The Sunday Oregonian., March 21, 1915, MAGAZINE SECTION, Page 3, Image 75

THE. SUNDAY OREGONIAX, . PORTLAND, 3IARCH 21, 1915.
T A RKI
NGTON
The Greatest Stories Ever Written of
a Real Boy and His Escapades
VII.- TWELVE
TO be 12 Is an attainment worth the tive capacities almost limitless. She
struggle. A- boy just 12 is like called it a pocketknife.
Frenchman just elected to the
academy.
Distinction and honor wait upon him.
"I suppose you'll do something hor
rible with it," she eatd composedly. "I
hear you do that with everything, any-
Younger boys show deference to a per- how, so you might as well do it with
son of 12 his experience is guaran
teed, his judgment, therefore, mellow;
consequently hia influence is profound.
Eleven is not quite satisfactory; It is
only an approach. Eleven has the dis
advantages of 6, of 19, of 44 and of 6J.
Thirteen is embarrassed by the' begin
nings of a new colthood; the child be
comes a youth. But 12 is the very
top of boyhood.
Dressing, that morning, Penroa leu
this and have more fun out of it. They
tell me you're the worst boy in town."
"Oh, Aunt Sarah!" Mrs. Schofleld
lifted a protesting hand.
"Penrod, aren't you the worst boy
in town?"
Penrod, gazing fondly upon his knife
and eating cookies rapidly, answered,
as a matter of course and absently,
"Yes'm."
"Certainly," said Mrs. Crim. "Once
that the world was changed from the accept a thing about yourself as
world of yesterday. For one thing, established and settled. It's all right,
lie seemed to own more of it; this day Nobody minds. Boys are Just like peo
was his day. And it was a day worth Pie. really."
owning. The midsummer sunshine, "No. no!" Mrs. Schofleld cried invol
pouring gold through his window, came untarily.
from a cool sky and a breeze moved Yes they are," Aunt Sarah per
pleasantly In his hair as he leaned sisted. "I suppose Penrod Is regarded
from the sill to watch te tribe of asthe neighborhood curse?"
chattering blackbirds take wing, fol- "Ob, - no!" cried Mrs. Schofleld.
lowing their leader from the trees 1n "He
the yard to the day's work in the open "I dare eay the neighbors are right,"
country. Pride suffused him; he was continued the old lady placidly. "He's
121 ' ' had to reDeat the history of the race
His father and his mother and Mar- and go through all the " stages from
Caret seemed to understand the differ- the primordial to barbarism. You
ence between today and yesterday, don't epect boys to be civilized, do
They were at the table when he de- you?"
ecended and they gave- him a greeting "Well. I
which, of itself, marked toe miiesiouc.
Habitually his entrance into a room
where his elders sat brought a cloud of
apprehension. But this morning they
laughed; his mother rose and kissed
him 12 times; so did Margaret, and
his father shouted: "Well, well! How's
the man!"
Then his mother gave him a Bible
end "The Vicar of. WaKeneld ; marsa-
"You might as well expect eggs to
crow. No; you've got to take boys as
they are and learn to know them as
they are."
"Naturally, Aunt Sarah," said Mrs.
Schofield. "I know Penrod."
"Penrod," said Aunt Sarah solemnly,
"does your father understand you?"
"Ma'am ?"
"About as much as he'd understand -
ret gave him a pair of silver-mountea Sitting Bull!" she laughed. "And I'll
hair brushes and his father gave him ten you wj-iat your .mother thinks you
a "Pocket Atlas" and a small compass.
"And now, Penrod." said his mother,
after breakfast, "I'm going to take you
out in the country to pay your birth
day respects to Aunt Sarah Crim."
Aunt Sarah Crim, Penrod's great
aunt, was his oldest living relative.
She was 90. and when Mrs. Schofield
and Penrod alighted from a carriage
'at her gate they found her digging
with a spade in the garden.
"I'm glad you brought him," she said,'
desisting from labor. "Jinny's baking
a cake I'm going to send for his biryi- good, Penrod?"
day party. Bring him in the house; "Ma'am?"
are, Penrod. Her real belief Is that
you're' a novice,ln a convent."
"Ma'am?"
"Aunt Sarah "
"I know she thinks that, because
whenever you don't behave like a nov
ice she's disappointed in you. And
your father really believes that you're
a decorous, well-trained young busi
ness man, and whenever you don't live
up to that standard you get on his
nerves and he thinks you need a wal
loping. Does whipping do you any
1-f s mWw AJMP'''
SiUULiat A. WORDLESS WAR CRY, HE CHARGED, PROPELLING THE WHIRLISG, DEAFES1AG JtvJMVtS
, STRAIGHT UPON TILE PRONE LEGS OF RCPE COLLINS.
to come to your party this afternoon."
"Who?"
"Her name is Fanchon. She's Mrs.
Gelbraith's little niece. She lives in
New York and has come to visit here.
You must be very nice to her, Pen-
ness, made a thorough visual examina
tion of Penrod. Finally she spoke.
"Where do you buy your ties?" she
asked.
"What?"
"Where do you buy your neckties?
rod: she doesn't know the children here, 1apa. gets his at Skoone's. You ought
"Go on and finish the lemonade; fill an(j you must help to keep her from to get yours there. I'm sure the one
you re wearing isn t from Skoone s
'"Skoone's!"' Penrod repeated.
"On Fifth Avenue," said Fanchon.
"It's a very smart shop, the men say."
"'Men?"' echoed Penrod.
"Where do you people go In sum-
cap and his nose. . -
"Here she Is!" Mrs. Gelbraith cried
unexpectedly, and a dark-haired de
mure person entered the room wearing
an air of gracious social expectancy.
In years she was 11, in manner
about 65, and evidently had lived much
at court. She performed a curtsy in
acknowledgment of Mrs. Schofleld's
I've got something for him."
She led the way to her sitting-room, yourself ud uncomfortably." said the fwllnir innolv at vnur Dartv."
and, opening the drawer of a shining 0id iady. "You're 12 years old and you When they reached. Mrs. Gelbraith's,
old what-not. took therefrom a boy's OUght to be ITappy if you aren't any- Penrod sat humped upon a gilt chair
slingshot, made of a forked stick, two thing else. It's taken over 1900 years during the lengthy exchange of greet-
atrips of rubber and a bit of leather. 0f Christianity and some hundreds of ings between his mother and Mrs. Gel-
"This isn't for you," she said, placing thousands of- years of other things to braith. Penrod twisted his legs, his
It in Penrod's eager hand. No. It produce you, and there you sit!",
would break all to pieces the first time "Ma'am?" - r -
you tried to shoot it, because it is 35 "It'll be your turn to think and
years. old. I want to send it back to struggle and muss things up for the
your father. I think it's time. You betterment of posterity soon enough,"
give it to him for me and tell him I said Aunt Sarah Crim. "Drink your
aay I believe I could trust bim with lemonade!"
It now. I took it away from him 35 II.
years ago. one day after he'd killed "Aunt Sarah's funny old lady,"
my best hen with it accidentally, and Penrod observed, on the way back to greeting, and bestowed her band upon
broken a glass pitcher on the back the town. "What's she want me to Penrod, who had entertained no hope
porch with it accidentally. He doesn't give papa this old sling for? Last of such an honor, showed his surprise
look like a person who's ever done thing she said was to be sure not for- that it should come to him, and was
things of that sort, and I suppose he's get to give it to him. He don't want plainly unable to decide what to do
forgotten it so well that he believes it: and she said herself It ain't any good, about it
he never did; but if you give it to him She's older than you or papa, isn't ( "Fanchon, dear," said Mrs. Gelbraith,
from me I think he'll remember. You she?" "take Penrod out in the yard for a
look like him. Penrod. He was any- "About fifty years older," answered while and play."
thing but a handsome boy." . Mrs. Schofield. turning upon him a "Let go the little girl's hand. Pen- gan to feel resentful,
After this final bit of reminiscence stare of perplexity. "Don t cut Into rod," Mrs. Schofield laughed, as the
he disappeared in the direction of the the leather with your new knife, dear; children turned toward the door,
kitchen and returned with a pitcher of the livery man might ask us to pay If Penrod hastily dropped the small
lemonade and a blue china dish sweet- No, I wouldn't scrape the paint off, hand, and exclaiming with simple hon-
ly freighted with flat ginger cookies either or whittle your shoe with it. esty, "Why, I don't want it!" followfed
of a composition that was her own se- Couldn't you put It up until we get Fanchon out Into the sunshiny yard,
cret. Then, having set this light home?'.'. . where they came to a halt and sur-
cojlation before her guests, she pre- "We goin1 straight home?" veyed each other.
eented Penrod with a superb, intricate "No. We're going to stop at Mrs. Penrod stared awkardly at Fanchon,
and very modern machine of aestruc- Gelbraith's and ask a srrange iitue giri wnue rancnon. wuu me umi
odd way, and whatever'else there may
have been in her manner, there cer
tainly was no shyness.
Penrod was shaken. '.
"Yes, I do!" She stepped closer to him,
smiling. "Your hair is ever so pretty."
Penrod was even more confused than
he had been by her previous mysteries;
but his confusion was of a distinctly
alluring nature he wanted more oi it.
Looking intentionally into another per
son's eyes is an act unknown to child
hood, and Penrod's discovery tnat it
could be done was sensational. He had
merF' inquired the lady. "We go to never thought of looking into an eyes
Long Shore, bih so many middle-class of Marjorie Jones.
people have begun coming there,
mamma thinks of leaving. The middle
classes are simply awful, don't you
think?"
"What?"
"They're so boorjaw. You speak
French, of course?" '
"Me?"
"We ran over to Paris last year.
Don't you love the Rue de la Palx?"
Penrod wandered in a labyrinth. It
was his first meeting with one of those
grown-up little girls, wonderful pro
duct of the Winter apartment and
Summer hotel; and Fanchon, an only
child, was a star of the brand. He be-
T suppose," she went on, "I'll find
everything here fearful Western.
Some nice people called yesterday,
though. Do you know the Magsworth
Blttses? Will Koddy be at your party?"
"I guess he will," returned Penrod,
tt.At.tr .ht. tntalHiriTila "Th Tniltft"
This bit of ruffianism Bad a curious f"""""' j -.
effect Fanchon looked upon him with field and her son arrived at their own
sudden favor. abode; and a white-and-scarlet striped
"I like you, Penrod!" she said, in an canopy was in process or erection over-
For a long time, despite all anguish,
contumely and Maurice Levy, he had
secretly thought of Marjorie, with pa
thetic constancy, as his "beau" though
that is not how he would have spelled
it. Marjorie was beautiful; her cirls
were long and the color of amber: her
nose was straight, and her freckles
were honest; she was much prettier
than this accomplished visitor. Bill
beauty is not all. .
"I do!" breathed Fanchon softly.
She seemed to him, then, a fairy crea
ture from some rosier world than this.
Penrod was enslaved. He swallowed,
coughed and said disjolntedly:
"Well I don't care if you want to,
I just as soon."
"We'll dance together," said Fanchon,
"at your party."
"I guess so. I just as soon."
III.
A dancing-floor had-been laid upon a
head to shelter the dancers from the Roddy, being either reluctant or tin
sun. Workmen were busy everywhere able to perform the rite, Fanchon took
under the direction of Margaret, and matters into her own hands, and waa
the smitten heart of Penrod began to presently very favorably Impressed
beat rapidly. All this waa for him; he with Maurice, receiving the lnforma
was twelve! ,lon that his tie- had been brought by
After lunch, he underwent an elab- his papa from Skoone's: whereupon
orate toilet and murmured not. For she privately Informed him that she
the first time in his life he knew the liked wavy hair, and arranged to dance
wish to be sandpapered, waxed and with him. Fanchon also thought
polished to the highest possible degree, sandy hair attractive. Sam Williams
And when the operation waa over he discovered a few minutes later, and
stood before the mirror In new bloom, so catholic waa her taste that a ring
feeling encouraged to hope that his re- of boys quite encircled her before the
semblance to his father waa not so' musicians In the yard struck up their
strong as Aunt Karah seemed to think, thrilling march, and Mrs. Schofleld
Then came from the yard a sound of brought Penrod to escort the lady from
tuning instruments squeak of fiddle, out of town to the dancing pavilion,
croon of cello, a falling triangle ring- Headed by this pair, the children
lng and tinkling to the floor; and he sought partners and paraded solemnly
turned pale. . out ' ne rOB door and round a cor-
Chosen guests began to arrive, while ner of the house. There they found
Penrod, suffering from stage frlgnt the gay marquee, with the email or
and perspiration, stood beside his chestra, seated on the lawn at one side
mother in the drawing-room to receive t It, and a punchbowl of lemonade
them. He greeted unfamiliar acqualn- Inviting attention under a tree. De
tances and Intimate fellow criminals corously the small couples stepped
with the same frigidity, murmuring, upon the platform, one after another.
" 'M glad to see y" to all alike, large- 1 began to dance,
ly increasing the embarrassment which "It's not much like a children's party
always prevails at the beginning of tn our day," Mrs. Williams said to
children's festivities. Penrod's mother. "We'd have been
His unnatural pomp and circumstance playing "Quaker meeting.' clap In. clap
had so thoroughly upset him. In truth, out.' or 'going to Jerusalem.' I sup
that Marjorie Jones received a distinct pose."
shock now to be related. Dr. Thorpe, the "Things change so quickly." said
kind old clergyman who had baptized Mrs. Schofleld. "Imagine asking that
Penrod, came in for a moment to con- little Fanchon Gelbraith to play Lon
gratulate the boy. and had Just moved don Bridge.' Penrod seems to be hav
away when it was Marjorle's turn. In lng a difficult time with her, poor
the line of children, to apeak to Penrod. boy; he wasn't a shining light In the
She gave him what she considered a dancing class."
forgiving look and, because of the occa- However, Penrod's difficulty was not
sion. addressed hira In a perfectly cour- precisely of the kind his mother sup
teous manner. posed. Fanchon was showing him a
"I wish you many happy returns of new step, which she taught her next
the day, Penrod." partner, in turn, continuing Initruc-
"Thank you. sir," he returned, follow- tlons during the dancing. The children
lng Doctor Thorpe with a glassy stare. , crowded the floor, and in the kaleldo
in which there was absolutely no recog- scoplc jumble of bobbing heads and
nltion of Marjorie. Then he greeted intermingling figures, her extremely
Maurice Levy. "'M glad to see y'." different style of motion was unob-
Dumfounded, Marjorie turned aside, served by the older people, who looked
and stood near, observing Penrod with on, nodding time benevolently,
gravity. It was the first great surprise Fanchon fascinated girls, as well aa
of h,er life. Customarily, she had seemed boys. Many of the former eagerly
to place his character somewhere be- sought her acquaintance and thronged
tween that of the professional rioter about her between the dances, when,
and that -of the orang-outang: neverthe- accepting the deference ' due a cos
less, her manner.'at times, just hinted mopollte and an oracle of the mode,
a consciousness that this Caliban was she gave demonstrations of the new
her property. Wherefore, she stared at step to succeeding groups, professing
hl'j incredulously, as his head bobbed astonishment to find it unknown. It
uu and down in the dancing-school bow. had been "all the go." she explained,
greeting his guests. Then she heard an at the Long Shore casino for fully twt
adult voice near her exclaim: seasons. She pronounced "slow" a
"What an exquisite child!" "fancy dance," executed during the In-
Marjorie glanced up, a little con- termlssion by Baby Rennsdale and
sciously though she was used to It Georgia Basset, giving it as her opinion
naturally curious to ascertain who was that Miss Rennsdnle and Mr. Basset
speaking of her. It was Sam Williams' were "dead ones'' and she expressed
mother .who spoke, addressing Mrs. Bas- surprise that the punchbowl contained
sett, both being present to help, Mrs. lemonade and not champagne.
Schofleld make the festivities festive. Xne danolng. continued, the new step
"Exquisite!" gaining Instantly In popularity, fresh
Here was a second heavy surprise coupIea adventuring with every num
for Marjorie: They were not looking at ber The word ...tep.. somewhat
her. They weije looking, with beaming misIea,ilng, nothing done with the feet
approval, at a girl she had never seen. beiny vltal tQ the ,voiutloI)l lntro.
a dark and modish stranger of slngu- duced by FanCnon. Fanchon s dance
larly composed and yet modest aspect. came from th 0rlent by a roUndabout
Hed downcast eyes, becoming in one waypaU,inB. ln 8pai, taking on a
thus entering a crowded room, were all Qb,1Io frankne , gallantry at the
that produced the effect of modesty. Ba, Bulller ,n parUi combtnlng. wlth
counteracting somewhat about her tuttV8 from tne 8outn Btmu encoun.
which might have seemed too absurd. tered ,n gan Francl5COi Havering itself
She waa very slender, very dainty, and wUn ft car,.fr.. neKrold abandon In
her apparel was disheartening to the New 0r)eana and accumulating, too.
other girls: it was of a knowing pic- ,omethlng. ,nexpr..able from Mexico
turesqueness wholly unfamil ar to them. and Xmerlca. It kept, through-
Marjorie's lovely eyes dilated: she out trave,a to ,ne underworld or
learned the meaning of hatred at first
sight. '
Fanchon leaned close to Penrod and
whispered in his ear. "Don't you for
get!" Penrod blushed.
Marjorie saw that blush. Her lovely
eyes opened even wider, and in them , . .
there began to grow a light. It was chonover the country, be,n, e.gerly
t"'1,Vu0La...P '"OP""! everywhere and mad. wholly
wnose eyes bww "to "
call It indignation.
to circles where nature is extremely
frank and rank, until at last it reached
the dives of New York, when It Imme
diately broke' out in what Is called
civilized society. Thereafter it spread
ln variously modified forms to water-
ng-placea and thence carried by nun-
Roderick Magsworth Bitts, Junior,
approached Fanchon when she had
made her curtesy to Mrs. Schofield.
Fanchon whispered ln Roderick's ear.
also.
pure and respectable by the supreme
moral axiom that anything is all right
If enough people do It. Everybody
was doing It
Not quite everybody. It was. per
haps, some test of this dance that earth
Your hair la pretty, Roddy. Don't eull furnish no more horrifying sight
forget what you said yesterday!"
Roderick likewise blushed. Maurice
Levy, captivated by the newcomer's ap
pearance, pressed close to Roderick.
"Give us an Intaduction, Roddy."
than that of children doing It.
Earth, assisted by Fanchon. was fur
nishing this sight at Penrod's party.
By the time Ice cream and cake ar-
(Concluded on .
V i&S 4 J 'Bir'5fe y-fl C ij!"i V J '"X V 1 J n -n. m iiii-t TrT 1 W -f i. S- f .a. m."" . ...
-x -s Jf-'1&C &z '"t T-IT- , jus.. j.
" mmM3s'ZA (en r r
BY ROBERT H. Mpt'LTON.
aS A result of 20 years' effort, au
tomatic control of railroad trains
is a fact. For a decade railroad
operators, engineers and inventors
have studied, stewed and dreamed over
some device or system that would con
trol the movements of trains Inde
pendently of human agency. It was
realized that there must be same ex
terior mechanical hand to say yes or
no or lives of Innocent people, people
who paid to be safely transported,
would continue to be sacrificed.
From the crude semi-methods of
railroading of 25 years ago the system
has changed until now transportation
'Is a science and in many ways practic
ally perfect. Formerly the men be
tween the cars turned hand brakes to
atop trains. A big brain assembled
air in rubber pipes and called It an
air-brake. This marked an era. a new
deal under which trains operating at
any speed would be stopped ln a com-
Open ?vTc? S7owny Cover-S7or
WAz'cft Co ni.ro 7 d&sc? ofZher
paratively short distance. It also
meant easier and more comfortable
traveling, as it became possible to stop
of it. arrived the signal system, man-
train. t .l.H.n. -,)lv. Then came al and automatic inn onermeu "
ventilators, screens for windows and keeps trains apart. If the engine drivers
the automatic coupler, to save the lives "'d Bee the signal. Right here came
of employes the demand for something that would
It is a metter of ancient record that keeP tne tralns aPart when the loc-
every new thing, regardless of merit, motive driver failed to see the signals.
is treated lightly, not only by surface
thinkers, but by men of broad cali
ber. It seems natural to look at In
Railroad managers said that auto
matic control of trains or stops was
of trains and signals. This board was
known as the Automatic Signal and
Control Board and reported to the In
terstate Commerce Commission.
The Commission Is now conducting a
Nation-wide search for a device that
will make derailment, collisions and
wrecks impossible, and to Anatol Gol
los. a Cbicagoan. has fallen the honor
desirable, but smiled when asked if of being the first Inventor ln the coun-
novatlons this way. or rather. It would It were possible. This attitude of the try to procure an. official investiga
appear that few persons are big
enough to see ahead. Along with the
railroad men resulted ln Congress ap
pointing a board of engineers to look
tion, the reward coming after three
years of work on an automatic train
automatic coupler, or a little ahead Into the question of automatic control control and recorder. Testa are- made
by the Government only, after the pre
liminary inquiry has shown that the
device is practical.
The tests of Mr. Collos invention
are being made on the main branch of
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
Railroad, under the personal supervi
sion of H, J. Lyon, inspector of safety
appliances for the Commission, and
will cover a period of six months. The
results of the tests already made have
proven eminently satisfactory. In one
instance a passenger train was placed
500 feet from the block containing the
third rail. The test train came along
at 40 miles an hour, and, was gtrsd
by the automatio device 300 feet from
the end of the passenger train.
The Gollos automatic train stop de
vice consists of a charged third rail,
about 100 feet long, placed at every
block. The energized track comes Into
contact with a shoe fastened on the
tender of the engine which Is suscepti
ble to the slightest Influence. If there
Is another train within a radius of
one mile and a half, if there Is a break
In the track, or anything wrong at all.
warning is given the engineer by a
shrill whistle placed near his seat. If
he does not slow down his train at
tki aarsiiM to airbrakes automat
ically set. This air la applied Quickly
but ln a way that stops the train grad
ually. Aside from the fact that the demon
strations already given have proven
the practicability of the device, the
inventor claims that It Is more eco
nomical than automatio installations
made according to present practice. In
addition, it has the advantages of.
first, train control; second, visible and
audible signals; third, automatic record
to check the engineer, thereby hold
ing him to a close observation of sig
nals. An Important feature of the eystem
(.Concluded oa Fe .).