The spectator., 1921-12-16

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 fastenngs, 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- when he devised the Instructions. 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 1t would be necessary to make to his 
 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 cost of two dollars and twenty five cents. or nine annual subserip- tions to the OriOle out of present total of thirty-two. What he wished Henry to believe was that for some good reason, which Herbert had not vet been able to invent, 1t would be. better to show Florence little p0-t liteness. He had a desperate hope that he might find some diplomatic way to prevail on Henry to be as sub servent 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 Waffle 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 breeding 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 Hurried 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; I thought I wouldn't start in york till you got here. didn't want to haf to come all the way downstairs again to open the door and hist our good ole plank up again." l.
 "I sae," said Henry, glancing ner- vously at their good ole plank Well, 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 disguising a. 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 a 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. T 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, wkO. on the contrary, pleasantly astonished him. Well, that's the way look at it,' Henry said. "I don't say we ought, and I don't say we oughtn't."
 And he, likewise stared at the toe of his own right shoe, which was also scufiing the ground. Herbert felt little better; this subdivision of his difficulties seemed to be working out with surprising ease.