THE ALLIANCE HERALD, TUESDAY OCTOBER 11, 1921.
our annrAT in
I control, ami considerable r. mAfcCE I IERALD, TUESDAY OCTOBER 11, 1921.
The
ORIOLE
By
BOOTH TARKINGTON
Illustrations by
Irwin Myers
OnpyrtutH, MBl
f7 th Ll Brtxllmt, In
The fabric of civilized life is inter
woven with Lluckmail; even pome of
the noblest people do favors for other
people who are depended upon not to
tell somebody something that the no
Meat people have dime. Black inn U In
born Into tin all. and our nurses teach
Ms more blackball hy threatening to
telj tur pnrents, If. we won't do this
and that and onr parents threaten
to tell the doctor and so we lenrnl
Blackmail Is part of the dally life of
child; diseased, hla first resort to
pet his way with other children la a
threat to "tell"; hut by-and hy his
exptrlence discovers the mutual bene
fit of honor among blackmailers.
Then-fore, at eight It la no longer the
ticket to threaten to tell the teacher;
and, a little later, threatening to tell
any adult at all Is cousldered some
thing of a breakdown In morals. No
torlovsly, the code la more liable to
Infraction by people of the physleaJly
weaker sex, for the very reason, of
course, that their Inferiority of mus
ele so frequently compels auch a sin
If they are to have their way. But
for Florence there waa now no auch
tempiatlon. I-ooklng toward the de
molition of Atwater & Rooter, an ex-
posuro before adults of the results
. of "Truth" would have been an effect
of the sickliest pallor compared to
what might be accomplished by a
careful use of the catastrophic Wallle
Torhln,
All In all, It was a great Sunday
for Florence. On Sunday evening It
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 companionship with
Uncle Joseph and Aunt Carrie, his
wlfA, and a few other relatives who
were 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
a certainty.
This evening was glorious; there
were apples and .elder and cake and
walnuts, perfectly cracked, and i
large open-hearted box of candy.
Naturally, these being! the clrcum
fitance. Herbert waa among the
Kiiests; and, though rather at a dls
Advantage, so far as the conversation
was concerned, not troubled by the
liandlcap. The reason he was at a
conversational disadvantage was
closely connected with the unusual
supply of refreshments tJncle Joseph
and Aunt Carrie had foreseen the
coming of several mora Atwaters than
usual, to talk over the new affairs of
their beautiful relative, Julia. SeJ
doro have any relative's new affairs.
been more thoroughly talked over than
were Julia's that evening, though all
the time by means of various symbols,
alnce It was thought wiser that Her
bert and Florence should not yet be
told of Julia's engagement, and Flor
ence's parents were not present to
confess their Indiscretion, Julla was
referred to as "the traveler," and other
makeshifts were employed with the
most knowing caution; and all the
while Florence merely ate inscrutably.
The more sincere Herbert was as
placid ; such foods were enough for
Mm
"Well, all I say Is. the traveler bet
ter enjoy herself on her travels?' said
Aunt Fanny Anally, as the subject
appeared to be wearing toward ex
haustic-n. "She certainly Is in for It
when, the voyaging Is over and she
arrive in the port ahe sailed from,
and has to show her papers. I agree
with the rest of you; ahe'll have a
great deal to answer for, and most
of ell about the shortest one. My
own opinion Is thst the shortest one Is
going; to burst like a balloon,
"The shortest one.", as the demure
Florence had understood from the
"first, was her Ideal none other than
NobVe Dill. Now she looked up from
the trtool where she sat with her back
gainst a pilaster of the mantelpiece
'Uncle Joseph," she said "I was Just
thinking. What Is a person's reason?"
The fat gentleman, rosy with fire
light and cider, finished his fifth glass
tefore responding. "Well, there are
perrons I never could find any reason
for 'em at all. 'A person's reason!'
What do you mean, a person's rea
arm,' Florence V
I n.ean like when somebody says,
They'll lose their reason.'" she ex
plained. "Has everybody got a rea
son. and If they have, what is It, and
bow do they lose It, and what would
they do then?"
"Oh. I seel" be said. "You needn't
worry. I suppose alnce you heard It.
you've been hunting all over yourself
A this. Herbert thought proper to
offer witticism for the pleasure of
the company.
"Yoti know, Florence," he snld, "It
only reran acting like ynu most al
ways do." He applauded himself with
a bur! of chnnclng laughter which
ranged from s bullfrog crook to a
collapsing soprano; then he added:
Kspeclnlly when you come around
my mid Henry's newspaper building!
You certainly 'lose your reason' every
time you come around that ole place!"
"Well, course I hnf to act like the
people that's already there," Florence
retortednot sharply, but In a musing
tone that should have warned him.
It wii not her wont to use a quiet
voice for repartee. Thinking her hum
ble, hi laughed .the more raucously.
Oh. Florence!" he hrsouwht her.
'Sa" net so! Say not so!"
"Children, children!" Uncle Joseph
remoi.Mrated.
Herbert changed Ms tone; he be
came seriously plaintive. "Well, she
doe set that way. UncJe Joseph I
When she comes around there yon'
think we were runnln' a lunatic
asylum the way she takes on. Shi
hollers and hellers and squalls and
squawks. The tenst little teeny thing
she di-n't like about the way we run
our paper, she conies flappln' ovet
there and goes to screechln' around,
you could hear her out at poorhous
farm !"
"Now, now, Herbert," his Aunt Fan
ny Interposed. "Poor little Florence
Isn't saying anything Impolite to you
not right now, at any rate. Why don't
you ht a Utile sweet to her Just for
once?"
Her unfortunnte expression revolted
all the cousinly manliness In Herbert's
bossom. " 'lie a little sweet to her?
he echoed, with poignant incredulity,
and then In candor made plain how
poorly Aunt Fanny Inspired him. "I
Just exackly as soon be a little sweet
to an alligator," he asserted; such
wa? his bitterness on this subject.
"Oh, oh!" said Aunt Cowrie.
I would!" Herbert Insisted. "Or
a mosquito, ru rather, to eitner or
'em, because, anyway, they don't make
so much noise. Why, you Just ought
to hear her." he went on, growing
maybe she thinks yours are pretty,
the way you do and everything!"
!lertert visibly gulped. So Tatty
had betrayed him; had betrayed the
sworn confidence of "Truth I"
"That's all I was talkln' about."
Florence added. "Just about how you
knew you, had such pretty eyes. Say
not so, Herbert! Say not so!"
"Look here!" he said. "When'd you
see Patty again between tills after
noon and when you came over here?"
"What makes you think I saw her?"
"Did you telephone her?"
"What makes you think so?"
Once more Herbert gulped. "Well,
I guess you're ready to believe any
thing anybody tells you." he snld, with
a palsied bravado. "You don't believe
everything Putty Falrchild says, do
you?"
"Why, Herbert! Doesn't she always
tell the Truth?"
"Her? Why, half the time." poor
Herbert babbled, "you can't tell
whether she Just maktn' up whut she.
says or not. If you've gone and be
lleed everything that ole girl told
you. yon haven't got even what little
sense I used to think you hnd !" So
base we are under strain, sometimes
so base when our good name Is threat
ened with the truth of ns! "I wouldn't
believe anything she said." he finished.
In a slcklsh voice. "If ahe told me fifty
times and crossed her heart I"
"Wouldn't you If she said you wrote
down how pretty you knew your eyes
were. Herbert?"
"What's this about Herbert having
'pretty eyes'?" Mr. Joseph Atwater In
quired ; and Herbert shuddered. Un
cle Joseph had an unpleasant reputa
tion as a Joker.
The nephew desperately fell back
upon the hopeless device of attempt
ing to drown out his opponent's voice
as she began to reply. He became
vociferous with scornful laughterbad
ly cracked In the scorn. "Florence
got mad !" he shouted, mingling thu
purported Information with loud cack
lings. "She got mad because I and
Henry played games with Tatty! She's
tryln' to' make up somep'm to get even.
She made It up! It's all made up I
She"
"No, no," Mr. Atwater Interrupted.
"Let Florence tell us. Florence, what
more and more severe. "You ought was it about Herbert knowing ne naa
to Just come around our newspaper pretty eyes?
building any afternoon you please, af- Herbert attempted to continue the
ter school, when Henry and I are! drowning out. He bawled, "She made
tryln to do our work In, anyway, some It up I It's somep'm she made up
peace. Why. she Just squawks and herself I She
squalJs and squ " "Herbert," said Uncle Joseph "If
"It must be terrible," Uncle Joseph you don't keep quiet, I'll take back
Interrupted. "What do you do all that the printing press."
for, Florence, every afternoon?" I Herbert substituted another gulp
'Just for exercise," she answered I for a continuation of Ins noise,
dreamily; and her placidity the morel "Now, Florence," snld Uncle Joseph,
exasperated her Journalist cousin. I "tell us what you were saying about
"She does It, because she thinks she I how Herbert knows he had such pret
ought to be ruiinlu' our own news
paper, my and Henry's; thut's why I Then It seemed a miracle befell
she does It! She thinks she knows Florence looked up. smiling modestly.
more about how to run newspapers "Oh. It wasn't anything. Uncle Jo-
thnn anybody alive; but there's one seph," she snld. "I was Just trying
thing she's coin' to find out; and that ( to tense Herbert any way I could
Is, site don't have anything more to think up." j
do with my and Henry's newspaper. I, oh. was that all?" A hopeful light
We wouldn't have another single one I fudfd out of Uncle Joseph's large
of her o!e poems In It, no matter how anj inexpressive face. "I thought
much she offered to pay us!1 Uncle I perhaps you'd detected him In some
Joseph, I think you ougtit to tell her indiscretion."
She ran np the path, np the steps.
and crossed the veranda, but paused
X Ik
except In case or earthquake, tornsno, ne won't! he safT mechanically,
or fire. In fact, the slr.e of the plank i "She couldn't ever get In here again
mid the substantial quality of the Iron j " the family didn't go Intafering
fastenings, could be looked upon, t around and give me the dickens and
from a certain viewpoint, as a heart- : everything, because they think they
felt compliment to the energy and per
sistence of Florence Atwater.
Herbert had been In no com pit-1
say they do, anyhow they say they
think they think"--He
paused, disguising a little choke
mentary frame of mind, however, i a cough of scorn for the family
... . . ... ikiKt,i
"Oh, About That!" Florence laid, and
Swung the Gata Shut Between
Them.
before opening the door. Then, she
called hack to the waiting Herbert.
"The only person I'd even think of
tell Ins about It before I tell you would
be a hoy I know." She coughed, and
added as hy an after-thought. "He'd
Just love to know nil about It; I know
he would. So, when I tell anybody
about It 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. "Wallle Torhln !'
The next' afternoon, about four
o'clock, Herbert stood gloomily at the
main entrance of Atwater & Hooter's
nevspajer building, awaiting his part
ner. The other entrance were not
only nailed fast,, but massively bar
ricaded ; and this one (consisting of
the aucient 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 heu(i- plank leaned against
the wall, near by, randy 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 ph'iik In place, a person Inside
the building might seem entitled to
count upon the enjoyment of privacy.
when he devised the obstructions, 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 It
would be necessary to mnke to his
partner. He strongly hoped that
Henry's regular af'er-scbool appear
ance at the newspaper building would
precede Florence's, because these ex
planations required both deliberation
and tact, and lie was convinced that
It would be almost Impossible to niiike
them at all If Florence got there first.
He understood that he was unfor
tunately within her power; and he
saw that It 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 dollnrs and twenty
five cents, or n'ne nnntinl subscrip
tions to the Oriole nut of a present
to.nl of thirty-two. What he wished
Henry to believe was that for some
good reason, which Herbert had not
yet Iven able to Invent, it would be
better to show Florence a little po
lltcncs.4. He had a desperate hope
Hint he might find some diplomatic
way to prevail on Henry to be ns sub
servient to Florence as she had
seemed to demand, and he wns deter
mined to touch any extremity of un
verncity rather than permit the de
tails of his answer In "Truth" to come
to his partner's knowledge. Henry
Rooter was not Wnllie Torhln; but In
possession of material such as this
he could easily make himself Intoler
able. Here was a strange human
thing, strange yet common to most
minds brooding ,ln fear of publlcltv.
We seldom realize that the people
whose derision we fear may have been
as Imprudent as we have been.
Therefore, It wns In a flurried state
of mind that Herbert waited; and
when his friend appeared, over the
fence, his perturbation wns not de
creased. He even failed to notice the
unusual gravity of Henry's mnnner.
"Hello. Henry; I thought I wouldn't
start In work till you got here. I didn't
want l. haf to come a!! the way
downstairs again to open the door
and h'lst our good ole plank up
again."
'T see," said nenry. 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 pvt
thinking.
"What, 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
ss to lead toward suspicion and dis
covery. "Well, mnvbc we ought," he
said, liis eyes guiltily upon his toe,
which slowly scuffed the ground. "I
don't say we ought, and I don't say
we oughtn't."
He expected at least a hurst of out
raged protest from his partner, who.
on the contrary, pleasantly astonished
him. "Well, that's the way I 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
scuffing the ground. Herbert felt a
little, better; this subdivision of his
difficulties seemed to be working out
with surprising ease.
"I don't say we will and I don't
say we won't." Henry added. "That's
the way I look at It.- My father and
mother are always talkln' to me; how
i I got to be polite and everything, and
I guess maybe It'a time I began to
pay some 'tentlou to what they Ray.
You don't have your father and moth
er for always, you know, Herbert"
Herbert's mood nt once chimed with
this unprecedented filial melancholy.
"No, you don't, Henry. That's what
I often think about, myself. No, sir,
a fellow doesn't have his father and
mother to advise him our whole life,
and ynu ought to do a good deal what
they say while they're still alive."
"That's what I say," Henry agreed
gloomily; and then, without any al
teration of his tone or of the dejected
thoughtfulness of his attitude, he
changed the subject in a way that
painfully startled his companion.
"H?.ve you seen Wallle Torhln today,
Herbert?"
"What !"
"Have you seen Wallle Torbln to
day?" Herbert swallowed. "Why, what
makes what makes you ask me that,
Henry?" he askei.L. .
(To Be Continued)
Priscilla Dean Tarns, $2.00.
Highland-Holloway Co.
Boys' Hats, $1.00.
IJighland-Holloway Co.
Ladies' Kimonas, $2.73.
Highland-Holloway Co.
she's got no business around my and
Henry's newsptier building."
"Hut, Herbert," Aunt Fanny sug
gested, "you might let Florence have
a little share In It of some sort. Then
everything would be all right."
"It would?" he demanded, his Voice
laughed. "I was Just
It wasn't anything, Uncle
Florence
tensin' hlra.
Joseph."
Hereupon. Herbert resumed a con
fused breathing. Hazed, he remained
uneasy, profoundly so; and gratitude
was no pnrt of his emotion. He well
cracking naturally, at his age, but also understood that Florence was never
under strain of the protest he wished susceptible to Impulses of compassion
It to express. "It woo-wud? Oh, my n conflicts such as these; In tact, If
goodness, Aunt Fanny, I guess you'd tnere WB8 warfare between them, ex-
like to see our newspaper Just utter- perience had taught him to be wariest
ably ruined ! Why. we wouldn't let wnen she 8eemC( kindest. He moved
that girl have any more to do wlth.lt ,W(iy fro,n her. and went Into another
than we would some horse I" -non, where his condition was one of
"Oh, oh!" both Aunt Fanny and increasing mental discomfort, tnough
Aunt Carrie exclaimed, shocked.
"We wouldn't,". Herbert Insisted. "A
horse would know any amount more
how to run a newspaper than she does;
anyway, a horse wouldn t make so
much noise around there. Soon as
we got our printing press: we said
right then thut we made up our minds
Florence Atwater wasn't ever goln' to
have a single thing to do with our
newspaper. If you let her have ony-
thlng to do with anything she wants
to run the whole thing. Hut she might
Just as well lenrn to stay away from
our newspaper building, because after
we got her out yesterday we fixed a
way so's she'll never get In there
again I"
Florence looked at hhn demurely.
"Are you sure. Herbert?" she In
quired.
"Just you try It!" he advised, with
heartiest sarcasm ; and he laughed
tauntingly. "Just come around to
morrow and try It; that's all I ask!"
"I cert'nly Intend to," she responded,
with dignity. "I may have a slight
surprise for you."
"Oh, Florence, say not so! Say not
ao, Florence! Say not so!"
At this she looked full upon hlra,
and already she bad something In the
nature of a surprise tor him; for so
powerful was the still balefulness of
her glance be was slightly startled.
l might say not so." she said "If 1
was speaklag of what pretty eyes yon
know you hove. Herbert."
It staggered him. "What what
you mean?"
"Oh. nothln." ahe replied, airily,
Herbert began to he mistrustful ot
the solid eartlt Somewhere the" wa
fearful threat to his equipoise.
for your reason and looking to see If "What you talkln' about?" he said,
there was one hanging out or anynoay I with an effort to speak scornfully:
Jse, M-mewhere. No; It'a something
you 'can't see ordinarily, Florence.
Iwing your reason la Just another
way of saying 'going crazy!'"
1 "Oh," she murmured, and appeared
tojbe somewhat lBturpjd,
but his sensitive voice almost failed
him. m
"Oh. nothln'." said Florence. "Just
about whut pretty eyes you know you
nave, - aud Putty s being anyway as
pretty as yours and so you're glad
he looked for a while at the pictures
In his great-uncle's copy of "Paradise
Lost." These Illustrations, by M. Ous-
tave Dore, failed to aid in reassuring
his troubled mind.
When Florence left, he Impulsively
accompanied her, maintaining a nerv
ous silence as they compassed the
short distance between Uncle Joseph's
front gate and her own. There, how
evtr, lie spoke.
"Look here! You don't haf to go
and believe everything that ole girl
told you. do you?"
"No." said Florence heartily. "I
don't haf to."
"Well, look here," he urged, help
less but to repeat. "You don't haf to
believe whatever It was she went and
told you. do you?"
"What was it you think she told
me, Hemertr'
"All that guff you know. Well.
whatever It was you said she told
you."
"I didn't." said Florence. "I didn't
say she told me anything at all."
"Well, she did. didn't she?"
"Why. no." Florence replied, light
ly. "She didn't say anything to me,
Only I'm glad to have your opinion
of her, how she's such a story-teller
and all If I ever want to tell her,
and everything!"
But Herbert had greater alarms than
this, and the greater obscured the
lesser. "Look here," he said, "if she
didn't teil you, how'd you know It.
then?"
"How'd I know what?"
"That that big story about my ever
snvin' I knew I had" he gulped again
"prettv eve."
"Oh, about that P Florence said, and
swung the gate shut between them,
"Well, I guess It'a too late to tell you
tonight, Herbert; but maybe If you
aud that nasty little Henry Rooter do
every single thlug I tell you to, and
do it Just exackly like I tell you from
this time ou, why maybe I only say
-niayoe wen, mayne ill tell you
aome. day when feel like Jt,"
One Bora Every Fourth Minute
A LADY who had a family of three children didn't
want any more because she had heard that every
fourth child born in the world was a Chinaman.
As ludicrous, perhaps, as an old misconception some
skeptical folks used to have about advertising.
There was a time when some advertisements had to
be taken with a grain of salt. A few misguided adver
tisers thought they could sell their goods better by mis
representing them. Those advertisers have long since
gone out of business or mended their ways. Hard ex
perience taught that untruthful advertising didn't pay.
Other advertisers proved that the only only way to
advertise successfully, make regular customers, and
build up good will was to tell the absolute truth about
their goods in their advertisements.
You can depend on the merchant or manufacturer
who advertises. The concern that tells you frankly
what it is doing is a good concern with which to do busi
ness. Ther store that advertises is a progressive store
that has something really worth while ' to say to you.
And companies that advertise their products or their
service have confidence in them. You can safely share
their confidence.
Inferior merchandise cannot masquerade in the
quality clothes of advertising.
Read the Advertisments
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