Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1921-11-19
PART lI--Continued.

AS he grew older, his insatlate Gu
riosity enabled him to expose unnum-
bered weaknesses, indiscretions and
social misfortunes on the part Of ac-
uuaintances and schoolmates and to
every exposure his noise and energy
gave hideous publicity; the more
his victim sought privacy the more
persistently he was sought out by
Wallie, yociferous and attended by
hilarious spectators. But above ali
other things, what most stimulated
the demoniac boy to prodigies Of sat
ire was any tender episode or symp-
tom connected with the dawn of love.
Florence herself had suffered excru-
ciatingly at intervals throughout her
eleventh spring, because Wallie dis
covered that George Beck sent her a
valentine; and the humorist's many,
many saueallngs of that valentines
affectionate quatrain finally left her
unable to decide which she hated the
more. Wallie or George. That was
the worst of Waffle: he never "let
up": and in Florences circle there
was no MORE SOLDERING threat than,
"rn tell WallIe Torbinl" AS for
Henry Rooter and Herbert Illings-
worth Atwater, Jr., they would as soon
have had a head-hunter on their trail
as Wallie Torbln with anything In his
hands that could Incriminate them
in an Implication Of love-or an ac-
acknowledgement of their own beauty,
The fabric of civilized life is inter
woven with blackmal; even some Of
the noblest people do favors for other
people who are depended upon not to
tell somebody something that the no
blest people have done. Blackmah Is
born into us all, and our nurses teach
us more blackmail by threatening to
tell cur parents, If we won't do this
and that--and our parents threaten
to tell the doctor-and so we learn
Blackmail is part Of the daily life OF
child; dspleased, his first resort to
get his way with other children Is a
threat to "tell"; but by-and-by his
experience discovers the mutual bene-
fit Of honor among blackmallers'
Therefore, at eight 1t Is no longer the
ticket to threaten to tell the teacher
and, @ little later, threatening to tell
any adult at all is considered some
thing of breakdown In morals. No.
toriopsly, the code Is more liable to
infraction by people Of the physically
weaker sex, for the very reason, OF
course, that their inferiority Of mus
Gle so frequently compels such a sin,
II they are to have their way. But
for Florence there was now no such
temptation. Looking toward the de-
molition Of Atwater & Rooter, an ex'
posure before adults Of the results
OF "Truth" would have been an effect
of the sickliest pel!or compared 70
what might be accomplished by a
careful use of the catastrophe Wallle
Torhil.
nd in oil, II was great Sunday
for Florence. On Sunday evening II
was her privileged custom to 80 to
the house of her fat, old great-uncle
Joseph Atwater. and remain until nine
O'Clock, in chatty companionship with
Uncle Joseph and Aunt Carrie, his
wife, and a few other relatives who
we're In the habit of dropping In there
on Sunday evenings In summer
/ lemonade and cake were frequently
provided; in the autumn, one still
found cake, and perhaps a pitcher OF
clear new cider; apples were always
n certainty.
This evening was glorious; there
we're apples and cider and cake and
walnuts, perfectly cracked and Q
large open-hearted box OF candy.
NatuDny, these being the circum'