Connecticut western news. [volume] (Salisbury, Litchfield Co., Conn.) 1871-1970, 1915-07-22

penro>..'S mother gazed with dismay ut
her son; he had never before spoken
like that to his sister.
Mrs. Schofield might have Eecn more
dismayed than she was if she had re
allied that it was the beginning of an
epoch. After dinner penrod was
slightly scalded in the back as IL re-
suit of telling Della. the cook. that
there was wurt on the middle finger
Of her right hand. Della thus proving
poor material for his new manner to
work upon. he approached Duke in the
back yard, and. bending double. seized
the lowly animal by the forepaws.
Il let you know my names penrod
Schofeld,' Kissed the hoy. He pro-
truded his unIer!ip ferociously. Scowl-
ell and thrust forward his head until
his nose touched the dogs. And you
better look out when PenrOd Soho
fields around. or you'll get in big
trouble, You understan' that. boz
The next dag. and the next. the in
creastng change in Penrod puzzled and
distressed his family. who had no idea
VI It's I1ON InIShl llcA SuCSS
that hero worship takes such forms:
They were vaguely conscious that
rather shabby boy. not of the neigh
borhood. came to play with Penrod
several times. but they failed TO con
meet this circumstance with the pc
ruliar behavior of the son Of the house.
whose ideals (his father remarked
seemed to have suddenly become
identical with those of Gyp the Blood.
CHAPTER XIV.
The lmitator.
- E EANWHILE, for Penrod him
INA self. life had taken OH new
IVA meaning. new richness" He
had become fighting man
in conversation ut least. DO you want
to know how l do when they try to
slip up on me from behind:' he asked
. Della. And he enacted for her I'M
appreciative eye Il scene of tiStic ma
neuvers wherein lie held an imaginary
antagonist helpless i'll net of STRATA
gems.
Frequently, when he was alone. he
would Outwit and pummel this same
A1NCl iGlllls
land dolorous stroke full upon a face
of air. There! 1 guess you'll know
better next time. That's the way we
do up at the Third
Sometimes in solitary pantomime he
encountered more than one opponent
at a time, for nun&,ers were apt to
come upon him treacherously, especial
~ at little after his rising hour,
when he might be caught at disad-
vantage-perhaps standing on one leg
to incase the other i'll bis knicker
bockers. Like lightning he would
hurl the trapping garment from him,
and. ducking and pivoting, deal great
sweeping blows among the circle of
sneaking devils. CThat was how he
broke the clock in his bedroOm.) And
while these battles were occupying his
attention, it was waste of voice to
call him to breakfast, though if his
mother. losing patience. came to his
room. she would find him seated on
the bed pulling at a stocking. We'll.
amt coming as fast as 1 can"
At the table and about the house
generally he was bumptious. loud with
fatuous misinformation and assumed
domineering tone, which neither
satire nor reproof seemed able to re-
duce, but it was among his own in
Inmates that his new superiority was
most outrageous He twisted the
fingers and squeezed the necks of all
the boys of the neighborhood. meeting
their Indignation with a hoarSe and
raSping laugh he had acquired after
short practice in the stable, where he
jeered and tainted the lawnmower,
the garden scythe and the wheelbarrow
quite out of countenance.
Likewise he Dragged to the other
boys by the hour, Rupe Collins being
the chief subject of ~encomium-neXt
to Penrod himself. That's the way
we do up at the Third" became staple
explanation of violence, for Penrod.
like Tartarin, was plastic in the hands
of his own imagination, and at times
convinced himself that he really was
one of those dark and murderous
spirits exclusively of whom THE
Third was composed-according to
Rupe Collins.
Then, when Penrod had exhausted
himself repeating to nausea accounts
of the prowess of himself and his
great friend. he would turn to two
other subjects for vainglory. These
were his father and Duke.
Mothers must accept the fact that be-
tween babyhood and manhood their
sons do not boast of them. The boy.
with boys. is Choctaw. and either
the influence or the protection of wom-
en- is shameful. Your mother won't
let YOU" is an insult. But, My father
won't let me-" is a dignified explana-
ton and cannot be hooted. A boy is