The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-09-30
CHAPTER XVII.
Little Gentleman"

long enough for several one
sided conflicts with malign insulters
made Of thin air. You better not call
me THAR he muttered. You just try
1t, and you'll get what other people
got when they tried it. You better
not ack fresh with me. Oh, you will.
will your" He delivered a vicious
kick full upon the shins of an iron
fence post. which suffered little.
though Penrod instantly regretted his
indiscretion. "Oof!' he grunted. hop
ping. and went on after bestowing a
look Of awful hostility upon the fence
post. 81 guess you'll know better next
time" he said in parting to this IN
tagonist. you just let me catch you
around here again and ZIP His
voice sank to inarticulate but ominous
murmurings. He was in n dangerous
mood
Nearing home. however, his belliger-
ent spirit was diverted to happier in
terests by the discovery that some
wOrkmen had left a caldron Of tar in
the cross street close by his fathers
stable. He tested 1t, but found 1t in
edible; also as n substitute for profess
sional chewing gum 1t was unsatisfac-
tory. being insufiiciently boiled down
and too thin. though Of Il pleasant,
lukewarm temperature. But it had an
excess of one qu%ality-it was sticky.
1t was the stickiest tar Penrod had
ever used for any purposes whatsoever.
and nothing upon which he wiped his
hands served to rid them Of 1t. neither
his polka dotted shirtwaist nor his
knickerbockers: neither the fence nor
even Duke, who came unthinkingly
wagging u to greet him and retired
wiser.
Nevertheless tar is tar. Much can
be done with 1t, no matter what Its
condition. SO PenrOd fingered by the
caldron. though from d neighbOring
yard could be heard the voices Of com
rades, including that Of Sam Williams.
scattered chips and sticks and bits Of
wood to the number Of a great multi
tude. PenrOd mixed quantities Of this
refuse into the tar and interested him
self In seeing how much Of 1t he could
keep moving In slow swirls upon the
ebOn surface.
Other surprises were arranged for
the absent wOrkmen. The caldron was
almost full and the surface Of the tar
near the rim. Penrod e~ndeavored to
acnnrfain how r,onu nahhIaS and hrtpl
bats dropped In would cause an over
flow. Laboring heartily to this end.
he had almost accomplished 1t when
he received the suggestion for an ex
pertinent on a much larger scale. EN-
bedded ut the corner Of a grass plot
across the street was d whitewashed
stone the size Of q small watermelon
and serving no purpose whatever save
the questionable n Of decoration. Ii
was easily pried up with a stick,
though getting it to the caldron tested
the full strength Of the ardent laborer
Instructed to perform such a task. he
would have sincerely maintained its
impOssibility. but now. as it was unbid
den and promised rather destructive
results, he set about 1t with uncOn
querable energy. feeling certain that
he would be rewarded with a mighty
splash. Perspiring, g%runting vehem
emily. bis back aching and all muscles
strained. he progressed I'm short stages
until the big ton lay Mt the base of
the ca!dron. He rested a moment.
o,A;.. thu, I;ft,l Oh, .tn,n and MN
bending his shoulders for the heave
that would lift il over the rim when a
sweet. haunting voice close behind him
startled him cruelty.
How do YOU do, little gentleman
Penrod squawkcd. dropped the stone
and shouted, shut up. you dern fool
purely from instinct, even before his
about face made him aware who had
so spitefully addressed him.
1t was Marjorie Jones. Always dain-
ty. and prettily dressed. she was i'm
~speckless and starchy white today. and
a refreshing picture she made. with
the new Sborn and powerfully scented
Mitchy- Mitch clinging to her hand,
They had stolen up behind the toiler
and now stood laughing together In
| sweet merriment. Since the passing
Of PenrOd's Rupe Collins period he had
experienced some eve qualms at the
recollection OF his last meeting with
Marjorie and his Apache behavior-in
truth. his heart instantly became as
wax at sight Of her and he would have
| offered her fair speech. But. alas. In
Marjorie's wonderful eyes there shone
a consciousness Of new powers for his