The Holly chieftain., 1921-10-27
PART I,-continu.d.

As he grew older, his insatiate Gu
riosity enabled him to expose unnum-
bered weaknesses, indiscretions md
social Inisfortunes on the part Of ac-
duaintances 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, vociferous and attended b..
hilarious spectators. But above all
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 GeorgIe Beck sent her a
valentine; and the humOrist's many,
many squealings OF that valentines
affectIonate quatrain finally left her
unable to decide which she. hated the
more, Wailie or Georgie. That was
the worst of Wallie: he never "let
lip"; and In FlOrence's circle there
was no more SOLDERING threat than,
"1'll tell Wallie Torbin!" AS for
Henry Rooter and Herbert Illings-
worth Atwater, Jr., they would as soon
have had head-hunter on their trail
as Wallie Torbin with anything In his
hands that could incriminate them
In an implication of love--or an ac-
knowledgement of their own beauty.
The fabric of civilized life is inter-
woven with blackmail; 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. Blackmau is
horn into us all, and our nurses teach
us mere 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; displeased, 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, Mt eight It Is no longer the
ticket to threaten to tell the tencher;
and, n little later. threatening to tell
thing of breakdown in morals. No
t0rlOpsly, 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 n sin,
If they are to have their way. But
for Florence there was now no such
temptation. Looking toward the de-
molltion of Atwater & Rooter, an ex-
posure before adults Of the results
of "Truth" would have been an effect
OF the slckliest pall0r compared to
what might be accomplished by
careful use of the catastrophe Wallie
Torbin.
All In all, 1t was great Sunday
for Florence. On Sunday evening II
was her privileged custom to go to
the house Of her fat, old great.uncle,
Joseph Atwater, and remain until nine
o'clock, In chatty companionslip with
Uncle Joseph and Aunt Carrie, his
wife, and a few other relatives who
were in the habit of dropping in there
on Sunday evenings In summer,
lemonade and cakes were frequently
provided; in the autumn. one still
found cake, and perhaps pitcher of
clear new cider; apples were always
certainty.
This evening was glorious; there
were apples and cider and cake and
walnuts. perfectly cracked. and q
large hearted box of candy.
Naturally. these being the circum-
stances, Herbert was among the
guests; and, though. rather at II dis.
advantage, so far as the conversation
was concerned, not troubled by the
handicap. The reason he was at a
conversational disadvantage was
closely connected with the unusual
supply Of refreshments; Uncle Joseph
and Aunt Carrie had fOreseen the
coming Of several more Atwaters than
usual, to talk over the new affairs Of
their beautiful relative. Julia. Sell
dom have any relatives new nffairs
been more thoroughly talked over than
were Julias that evening, though all
the time by means of-varlous gymbols,