The Marietta journal and courier., 1918-03-22
By BOOTH HARRINGTON
7Copyright, 1877, Wheeler Syndicate, 1nc)

Iagine how cause and effect could be
more closely and patiently related.
Inevitably, George did come poking
around. How was he to refrain when
daily. up and down the neighborhood,
the brothers strutted with mystic ana
important airs, when they whispered
together and uttered words of strange
import in his presence? Thus did they
defeat their own object. They desired
to keep George at a distance, yet they
could not refrain from posing before
him. They wished to impress upon
him the fact that he was an outsider,
and they but succeeded in rousing his
desire to be an insider, a desire which
soon became determination. For
few were the days until he not only
Knew of the shack but had actually
paid it a visit. That was upon a
morning when the other boys were IN
school, George having found himself
indisposed until about ten o'clock,
when he was able to take nourish-
ment and subsequently to interest HIM
self in this rather private errand. He
climbed the Williams alley fence, ana
having made modest investigation of
the exterior of the shack, which was
padlocked, retired without having dis
furbed anything except his own peace
of mind. His curiosity, merely piqued
before, now became ravenous and pain
full. 1t was not allayed by the mystic
manners of the members or by the un-
necessary emphasis they laid upon
their cOldness toward himself; and
when a committee informed him dark
ly that there were ''secret orders" to
prevent his coming within "a hundred
and sixteen feet"-such was Penrod's
arbitrary language-of the Williams
yard ain any direction" Ge0rgie could
bear 1t no longer, but entered his own
house, and, in burning words, laid the
case before woman higher up. Here
the responsibility for things is directly
fraceable to grown people. Within
that hour, Mrs Bassett sat in Mrs.
Williams library to address her host
ess upon the subject of Georges griev-
ance. saSSssasaaSsssGssE.-
~ "Qf Course, it isn't Sans fault" she
said concluding her Interpretation of
the affair. "Georgie likes Sam, and
didn't blame him at all. No; we both
felt that Sam would always be po-
lite, nice boy-Georgie used those very
words-but Penrod seems to have a
very bad influence. George felt that
Sam would want him to come and play
in the shack if Penrod didn't make
Sam do everything he wants What
hurt George most is that it's Sans
shack, and he felt for another boy to
come and tell him that he mustn't even
go near it--well, of course, it was very
trying And he's very much hurt with
little Maurice Levy, too. He said that
he was sure that even Penr0d would
be glad to have him for member of
rice-and / think he spoke of Roddy
Bits, too"
The fact that the two remaining
members were colored was omitted
from this discourse-which leads to
the deduction that George had not
mentioned it.
George said all the other boys
liked him very much" Mrs. Bassett
continued, "and that he felt it his duty
TO join the club, because most of them
were so anxious to have him, and he is
sure he would have good influence
over them. He really did speak of 1T
in quite a touching way, Mrs. Will
liams. OF course, we m0thers mustn't
brag of our sons teo much, but George
really isn't like other boys. He is so
sensitive, you can't. think how this lit
tie affair has hart him, and felt that
1t might even make him i'll. You see,
] had to respect his reason for want
ing to Join the club. And IL l am his
mother''-she gave a deprecating little
Taught must say that it seems noble
10 want to join not really for his own
sake but for the good he felt his in
boys. Don't you think So Mrs. Will
liams?"
Mrs. Williams said that. she did, in
deed And the result of this interview
was another, which took place be-
tween Sam and his father shat eve
ming, for Mrs. Williams, after talking
TO Sam herself, felt that the matter
needed a man to deal with it. The
man did it man-fashien.
"You either invite George Bassett
ITO play in the shack all he wants to"
said the man, cor the shack comes
down"
''But-"
'Take your choice. I'm not going
Ito have neighborhood quarrels over
such"
"But, papa"
That's enough! You said yourself
you haven't anything against George.
81 said"
''Yeu said you didn't like him, but
you couldn't tell why. You Couldn't
state a single Instance of bad behav-
lior against him. You couldn't men,
ltion anything he ever did which wasH't
txuhat a gentleman Shauld have done