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Show iif it lit it lit t it 11 1 if tit ii ii 1 1 liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimitiiiiitiiiiitiiiiii it iiiii iTTTiri 1 1 1 r 1 1 i ti: i riH iV'sTTTTTTTMui 1 1 i fri i i n: . i .'i . 1 1 . i ; .-n & j E H - s J By BOOTH TARKINGTON : I S Copyright by Doubleday, Page 5 Cempeny 5 lfllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillliiitFIEttMIIIItllfirilllllllllllilllilillll It:iIIIlll!IIIMIE!IIillIIII!IllEIIii;i:t:IIiIllllliMtElliIlfliIft:MT don't know uirything, comin' In all the time." "Oh, well," said Fred. "What do we care what happens to Chicago ! Come on, let's behave real wild, and go on over to the 'Teria and get us a couple of egg sandwiches and Eass-prllly." Eass-prllly." Ramsey was willing. After the strain of the "mid-year Exams" in February, the chums lived a free-hearted life. Tliey had settled into the ways of their world ; they had grown used to It, and it had grown used to them ; there was no longer any ignominy in being a freslman. They romped upon the campus and sometimes some-times rioted harmlessly about the streets of the town. In the evenings they visited their fellows and brethren and were visited in turn ; horseplay prevailed, but collegiate gossip had its turn, and sometimes they looked so far ahead as to talk vaguely of their plans for professions or business though to a freshman this concerned an almost unthinkably distant prospect, pros-pect, "I guess I'll go In with my father, fa-ther, in the wholesale drug business," said Fred. "My married brother already al-ready Is in the Arm, and I suppose they'U give me a show send me out on the road a year or two first, maybe, to try me. Then I'm going to marry some little cutle and settle down. What you goin' to do, Ramsey? Go to law school, and then come back and go In your father's officer" "I don't know. Guess ao." It was always Fred who did mos. of the talking; Ramsey was quiet. Fred told the "frat seniors" that Ramsey was "developing a whole lot these days ;" and he told Ramsey himself that he could see a "big change" In RAMSEY!" Synopsis. With his grandfather, small Ramsey Mflholland Is watching watch-ing the "Decoration Day Parade" in the home town. The old gentleman, gentle-man, a veteran of the Civil war. endeavors to impress the youngster young-ster with the significance of the great conflict, and many years afterward aft-erward the boy was to remember hie words with startling vividness. In the schoolroom, a few years afterward, Ramsey ts not distin guished for remarkajbJe ability, though his pronounced dislikes are arithmetic, "Recitations" and German. Ger-man. In sharp contrast to Ramsey's Ram-sey's backwardness Is the precocity of little Dora Yocum, a young lady whom In his bitterness he denominates denomi-nates "Teacher's Pet." In high school, where he and Dora are classmates, Ramsey continues to feel that the girl delights to manifest mani-fest her superiority, and the vfn-dlctiveness vfn-dlctiveness he generates becomes alarming, culminating in the resolution reso-lution that some day he will "show" her. At a class picnic Ramsey Ram-sey is captured bag and baggage by Mllla Rust, the class beauty, and endures tha agonies of his first love. Ramsey' parents objoct to Mllla and wish he'd taken up with Dora Yocum. Ramsey kisses Mllla. Then Mllla sudflenly leaves town. She marries. Ramsey enters the V state university and there Is Dora Yocum again. Ramsey meets Dora In a World War debate and Is ln-gloriously ln-gloriously vanquished. Ramsey gives LlnBkl "a peach of a punch on the snoot" Why j . O CHAPTER VIII. Continued. 10 "Well, I'm glad you gave that Linski a fine little punch, Brother Mtlholland, Mtlhol-land, " he said at the door, "it won't do you any harm in the 'frat,' or with the Lumen, either. And don't be discouraged dis-couraged about your debating. You'll learn. Anybody might have got rattled rat-tled by having to argue against as clever and good-Iookiag a girl as that I" The roommates gave each other a look of serious puzzlement as the door closed. "Well, Brother Colburn Is a mighty nice fellow," Fred said. "He's kind of funny, though." Ramsey assented, and then, eb the two prepared for bed, they entered Into In-to a further discussion of their senior friend. They liked him "all right," they said, but he certainly must be klud of queer, and they couldn't Just see how he had "ever managed to get where he was" In the "frat" and the Lumen and the university. Roasey passed the slightly disfigured disfig-ured Linski on the campus next day without betraying any embarrassment or miking a sign of recognition. Fred Mitchell told his roommate, chuckling, that Linski had sworn to "get" him, and, not knowing Fred's affiliations, had made him the confidant of his oath. Fred had given Ids blessing, he said, upon the enterprise, and advised Linski to use a brick. "He'll hit you on the head with it," said the light-hearted light-hearted Fred, falling bock upon this old Jok-e. "Then you cu'n cntch it as It bounces off and throw It back at him." However, Linski proved to be merely mere-ly an episode, not only so far as Itam-sey Itam-sey was concerned but In the Lumen and in the university as well. His suspension sus-pension from the Lumeu was for u year, and so cruel a punishment It proved for this born debater that he noisily declnred he would found a debating de-bating society himself, and had a poster printed and distributed announcing an-nouncing tte first meeting of "The Free Speech and Masses' Rights Conn ell." Several town loafers nttended the meeting, but the only person connected con-nected with the university who came was an oriental student, a Chinese youth of almost Intrusive amiability. Linski made a fiery address, the townsmen towns-men loudly applauding his advocacy of an embargo on munitions and the distribution of everybody's "property," but the Chinaman, accustomed to sec students so madly In earnest only when they were burlesquing, took the whole affair to be Intended humor, and tittered politely without cessation except at such times as he thought It proper to appear quite wrung with laughter. Then he would rock himself, him-self, clasp his mouth with both hands and splutter through his fingers. Linski accused him of being in the pay 0 "capital." Next day the orHtr was unnhle to stiow himself upon the campus without with-out cnuslng demonstrations J whenever he was seen a file of quickly gathering students marched behind him chanting repeatedly and denfenlegly In chorus; "Down with Wall Street ! Iloch der Kaiser! Who loves Linski? Who. who, who? IIoo Lun ! Who loves Llnskt? Who, who, who? Hop Lun!" Linski was disgusted., resigis?d from the university, and disappeared, "Well, here It Isn't midyear Exams yet. and the good ole class of Nlneteen-Efghreen'g Nlneteen-Efghreen'g already lost a member," aid '.Ted Mitchell. "I guess we can bear tne break-up !" "I guess so." Ramsey assented. "S"hnt Linski might Just as well tnyed 4ll-l though" -Whv?" "tie cmiinn't do any hnrra here. He'll prob'ly ret more people to listen to htni 'r. t-ntcs whore there's so many n wnmtm-anes and sll such that ters were 'he doings of the "Trnck Team," now training in the "Gym" and on the 'Varsity field, and, more vital still, the prospects of the Nine. But In May there came n shock which changed things for a time. The Lusltanla brought to every American a revelation of what had lain so deep in his own heart that often he had not realized It was there. When the Germans hid in the sea and sent down the great merchant ship, with American babies and their mothers, moth-ers, and gallantly dying American gentlemen, gen-tlemen, there came a change even to girls and boys and professors, until then so preoccupied with their own little aloof world thousands of miles from the murder. Fred Mitchell, ever volatile and generous, gen-erous, was one of those who went quite wild. No orator, he nevertheless made a frantic speech at the week's "frat meetings," cursing the Germans In the simple old English words that their performance had demonstrated to be applicable, and going on to demand that the fraternity prepare for Its share -In the action of the country. "I don't care how insignificant we few fellows here tonight may seem," he cried ; "we can do our little, and if everybody in this country's ready to do their own little, why, that'll be plenty! Brothers, don't you realize that all over the United States tonight the people peo-ple are feeling just the way we are here? Millions and millions and millions mil-lions of them ! Wherever theoe's an American he's with us and you bet your bottom dollar there are just a few more Americans in this country of ours than there are big-mouthed lobsters like that fellow Linski ! I te1 you, if congress only gives the word, there could be an army of five million men in this country tomorrow, and those dirty baby-kill In.' dachshunds would hear a word or two from your Uncle Samuel ! Brothers, I demand that something some-thing be done right here and now, and by us ! I move we telegraph the secretary sec-retary of war tonight und offer him a regiment from this university to go over and help hang their d n kaiser." The motion was hotly seconded and instantly carried. Then followed a much flustered discussion of the form and phrasing of the proposed telegram, tele-gram, but, after everything seemed to have been settled, some one ascertained ascer-tained by telephone that the telegraph company would not accept messages containing words customarily defined as profane ; so the telegram had to be rewritten. This led to further amendment, amend-ment, and it was finally decided to address ad-dress the senators from that state, instead in-stead of the secretary of war, and thus in a somewhat modified form the message was finally dispatched. Next day, news of what the "frat" had done made a great stir In the university. uni-versity. Other "frats" sent telegrams, so did the "Barbarians," haters of the "frats" hut joining them in this;. while a small band of "German-American" students found it their duty to go before be-fore the faculty and report these "breaches of neutrality." They protested pro-tested heavily, demanding the expulsion expul-sion of the "breachers" as disloyal citizens, cit-izens, therefore unfit students, but suffered suf-fered a disappointment, for the faculty Itself had been sending telegrams of 1 similar spirit, addressing not only the j senators and congressmen of the state, but the President of the United States. I Flabbergasted, the "German-Americans" retired; they were confused and disgusted by this higher-up outbreak of unneutrality It overwhelmed them that citizens of the United States should not remain neutral In the dispute dis-pute between the United States and Germany. All day the campus was in ferment. At twilight, Ramsey was walking meditatively on his way to dinner nt the "frat house," across the campus from his apartment at Mrs. Meigs'. Everything was quiet now, both town and gown ; the students were at their dinners and so were the burghers. Ramsey was late, but did not quicken his thoughtful steps, which were those of one lost in reverie. He hnd forgotten forgot-ten that springtime was all about him and. with his head down, walked un-regardful un-regardful of the new gayetles flung forth upon the air by great clusters of (lowering shrubs, just come Into white blossom and lavender. He was unconscious that somebody behind him. going the same wny. came hastening to overtake him and called his name, "Ramsey! Ramsey Mllhol-lund Mllhol-lund !" Not until he hnd been called three times did he realize that he was being hailed and In a girl's voice! By that time the girl herself was beside be-side him. and Ramsey halted, quite taken aback. The girl was Dora Yocum. Yo-cum. She was pale, a little breathless, and her eyes were bright and severe. "I want to speak to yon," she said, quickly. "I want to ask yon about something. Mr. CoTbnrn and Fred Mitchell are the only people I kn-w In your 'frar except you. and I haven't seen either of them today, or I'd have asked one of them." Dora trlei to lirpretl Raatfaey with her pacifist vtawa. (TO BE CONTINUED.) "Who Loves LlnsKi? Who, Who. Who? Hoo Lunl" him, adding that the Improvement was probably due to Ramsey's having passed through "terrible trials like that debate.'' Ramsey kept to their rooms more than his comrade did. one reason for this domesticity being thnt he "had to study longer than Frod did, to keep up ;" and another reason may have been a greater shyness than Fred possessed pos-sessed if, Indeed, Fred possessed any shyness at all. For Fred was a cheery spirit difficult to abaali, and by the coming of spring knew oil of the best-looking best-looking girl students In the place knew them well enough. It appeared, to speak of them not merely by their first names but by abbreviations of these. Ho had become fashion's sprig, a "fusser."and butterfly, and be reproached re-proached his roomrnntc for shunning the ludles. "Well, the truth Is, Fred," said Ramsey Ram-sey one day, responding darkly "well, you see the truth Is. Fred, I've had a a I've had an experience " So. only, did he refer to MUln. Fred said no more; and It was comprehended com-prehended between them that the past need never be definitely referred to again, but that It stood between Ramsey Ram-sey and any entertainment to be obtained ob-tained of the gentler but less trustworthy trust-worthy sex. And when other brethren of the "frat" would have pressvd Ramsey Ram-sey to Join them In various frivolous enterprises concernhig "co-eds," or to be shared by "co-eds," Fred thought It better to explain to them privately (nil being sacred among brethren) how Uamsey's life, so far as Girls went, had been toyed with by one now a Married Woman. This created a great deal of respect for Ramsey. It became understood everywhere that he was a woman-hater. woman-hater. CHAPTER IX. Thnt early spring of 1818 the two boys and their friends and hrethren talked more of the war than they had In the autumn, though the subject was not at all an absorbing one ; for the trenches of Flanders and France were still of the Immense, remote distance. By no stretch of Imagination could these wet tranches be thongtit cetly j to concern the "frat," the Lu'iicn, or tha uni-erslty. Really Important mat- |