Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-07-06
And now, therefore, In the dusk
Penrod leaned against the fence and

| And now. therefore, In the dusk,
Penrod leaned against the fence and
sighed.
| His case Is comparable to that Of an
adult who could have survived SINH
lar experience. Looking back to the
sawdust box, fancy pictures this COM
parable adult serious and inventive
writer engaged in congenial literary
activities in private retreat. We see
this period marked by the creation Of
some of the most virile passages OF q
work dealing exclusively in red cor
puscles and huge primal impulses. We
see this thoughtful man dragged from
his calm seclusion to hOrrifying pub
fcity; forced to adopt the stage and,
himself a writer, compelled to exploit
the repulsve sentiments Of an author
not only personally distasteful to him,
but whose whole method and school in
belles-lettres he despises.
We see him reduced by desperation
and modesty to stealing pair Of over
alls. We conceive him to have ruin
ed, then. his own reputation and to
have utterly disgraced his family;
next, to have engaged in the duello and
to have been spurned by his ladylove,
thus lost to him according to her own
declaration) forever. Finally, we must
behold imprisonment by the authori-
ties, the third degree and fiagellatiOn.
We conceive our man deciding that
his career had been perhaps too event
full. Yet Penrod had condensed all Of
It into eight hours.
It appears that he had at least some
shadowy perception Of recent full
ness of life, for. as he leaned against
the fence gazing upon his wistful
Duke. he sighed again and murmured
aloud:
"Well, hasn't this been dayr'
But In little while star came out,
freshly lighted, from the highest part
Of the sky, and Penrod, looking up,
noticed 1t casually and little drowsi-
ly. He yawned. Then he sighed once
more, but not reminiscently. Evening
had come; the day was over.
It was a sigh Of pure ennui.
Next day Penrod acquired dime by
a simple and antique process which
was without doubt sometimes practic-
ed by the boys Of Babylon. When the
teacher Of his class in Sunday school
requested the weekly contribution Pen
rod, fumbling honestly (at first) in the
wrong pockets, managed to look 30 en-
barrassed that the gentle lady told him
not to mind and said she was often
forgetful herself. She was so sweet
about it that, looking into the future,
Penrod began to feel confident Of q
small but regular income.
At the close Of the afternoon serv-
ices he did not go home, but proceed
ed to squander the funds just with
held from China upon an orgy Of the
most pungently forbidden description.
In a drug emporium near the church
he purchased five cent sack Of candy
consisting for the most part Of the
heavily favored hoofs Of horned cat
tie, but undeniably substantial, and 30
generously capable Of resisting solu'
ton that the purchaser must needs be
avaricious beyond reason who did not
realize his moneys worth.
Equipped with this collation. Penrod
contributed his remaining nickel to a
picture show, countenanced upon the
seventh day by the legal but not the
moral authorities. Here, in cozy dark.
ness, he placidly insulted his lveI
with jawbreak9r upon jawbreaker
from tie paper sack and in a surfeit
Of content watched the silent actors
on the screen.
One film made a lasting impression
upon him. It depicted with relentless
pathos the drunkard's progress, begin
ming with his conversion to beer in the
company Of loose travelling men, pur-
suing him through an inexplicable
lapse into evening clothes and the 80
ciety Of some remarkably painful Ia
dies. Next, exhibiting the effects Of
alcohol on the victims domestic dis
position, the unfortunate man was
seen in the act Of striking his wife
and, subsequently, his pleading baby
daughter with an abnormaHy heavy
walking stick. Their fight through
the snow to seek the protection Of