CHAPTER XXI 



THE NEIGHBORHOOD NUISANCE 



HE neighborhood to which I had moved 

 was regarded by those long resident 

 there as one of the finest and most 

 exclusive in the town. The houses 

 were large and well-kept, the lawns green and 

 trim, and the grounds spacious. It was pecul- 

 iar in having a number of very lofty and fine 

 pine trees growing amid a profusion of elms 

 and oaks. This distinction added much to the 

 pride and exclusiveness of the residents, and in 

 fact set them apart from other men. In short, 

 the neighborhood fairly exhaled pride and satis- 

 faction, and not without reason ; and when we 

 entered its charmed and sacred precincts we felt 

 that we were personw non gratce. 



Such things do not bother me very much, but 

 they affect my wife's peace of mind exceedingly, 

 who, poor woman, has found in me a very serious 

 handicap to her social aspirations. It is difficult 

 for conservative and semi-bucolic village society 

 to clasp to its bosom with any open show of affec- 

 tion one who views village neighbors and village 

 life with amusement. 



