The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-07-31

duce, but it was among his own in i. 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. rasRing laugh he had acquired after short practice in the stable, where he jeered and taunted the 1awnmoWer. the garden scythe and the wheelbarrow ] quite out of countenance.
 Likewise he bragged to the other boys by the hour, Rupe Collins being the chief subject of eneomium- to Penrod himself. That's the way we do up at the Third,'' became staple explanation of violence, for Penrod, like Tartar1n, 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 EThird'' was composed according to Rupe Collins.
 Then, when Penrod had exhausted himself repeating to nausea accounts of the pFOWess of himself and his great friend, he would turn to two other subjects for vainglory- These were his father and Duke.
 Mothers mHst accept the fact that be-; | tween D2DY uOO0z dAd 4laAAOO0 kn6lE sons do npt boast of them. The boy, with boys, is a Choctaw, and either the influence or the protection of wom- let you is an insult But, My father won't let me- is a dignified expIana ton and cannot be hooted. A boy is 1 ruined among his fellows if he talks much of his mother or sisters, and he must recognize it as his duty to offer 1 at least the appearance of persecution I to all things ranked as female such as cats and every species of fowl Bnt 1 he must champion his father and his dog, and, ever ready to pit either l against any, challenger, must picture both as raYening for battle and absO- luteIy unconquerable.
 Penrod, of course, had always talked by the code, but, under the new stimu- lus, Duke WAS represented virtually as a cross between Bob, Son of Battle, and South American vampire, and this 1 in spite of the fact that Duke himself often sat close by, living lie, with the hope of peace in his heart. As for Penrods father, that gladiator was painted as of sentiments and dimen- sfons suitable to superdeInon com I posed of equal parts of Goliath, Jack Johnson and the Emperor Nero
 Even >Penrod's walk was affected s He adopted a gait which was a kind 1 of tanning swagger. and when he :. passed otller children on the street he practIced tile habit of feintfng blow then as the victim dodeed he rasped out the triumphant horse laugh which he gradually mastered to horrible per lection. He did this to Marjorie Jones. l Aye, this was their next meeting. and such is Eros, young What was even . worse. in Mar5orie's opinion he went on his way without explanation and left her standing on the corner talking about it long after he was out of hear ing
 1 Within five days from his first en- I counter with Rupe Collins, Penrod 1 had become unbearable. He even all most ,alienated Sam Williams, who for time submitted to finger twisting and neck squeezing and the new style of s conversation, but finally declared that Penrod made him '3sicl'' He made the statement with fepvor one suItry afternoon in Mr. Schofield's stable in the presence of Herman and Verman.
 You better look out, 'bo,'' said Pen rod tareateningly. "I'lI show you q little how we do up at the Third" :"
 up at the Third4s Sam repeated, Il W11a SCOIH. 4Ou HcNSA | 0NCE DCSA j up there
 T haven't ?'e exclaimed sPenrod. q haxen't?''
 No; you hayen't.''
 ssI,ooky here7 Penred, darl1ly argu- naentat1ve, prepared to perform the eye to eye business. When haven't l been up there ?''
 You haven't never been up there in spite of Penrod's closely approach. ing nose Sam maintained his ground and appealed for confirmation. ''Has he, Her9aan?'
 q don't reckon so,e said Herman, laughing.
 What Penrod transferred his nose to the immediate vicinity of Herman nose. You don't reckon so, loo, don't you? You better look out how you reckon around here. You understan' that, 'bo?''
 Herman bore the eye to eye very well. Indeed, it seemed to please him, for he continued to laugh, while Yer gan chuckIed delightedly. The broth CTS had been in the country picking berries for a week, and it happened that this was their first experience of the new manifestation of Penrod.
 Haven't I been up at the Third P the sinister PenRod denanded.
 'I don't reckon SC. How come you ast me?'.
 Didn't yen just heal. me say been up there r .ss EegssSsss.. ss <, 2;
 We'll said Herman rlischiev vousfy, ''hearin' ain't believin' !''
 Penrod clutehed him by the back of the neck. but Herman, laughing loudly,
 1uclzed and released himself at once, retreating to tiae wall.
 4'You take that baekH Penrod shout