The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1921-11-04
By
Booth
Harrington
Copyright, 1871
By the Bell Syndicate. Inc.

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, 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 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 distractions, nor
was he now in such frame of mind.
He was deeply pessimistic in regard
to his future, and also embarrassed in
anticipation of some explanations it
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 elaboration
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 subscrip-
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 desperate hope
that he might find some diplomatic
way to prevail on Henry to be as sub.
servient to Florence as she had
seemed to demand, and he was deter
mined to touch any extremity Of un-'
veracity 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 strange human
thing, strange yet 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, 1t was in flurried 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 till you got here 1 didn't
want to hat to come all the way
downstairs again to open the door
and hist our good ole plank up
again."
81 see," said Henry, glancing ner-
vously at their good ole plank. swell,
I guess ~Florence'll never get in this
good ole door-that is, if we don't
let her, or something"
This final clause would have sur
prised Herbert if he had been less pre-
occupied with his troubles. "You bet
she won't!" he said mechanically.
"She couldn't ever, get in here again
if the family didn't go intafering
around and give me the dickens and
everything, because they think-they
say they do, anyhow-they say they
think-they think"
He paused, Disgusting little choke
as cough Of scorn for the family's
thinking.
"Wha, did you say your family
think?" Henry asked absently.
"Well, they say we ought to let her
have share in our newspaper"
Again he paused, afraid to continue
lest his hypocrisy appear so barefaced
as to lead toward suspicion and dis
covery. "Well, maybe we ought" he
said, his eyes guiltily upon his toe,
which slowly scuffed the ground. II
don't say we ought, and I don't say
we oughtn't."
He expected at least burst of out.
ragged protest from his partner, who,
on the contrary, pleasantly astonished
him. swell, that's the way look at
it," Henry said. II don't say we ought,
and 1 don't say we oughtn't."
And he, likewise, stared at the toe
of his own right shoe, which was also
scuffing the ground. Herbert felt
little better; this subdivision Of his
difficulties seemed to be working out
with surprising ease.
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