Cherry (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

This early novel by Tarkington (1903) tells the story of two men vying for the attentions of the same woman, Sylvia.  Mr. Sudgeberry, the narrator, is a loquacious pedant.   William Fentriss is a happy-go-lucky ne'er-do-well.  Comic sparks are struck as the two men seek to undermine each other in Sylvia's eyes.