, 1921-12-31
PART ONE

By rce end OF October, with the dis
persai OF that Foliage which has served
all hummer long a a pleasant screc
for whatever small privacy may exist
between American neIghbors, We begin
to get u autumn high udes of Cos
sip. At this soasor OF the year, In our
towns OF moderate size and ambition.
where apartment houses have not yet
condensed and at the same time
sequestered the population. q may
secure visual command OF back yard
beyond back yard. both up and down
the street; especially II one takes the
trouble to sit for an hour or 50. daily.
upon the top Of a high board fence at
about tho middle CT a block.
OF curse m adult who followed
such a u would be thought pc
cuiiar; no doubt he would be subject
to undesirable comment, and presently
might be called upon to parry rel
II. indeed, not hostile Inquiries; but
boys ara considered so inexplicable
that they have gathered for them
selves any privileges denied their
parents and elders; and a boy al do
such n thing as this to his full content,
without anybody's thinking about 1t Mt
all. So It was hat Herbert niings-
worth Atwater. Jr- aged thirteen and
a few months, sat for q considerable
time upon such a fenca after school
hours. every afternoon Of the last week
In October; end only n person par
ticularly observed him or was stimu-
lated to any mental activity by his
procedure. Even at that, this person
was affected only because she was
Herbert's relative, and Of an age gym
pathetic to his-and Of a sex nntipa-
thetic.
In spite of the fact that Herbert II
lingsworth Atwater. Jr., thus seriously
disportfng himself on his fathers back
fence, attracted only this audience of
one (and she hostile at a rather dis
tant window his behavior really
should have been considered piqunnt-
" interesting by anybody. After climb
ing TO the top Of the fence he would
produce from interior pockets a small
memorandum book and a pencil: sell
dom putting these implements to I'm
mediate use. His expression was
gravely alert. his manner more than
b~usiuesslike; yet nobody could have
failed to comprehend that no was en-
joying himself. especially when his at
titude Became tenseras at times II
certainly did. Then he would rise, bal
ancing himself at adroit ease. his feet
aligned one before the other on the
inner rail, a foot below the top of the
boards. and with eyes dramatically
shielded beneath a scoutish palm, he
would gaze sternly In the direction Of
some object or motion which had at
tracted his attention and then, having
satisned himself Of something or other.
he would sit again and d~ecisively en-
ter q note In his memorandum book.
he was not always alone; he was
frequently Joined by a friend. male.
and. though shorter than Herbert,
quite as old; and this companion was
inspired, 1t seemed, by motives pre-
cisely similar to those from which
sprang Herbert's own actions. Like
Herbert, he would sit upon the top Of
the high fence, usually at a little dis
tance from him; like Herbert he
would rise at intervals. for the better
study OF something this side OF the
horizon; then. also concluding like
Herbert, he would sit ngain and write
firmly In a little notebook. And sell
dom In the history of the world have
any sessions been invested by the par
ticlpants with SO Intentional an APP
pearance of importance.
That was what most injured their
lone observer at the somewhat distant
back window. upstairs at her own
place of residence; she found their i'm
portance almost impossible to bear
without screaming. Her provocntion
was great: the important importance
Of Herbert and his friend. impressive
ly maneuvering upon their fence. was
so extreme as to be all too plainly Wis
ible across four intervening broad
back yards; in fact. there was almost
reason to suspect that the two per
formers were aware OF their audience
and sven of her goaded condition; and
that they sometimes deliberately In
creased the ou~trageousness Of their
Importance because they knew she
was watching them. And upon the
Saturday Of that week, when the note
book writer's were upon the fence at
intervals throughout the afternoon,
Florence Atwater's fascinated indigna-
ton became vocal.
@vile thingsf" she said
Her mother, sewing beside another
window Of the room. looked up In
%quiringly.
what are, F7orenceT"
cousin Herbert and that nasty lit
tie Henry Rooter."
Are you watching them againr'
her mother asked.
Yes, / am" said Florence, tartly.
mot because I rare to. but merely
to amuse myself at their expense
Mrs. Atwater murmured deprecnt-
ingly, Couldn't you find some other
way to amuse yourself. Florence7"
at don't call this amusement" b