The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-08-26

now he also SPOKEN a loud. clear
bark.
There was an open transom over the
door. and from this Observation-Disclosures
by an unseen agency-a can half filed
with old paint.
1t caught the small besieger Of the
door on his thoroughly surprised right
ear. encouraged him to some remarka-
Bile a~crobatics and turned large por-
tons OF him & dull blue. Allowing
only a moment to perplexity and decid-
Ing after a single and evidently unap-
petizing experiment not to cleanse him
self Of paint, the loyal animal resumed
his quaint. upright posture.
Mr.. Schofield seated himself on the
window sill. whence he could keep in
view that pathetic picture of unrequit-
ed love.
go ON with your story, mamma" he
said. 81 think l can find Penrod when
we want him"
And a few minutes later he added.
And think l know the place to do
ii IN"
Again the faithful voice OF Duke was
heard pleading outside the bolted door.
Peurod entered the schoolroom Mon
day morning picturesquely leaning
upon Il mans cane, shortened to sup
port Il cripple approaching the age of
twelve. He arrived about twenty min.
uteS late. limping deeply, his brave
young mouth drawn with pain, and the
sensation he created must have been
a solace TO him, the only possible crit
iciSm Of this entrance being that il
was just a shade too heroic. Perhaps
for that reason it failed to stagger
Miss Spence, Il woman so saturated
with suspicion hat she pcnalized Pen
rod for tardiness as promptly and as
coldly rs if he had heen Il mere. or
binary, unmutilatcd boy. Nor would
she entertain any discussion Of the
Justice of her ruling. 1t seemed almost
that she feared to argue with him.
However, the distinction of cane and
limp remained to him, consultations
''itlAh ht IloNl dNlNu lbl luNo the Ntth
until Thursday evening, in fact, when
Mr.. Schofield, observing from a win
dow his sons pursuit of Duke round
ana round the back yard, confiscatcd
the cane, with the promise that IT
should not remain idle if he saw Pen
rod limping again. Thus, succeeding
a depressing Friday, another Saturday
brought the necessity for new inven-
tons.
1t was a scented morning in apple
blossom time. At about ten OF the
clock Penrod emerged hastily from
the kitchen door. His pockets bulged
abnormally, SO did his cheeks, and he
swallowed with difficulty. \ threat
ening mop, welded by a cooklike arm
in a checkered sleeve, followed him
through the doorway, and he was pre-
coded by a small. hurried, wistful dog
with a warm doughnut in his mouth.
The kitchen door slammed petulantly,
inclosing the sore voice of Della, where
selves upon the pleasant sward and
Immediately consumed the spoils of
their raid.
From the cross street which formed
the side boundary Of the Schofields'
ample yard came a jingle Of harness
and the cadenced clatter of a pair Of
t~rotting horses, and Penrod, looking
up, beheld the passing OF a fat ac-
Qu%aintance, torpid amid the conserva.
tive splendors Of a rather old fashion
ed victoria. This was Roderick Mays
worth Bits, Jr., a fellow sufferer
at the Friday afternoon dancing class,
but otherwise not often a companion;
a home sheltered lad, tutored private
ly and preserved against the coarsen-
ing influences Of rude comradeship and
miscellaneous information. Heavily
overgrown In all physical dimensions.
virtuous and placid, this clustered NUT
ton was wholly undressing to Pen.
rod Schoield. Nevertheless, Roderick
Magsworth Bits, Jr.. was a per
sonage on account Of the Importance
Of the Magsworth Bits family, and it
was Periods destiny to increase Rod
erick's celebrity far, far beyond its
present a~ristocratic limitations.
The Magsworth Bittses were impOr-
tant because they were impressive.
There was no other reason. And they
were impressive because they believed
themselves important. The adults Of
the family were impregnably formal.
They dressed with reticent elegance
and wore the same nose and the same
eXpression-an expression which indi-
Gated that they knew something ex-
quisite and sacred which other people
could never know. Other people In
their presence were apt to feel mystic
riously ignoble and to become secretly
uneasy about ancestors, gloves and
pronunciation. The Magsworth Bits
manner was Withholding and reserved,
though sometimes gracious, granting
small smiles as great favors and Civ
ing off a chilling kind Of p~reciOusness.
Naturally when any citizen OF the CON
munity did anything unconventional or
improper or made a mistake or had a
relative who went wrong that citizens
first and worst fear was that the Mays
worth BittSes would hear OF 1t. In
r--A xI.- -. f-I rA,-;I- Lal o.. 700 90,