somewhere a voice, not in the least like
her own, began: "You have been shown what the United States has done--"
(no, no--Cora Stanton had said _that_!) "I mean we must go back (that
was quite new) to--I mean--the ideals of America have been transplanted
to----" (oh, Cora Stanton had said _that_)! Jerry choked. Out of the
horror strained Gyp's agonized face. She lifted her chin, she must say
_something_----

"Let us pause (ah, familiar ground at last)--let us pause----" There was
a dreadful silence. "Let us pause and--and--let us pause----"

With the last word all power of speech died in Jerry's throat! With a
convulsive movement she rushed back to her seat. If they'd only
laugh--that crowd out there in the room. But that silence----

Then, before anyone could stir, Dana King, the second speaker on the
negative side, leaped to his feet with a burst of oratory that was
obviously for the sole purpose of distracting attention from poor Jerry.
And something in the good nature of his act, in his reckless wandering
from the subject of the debate to gain his end, won everyone's
admiration. As one wakes from a consuming nightmare so poor Jerry roused
from her stupor of ignominy; she forgot Isobel, in the front row, and
clapped with the others when Dana King finished.

Then came a determination to redeem herself in the rebuttal! She had
caught something of the fire of Dana King's tone. She was conscious,
now, of only two persons in the room, Gyp and Uncle Johnny. She turned,
as she rose again to speak, so that she might look squarely at Uncle
Johnny. Now she had no clamor of words jingling in her brain; very
simply she set against the arguments of her opponent the full weight of
those she had herself prepared--Cora Stanton, who had learned them at
the last moment, parrot-fashion, had found herself, in rebuttal, left
floundering quite helplessly.

Dana King, speaking again, referred to the "convincing way Miss Travis
had cleverly upset the arguments of the negative side, leaving him only
one premise to fall back upon"--and Jerry had decided then, with
something akin to worship, that he was the very nicest boy she had ever,
ever known.

There was tumultuous applause when the judges announced that the
affirmative had won. And there was a little grumbling that Dana King had
"sold" his side.

Jerry, wanting to hide her ignominy, contrived to get away without
seeing Uncle Johnny. She could not, of course, escape Gyp, who decla