Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1918-02-01
By BOOTH HARRINGTON
(Copyright, 1917. Wheeler Syndicate. Inc.)

Inevitably. George did come poking
around. How was he 10 refrain when
daily. UP and down the neighborhood.
the brothers struttcd with mystic and
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 Il 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 hut succeeded In rOuSin@ MS
desire Ia be an inSider. Il desire which
soon became Il determination. FOR
few We're the days until he not only
knew of the shack but had actually
paid # visit. That was upon
morning when the other boys were in
school, George having found himself
fndispoSed until about ten o'clock.
when he was able to take nouriSh-
ment and subsequently to interest him
self In this rather private errand. lie
climbed the Williams alley fence. and
having made Il modest investigation of
the exterior of the shack, which was
nadlocked, retired without having dis
turbed anything except his own peace
of mind. His curiosity. merely piqucd
before, now became ravenOuS and pain
full. II was not allayed by the mystic
manners of the members or by the I'M
necessary emphasis they laid upon
their codnpsS toward himself; and
when Il committee informed him dark
ly that there were "Sccret orders" TO
prevent his coming within a. hundred
and sixteen fcct"-Such was Penrod'>
arbitrary languace-Of the Williams
yard. "in any direction" George could
bear II no longer, hut entered his own
house. and. in burning words, laid the
case before woman higher up. Here
the responsibility for things is directly
traceable 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.
"Of course, il isn't Sans fault" she
said. concluding her Interpretation of
the affair George 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
I'm the shack If Penrod didn't make
Sam do everything he wants. What
iS Sans
shack, and he felt for another boy tC
come and tell bin that he mustn't ever
go ne,. Gw of course, it was very
Wing. And h \ne very much hurt Will
little Maurice h Z g, too. He said thai
he was sure that@'ven Penrod would
he glad to have him for member Of
their little club If it weren't for Mau
rice-and 1 think he spoke of ROddy
Bits, too"
The fact that the two remaining
members were colored was omitted
from this discOurse-which leads Il
the deduction that George had no
mentioned 1t.
"Gcorgie said all the other boy
liked him very much" Mrs. Basset
continued. land that he felt it his dur.
TO Join the club. because most of then
were so anxious to have him, and he 1
sure he would have good influenc
over them. He really did speak of I
in quite touching way. Mrs. VIII
liams. OF course we mothers mustn'
brag of our sons too much. but GeOrgi
really isn't like other boys. He Is s
sensitive. you can't think how this III
tie affair has hurt him. and l felt thu
II might even make him i'll. You see
l had to respect his reason for want
ing to Join the club. And If I am hi
mother"-she gave a deprecating littl
Taught must say that it seems nObl
to want to join not really for his ow
sake but for the good he felt his IL
fluence would have over the othe
boys. Don't you think so. Mrs. WI
liams?'
Mrs. Williams said that she did II
deed. And the result of this lntervie'
was another, which took place b'
tween Sam and his father that ev,
ming. for Mrs. Williams, after talkin
to Sam herself. felt that the matte
needed man to dea. with 1t. III
man did it man-fashion.
You either invite George Basse
to play in the shack all he wants TO
said the man, cor the shack come
down"
But"
Take your choice. I'm not goir
TO have neighborhood Quarrels ov'
such"
"But. papa"
"That's enough! You said yourse
YOU haven't anything against Georgi
II said"
"You said you didn't like him, hi
YOU couldn't tell why. You couldr
STATE n single instance of bad beha
Tor against him. You couldn't me
tion anything he ever did which waSr
what n gentleman should have don
It's no use. tell you. Either you |
vite George to play in the shack
much rs he likes next Saturday, or Il
shack comes down"
"But, papa"
I'm not going to talk any mo
about il. If you want the shack pull
down and hauled away. you and yo
friends continue To tantaliZe this
offensive little boy the way you ha
been. If you want to keep ii, be ,