Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1910-12-10
A FORBIDDEN
PATHWAY.
Its Name Was Changed After a
Certain Event Happened.
BY lzoLA FORESTER.

lawn! Gut right straight across from
the lilacs to the sidewalk. as IL we
kept a little chain gang Of elephants
trotting over It. i won't have 1t, NELL
I'll turn the hose on those boysF
"Dont jabber over 1t, Kit You'll
only get all red and warm and fussy.
and some one may hear you"
Kit scowled def1antly at the broad
bay window Of the house next door.
The shades were lowered and the
blinds half closed. On one window
sill plump tortoise shell cat dozed
comfortably. Peace evidently reigned
within. and 1t was the habitation of
the enemy.
II don't care who hears me. Who
ever hears Kit raised her voice
ever 50 little, Just enough to carry
over the tortoise shell cat. "They
must know all about 1t anyway. How
would they like it If we trampled
paths all over their lawn day and
night?'
"There comes one of them" Nell
paused in her sweeping on the little
vine covered porch and waited anx-
iously. Now, don't be huffy, SIS"
Kit sat immovable in the dandelion
starred grass and watched the coming
boy with disappearing. menaclng eyes.
BE was rather nice boy to look at,
too. somewhere around fifteen, and he
whistled as he came along the side
walk In front of the Norton cottage.
Thnrn In hA los no
hedge made by vandals. but this van
dial disdained 1t and added insult to
injury by jumping over the hedge and
boldly starting across the path.
"How do, Miss NortonT" he called
cheeriy. Pretty hot today, isn't it?"
"Say, Dick Mclean, we don't want
you three boys tramplng over our
lawn" Kit spoke with dignity and
severity. ut makes a regular beaten
path nll the way to your lilacs, and
think YOU could use your own lawn If
you want to make q checkerboard on
the grass"
Dick halted midway on the forbid
den way and looked at its undertaking
course of barrenness with interest.
at does look queer he said ''I'm
awful sorry we did 1t. When old
Mrs. Tisdale lived here she didn't give
a rap about 1t. II wasn't lawn then
She just hung up her wash here. and
she kept chickens too"
"Well we don't" retorted Kit most
ungra iously. Ever since we moved
here I've been trying to coax a real
croquet lawn out of wilderness of
chickweed and plantain. We only had
the hedge put In as a gentle hint to
our neighbors"-
you mean us. don't your Dick
smiled down on her good naturally.
eyes. | do" granted Kit, because 1t
really was all the fault of you boys,
and You don't care. You even jump
right over the hedge"
Dick got over on his own side hasti-
ly. well. I'm sorry l jumped. Miss
Norton" he said contritely. "And I'll
tell the other boys to keep OF too.
Goodby."
Kit curly head nodded an unwilling
response as she bent over the pansy
bed again.
"He heard every word" Nell sat
down on the top step and laughed.
How do you known"
"The cat went indoors, and she never
does unless he is at his desk"
There was pause. and the pansies
suffered from too vigorous treatment.
"Well. | don't care If he did said
Kit finally. but her tone was lower
III they don't stop 1t I'll put up barbed
WIRE
1t was not an Idle threat. though It
needed provocation to carry 1t out.
Two days later, just at noon. a happy.
lelsurely procession passed over the
lawn. Even Dick. the traitor was lead
ing and whistling In sweet forgetful-
ness, with a baseball bat over his
shoulder Eli said nothing. The point
had arrived where mere wrath was
futile. Early on Saturday morning
she superintendent the placing of her
outposts of defense. and by the time
that the boys appeared neat array
Of barbed wire strands was stretched
along beside the hedge.
cts all right for the boys" said
Nell critically. But what If Mr.. Nc
Lean.
'If he can't make his little brothers
behave then we will. It's bad enough
living next door to perfect old crank.
IN your summer vacation anyway.
without being on intimate terms with
him. Even mother says he's eccentric.
md TINT means crank"
"He doesn't look like one''
SWELL he is. all the same. All writ
'rs are cranks, and the more success !,
'ul they get the crankier they are, SO
Mr.. Kirke Ross Mclean must be a
error And he doesn't write books
either not real books. He only travels
ind writes; doesn't make up thing
tut of bis own head"
Nell did not answer. She was look
ng over at the cool, darkened bay
and thinking of the figure be-
yond the tortoise shell cat, a figure
hat. sitting at the broad. 1at top desk
lear the window. sometimes turned to
yaze over the hedge where the pansies
rev and the croquet balls clicked.
AUST you wait" said Kit. following
Ter glance. Some day those boys
will forget and take run over that
,ath ma tumble In the wire. and wen
ZEE double twister turned"
Sunday evening supper was mat
er OF individual vagary and caprice
o far az the Norton family was con-