Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-04-29

sawdust at about the center of the floor.
and drew forth cigar box In when
were half dozen cigarettes made OF
hayseed and thick brown wrapping
paper, lead pencil, an eraser and
small notebook, the cover OF which
was labeled in his own handwriting;
English Grammar, Penrod Schofeld
Room 6. Ward School Nomber
seventh
The first page of this book was pure
ly academic; but the study of English
,ndefiled terminated with slight jar
at the top of the second Nor must
an adverb be used to modif@
Immediately followed:
HAROLD RaMoREZ THE RoaDaGENT
or Wild life among the Rockies"
And the subsequent entries in the book
appeared to have little concern with
Room 6, Ward School Nomber seventh.
The author of Harold Ramorez. etc.
lit one of the hayseed cigarettes. seated
himself comfortably with his back
against the wall and his right shoulder
just under the lantern. elevated ms
knees to support the notebook. turned
to blank page, and wrote. slowly ana
earnestly:
CHAPTER THE SMITH"
He took knife from his pocket and
broodingIy. his eyes upon the inward
After that, he extended foot and med
itativeIy rubbed Dukes back with the
side of his shoe. Creation, with Pen
rod. did not leap. full-armed. from the
brain; but finally he began to produce
He wrote very slowly at first. and then
with increasing rapidity: faster and
faster. gathering momentum ana grow
ing more and more fevered as he SPED.
till at last the true fire came, without
which no lamp of real literature may
be made to burn.
..Penrod"'
Il was his mothers voice. calling
from the back porch.
simultaneously the noon whistles be-
gan to blow far and near; and the ro
mancer in the SawduSt- box, summoned
prosaically from far mountain passes
above the clouds, paused with stubby
pencil halfway from lip to knee. HIS
eyes were shining: there was a rapt
sweetness in his gaze. AS he wrote ms
burden had grown lignter' tnousn's Q,
Mrs. Lora Rewhush had almost left
him. he had felt mysteriously relieved
concerning the Child Sir Lancelot.
''Pen-rod,
The rapt look faded slowly.
.Pen-rod, We're having lunch early
just on your account. so you'll have
plenty of time to be dressed for the
pageant. Hurry"
There was silence in Penrod's aerie.
"Pen-rod.
Mrs. Schofeld's voice sounded nearer,
Indicating threatened approach. Pen
rod bestirred himself; he blew out the
lantern. and shouted plaintively:
well. amt coming fast's cam?
Languidly. Penrod proceeded TO SET
his house in order.
Replacing his manuscript ana pencli
in the cigar box, he carefuiiy purieu
the cigar box in the sawdust. put the
lantern and oil can back IN tne soap
box. adjusted the elevator for the re-
ceptiop of Duke, and, in no uncertain
tone. invited the devoted animal to
enter.
After lunch his mother and his sister
Margaret aged nineteen. dressed MIN
for the sacrifice. They stood him near
his mothers bedroom window and did
what they would to him.
During the earlier anguishes OF the
process he was mute. exceeding the
pathos of the stricken calf In the sham
bles: but a student of eyes might have
perceived in his soul the premonitory
symptoms of a sinister uprising. Al
rehearsal Gin citizens clothes). attend
ed by mothers and grown-up sisters.
Mrs Lora Rewbush had announced that
she wished the costuming to be as
otherwise, and as to details, she said.
she would leave the costumes entirely
to the good taste Of the children's
parents.
Mrs. Schofield and Margaret were no
PSYCHOLOGISTS, but they knew that their
taste was as good as that of the other
mothers and sisters concerned; so with
perfect confidence they had planned
and executed a costume for Penrod:
and the only misgivings they felt was
connected with the tractability OF the
Child Sir Lancelot himself.
Stripped to his underwear, he had
been made to wash himself vehement
": then they began by shrouding his
legs in a pair of silk stockings, once
blue but now mostly whitish. Upon
Penrod they visibly surpassed mere
ampleness; but they were long. and it
required only a rather loose magma
ton to assume that they were tights.
The upper part of his body was next
concealed from view by garment SO
peculiar that it's description becomes
difficult. In 1886. Mrs. Schofield. then
unmarried, had worn at her coming
out party" dress Of vivid salmon silk.
which had been remodeled after her
marriage to accord with various epochs