. When she'd be lookn' away
from me, for instance, or down at the
river, or somewhere, and I'd want 10
start sayin' something 10 her, you
know, why, wouldn't know how 10
get started exactly, without callin' her
something, A person doesn't want TO
be always startln' of with See here
or things like that"
IL don't see why you let Il trouble
you" said Fred. From how you've
always talked about her. you had a
perfectly handy way TO start OF with
anything YOU wanted to say 10 her"
"What withf'
"Yhy didn't you Just say. oh, you
Teachers Petr That would"
Get out! What ! mean Is, she
called me Ramsey without any both
er; IL seems funny | got stumped every
time / started 10 say Dora Some way
couldn't land II, and IL certainly
would "a sounded crazy 10 call her
Miss Yocum after sittln' In the same
room with her every day from the
baby class clear on up through the end
Of high school That would "a made
me out an idlotw
"What did you call herr" Fred
asked.
"Just nothln' nt all. started 10 call
her something or other a hundred
times. ! guess, aud then I'd balk. I'd
get all ready, and kind Of make sort
OF sound, and then Ia have TO quit"
"She may have thought you had q
cold" said Fred. still keeping his back
turned.
IL expect maybe she did-th0ugh l
don't know most the time she didn't
seem 10 notice me much, kind Of"
she didn'tT
"No. She was too upset, ! guess hy
what she was thlnkin' about"
But II IL hadn't been for i,hi :
Fred suggested, you mean she'd .
certainly paid more attention to Vac
was sitting ON the bench with herr
"Get out You know how IL was.
Everybody those few days thought wa
were goin' 60 have war; and she was
just sure OF II. and II upset her. or
course most people were a lot more
upset by what those Dutchmen did to
the LusItania than by the idea OF war;
and she seemed 10 feel as broken up 40
anybody could be about the Lusitnnia.
but what got her the worst was the
notion ~ her country wantin' to light.
she said. She rsall. was upset, tso,
Fred there wasn't no putin on
about it. | guess that ole girl cer~
tsinly must have good deal OF feel
ing. because, doggoned, after we'd
been slttin' there a while if she didn't
have 10 get out her handkerchief She
kept her face turned away from me
just the same as you're Join now To
keep from laughin'--but honestly. sha
cried like somebody at funeral. I
felt like the darndest foolls
"rm not laughing" said Fred. but
he did not prove II by turning so that
his face could be seen. "What did she
sayT'
"Oh, she didn't say such an awful
lot. She said one kind o. funny thing
though: she said she was sorry she
couldn't quite control herself, but X
anybody had TO see her cry she minded
II less because II was an old school
mate. What struck me 30 kind o.
funny about that is-why. II looks as
II she never knew tho way l always
hated her So"
Eyes" said Fred. 'Tt wasn't fat
teringf"
"well. sir. II isn't. kind Of" RAM
sey agreed. musingly. 1T certainly
isn't when you look nj II that way"
"what did you shy when she said
thatT Fred asked.
"Nothin'. ! started TO. but sort e