News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1915-06-16

again with Il bass rumble-"Dern 'emr'
it seemed he said--and made Il gloomy
exit by the door at the upper end of
the hallway.
The conglomerate and delicate rustic
of large. mannerly audience was
heard as the janitor opened and closed
the door. and stage fright seized the
boy The orchestra began an overture,
and at that Penrod, trembling violent
ly, tiptoed down the hall into the ian
itors room. 1t was a cul-de-sac; there
was no outlet save by the way he had
come
Despairingly he DOTTED his mantle and
looked down upon himself for a last
sickening assurance that the stockings
were as obviously and disgracefully
Margaret's as they had seemed in the
mirror at home. For moment he was
encouraged; perhaps he was no worse
than some Of the other boys. Then he
noticed that a safety pin had opened:
one of those connecting the stockings
with his trunks. He sat down to fasten
it, and his eye fell for the first time
with particular attention upon the
trunks. Until this instant he had been
preoccupied with the stockings.
Slowly recognition dawned in his
eyes.
The SchOfields house stood on a
corner at the intersection of two main
! Travelled streets, the fence was low and
the publicity obtained by the washable
portion of the family apparel on Mon.
days had often been painful to Penrod,
for boys have peculiar sensitiveness
in these matters. A plain, matter of
fact washerwoman, employed by Mrs.
Schofield, never left anything to the
imagination of the passerby and of all
her calm display the scarlet Haunting
of his fathers winter wear had most
abashed Penrod. One day Marjorie
Jones, all gold and starch, had passed
when the dreadful things were on the
ine; Penrod had hidden himself, shud-
dering. The whole town, he was con-
WINGED. knew these garments intimate
ly and derisively.
And now, as he sat in the janitor's
chair, the horrible and paralyzing
stant's doubt that every fellow actor,
as well as every soul in the audience,
would recognize what his mother and !
sister had put upon him. For as the |
awful truth became plain to himself |
1t seemed blazoned to the world, and |
far, far louder than the stockings, the
trunks did fairly below the grisly |
secret whose they were and what
they We're.
Most people have suffered in dream
the experience of finding themselves
very inadequately clad in the midst
of crowd of well dressed people, an0
such dreamers' sensations are compar-
able to Periods, though family, be-
cause Penrod was awake and in much
too full possession of the most active
for anguish.
A human male whose dress has been
damaged, or reveals some vital lack,
suffers from hideous and shameful
loneliness which makes every second
unbearable until he is again
as others Of his sex and species, and
there is no act or sin whatever too
desperate for him in his struggle to at
tain that condition. Also, there is alb
no embarrassment possible to
woman which is comparable to that
of man under corresponding cir
and in this a boy is a
man. Gazing upon the CHASTITY trunks,
the stricken Penrod felt that he was
degree worse than nude, and a great
horror of himself filed his soul.
''Penrod Schofield"
The door into the hallway opened,
and voice demanded him. He could
not be seen from the hallway, but the
hue and cry was up, and he knew he
must be. taken. 1t was only a ques-
ton of seconds. He huddled in his
chair.
"Penrod Schofieldr' cried Mrs. Lora
Rewbush angrily.
The distracted boy rose, and as he
lid SO a long pin sank deep into his
pack. He extracted it frenziedly,
which brought to his ears a protracted
md sonOrous ripping, too easily To-
ated by a final gesture Of horror.
"Penrod Schofieldr' Mrs. Lora Rev.
,ush had come out into the hallway.
And now in this extremity, when all
seemed lost indeed, particularly in {
luding honor, the dilating eye of the {
outlaw fell upon the blue overalls
which the janitor had left hanging !
Ipon peg. ,
Inspiration and action were almost /
'