me of it,
no matter if the house went and fell down? I s'pose they think I put
mucilage and soap in my own shoes."

Marjorie delayed at the gate until some eagerly talking little girls had
passed out. The name "Penrod Schofield" was thick and scandalous among
them.

"Well," said Marjorie, "_I_ wouldn't care, Penrod. 'Course, about soap
and mucilage in YOUR shoes, anybody'd know some other boy must of put
'em there to get even for what you put in his."

Penrod gasped.

"But I DIDN'T!" he cried. "I didn't do ANYTHING! That ole Miss Rennsdale
can say what she wants to, I didn't do--"

"Well, anyway, Penrod," said Marjorie, softly, "they can't ever PROVE it
was you."

He felt himself suffocating in a coil against which no struggle availed.

"But I never DID it!" he wailed, helplessly. "I never did anything at
all!"

She leaned toward him a little, and the lights from her waiting carriage
illumined her dimly, but enough for him to see that her look was fond
and proud, yet almost awed.

"Anyway, Penrod," she whispered, "_I_ don't believe there's any other
boy in the whole world could of done HALF as much!"

And with that, she left him, and ran out to the carriage.

But Penrod remained by the gate to wait for Sam, and the burden of his
sorrows was beginning to lift. In fact, he felt a great deal better, in
spite of his having just discovered why Marjorie loved him.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Penrod and Sam, by Booth Tarkington

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PENROD AND SAM ***

***** This file should be named 1158.txt or 1158.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/1/1/5/1158/

Produced by Ken Smidge

Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.

Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project
Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you
do not charge anything for copi