Is it true?"
"I guess so. He's been talking that way some."
"But why do you _let_ him talk that way?" she cried. "He's your
roommate; surely you have more influence with him than anybody else has.
Couldn't you--"
He shook his head slowly, while upon his face the faintly indicated
modellings of a grin hinted of an inner laughter at some surreptitious
thought. "Well, you know, Fred says himself sometimes, I don't seem to
be much of a talker exactly!"
"I know. But don't you see? That sort of thing is contagious. Others
will think they ought to go if he does; he's popular and quite a leader.
Can't you do anything with him?"
She waited for him to answer. "Can't you?" she insisted.
The grin had disappeared, and Ramsey grew red again. He seemed to wish
to speak, to heave with speech that declined to be spoken and would not
rouse up from his inwards. Finally he uttered words.
"I--I--well, I--"
"Oh, I know," she said. "A man--or a boy!--always hates to be intruding
his own convictions upon other men, especially in a case like this,
where he might be afraid of some idiot's thinking him unmanlike.
Pages:
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180