Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1921-12-21

Them.
be1ore opening the door Then she
called back to the waiting Herbert.
"The only person I'd even think Of
telling about il before ! tell You would
be boy know" She coughed. and
added as by an after-thought He'd
iusr love to know all about it; | know
he would So, when I tell anybody
about 1t I'll only tell just you and this
other hoy
"What other boy?" Herbert de-
manded
And her reply. thrilling through the
darkness, left him paralytic with hor-
ror. "Wallie Torbini"
The next afternoon, about four
o'clock. Herbert stood gloomily at the
main entrance of Atwater & Rooter's
newspaper building, awaiting his part
ner. The other entrances were not
only nailed fast, but massively bar
ricaded; and this one Consisting Of
the ancient carriage-house doors. open
ing upon a driveway through the
yard) had recently been made effec-
tive as an instrument of exclusion.
A long and heavy plank leaned against
the wall, near by. ready to be set In
hook shaped iron supports fastened to
the inner sides of the doors; and
when the doors were closed. with this
great plank in place, a person inside
the building might seem entitled to
count upon the enjoyment OF privacy,
except in case of earthquake. tornado,
or fire. In fact. the size Of the plank
and the substantial quality of the iron
fastenings. could be looked upon.
from a certain viewpoint, as a heart
felt compliment to the energy and per
sistence Of Florence Atwater.
Herbert had been in no complI-
mentary frame of mind. however,
when he devised the Instructions. nor
was he now in such a frame of mind.
He was deeply pessimistic In regard
to his future, and also embarrassed in
anticipation OF some explanations II
would be necessary to make to his
partner. He strongly hoped that
Henry's regular after-school appear
ance at the newspaper building would
precede Florence's, because these ex-
plantations required both deliberation
and tact, and he was convinced that
It would be almost impossible to make
them at all If Florence got there first.
He understood that he was unfor-
tunately within her power; and he
saw that 1t would be dangerous to
place in operation for her exclusion
from the building this new mechanism
contrived with such hopeful care, and
at a cost Of two dollars and twenty
five cents, or nine annual subscrfp-
lions to the Oriole out of a present
total of thirty-two. What he wished
Henry TO believe was that for some
good reason, which Herbert had not
yet been able to invent. It would be
better to show Florence little po-
likeness. He had a desperate hope
that be might find some diplomatic
way 20 prevail on Henry to be as sub
servient to Florence as she had
oC<uiCu w uCAlduug duu bc was N~AC1
mined to touch any extremity Of I'M
veracits rather than permit the de-
tails Of his answer in Truth" TO come
to his partners knowledge. Henry
Rooter was not Wallie Torbin; but in
possession of material such as this
he could easily make himself intoler-
able. Here was a strange human
thing. strange Jet common to most
minds brooding In fear Of publicity.
We seldom realize that the people
whose derision we fear may have been
as imprudent as we have been.
Therefore, It was in a furried state
Of mind that Herbert waited; and
when HIS friend appeared. over the
fence, his perturbation was not de-
creased. He even failed to notice the
unusual gravity Of Henry's manner.
"Hello. Henry; thought wouldn't
start In work tn you got here didn't
want TO haf to come all the wsy
downstairs again to open the deer
and hist our good ole plank up
again"
= see" said Henry. glaacing ner.
vously at their good ole plank -wen,
guess F1orenceT never get In this
good ole door-that is. II we don't
let her, or something"
This final clause would have sur-