Page:Rilla of Ingleside (1921).djvu/145

 and have never spoken since. Well, the other day Josiah went to William and said right out, ‘Let us be friends. ’Tain’t any time to be holding grudges.’ William was real glad and held out his hand, and they sat down for a good talk. And in less than half an hour they had quarrelled again, over how the war ought to be fought, Josiah holding that the Dardanelles expedition was rank folly and William maintaining that it was the one sensible thing the Allies had done. And now they are madder at each other than ever and William says Josiah is as bad a pro-German as Whiskers-on-the-Moon. Whiskers vows he is no pro-German but calls himself a pacifist, whatever that may be, Mrs. Dr. dear. It is nothing proper or Whiskers would not be it and that you may tie to. He says that the big British victory at New Chapelle cost more than it was worth and he has forbid Joe Milgrave to come near the house because Joe ran up his father’s flag when the news came. Have you noticed, Mrs. Dr. dear, that the Czar has changed that Prish name to Premysl, which proves that the man had good sense, Russian though he is? Joe Vickers told me in the store that he saw a very queer looking thing in the sky tonight over Lowbridge way. Do you suppose it could have been a Zeppelin Mrs. Dr. dear?”

“I do not think it very likely, Susan.”

“Well, I would feel easier about it if Whiskers-on-the-Moon were not living in the Glen. They say he was seen going through strange manœuvres with a lantern in his back yard one night lately. Some people think he was signalling.”

“To whom—or what?”

“Ah, that is the mystery, Mrs. Dr. dear. In my