Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1873-03-13
WHOLE NO. 1928
Melons,"

In Bret Haltes last volume, entitled
"NIrs. Skagg's Husbands, and Other
Sketches, is clever description of a
youth called Melons. From it we
make brief extract
His age was about seven, He
looked older, from the venerable white
ness Of his head, and it was impossible
to conjecture his size, as he always
wore clothes apparently belonging to
some shapely youth Of nineteen. A
pair Of pantaloons,It THAT, when sustained
by single suspendep completely
equipped him, formed his everyday
suit. How, with this lavish supertlu-
ity Of clothing he managed to perform
the surprising gymnastic feats it has
been my privilege to witness, | have
never been able to tell His turning
crab" and other minor dislocations,
were always attended with success
1t was not an unusual sight at any
hour of the day to find Melons sus-
pended on line, or TO sec his vener-
able head appearing above the roofs Of
the outhouses. Melons knew the ex-
act height OF every fence in the vicin-
ity, its facilities for scaling, and the
possibility Of seizure on the other side.
His more peaceful and quieter amnse-
ments consisted in dragging disused
boiler by large string, with hideous
outcries, to imaginery fires. Melons
was not gregarious in his habits. a
few youths Of his own age sometimes
called upon him, but the eventually
became abusive, and their visits were
more strictly predatory incursions for
old bottles and junk, which formed
the staple Of McCIinnis Court. Over
came by loneliness one day, Melons
inveigled a blind harper into the
Court For two hours did that
wretched man prosecute his unhallow-
ed calling, unrecompenscd, and going
round and round the conrt, apparently
of the impression that it was some 9th
er place, while Melons surveyed him
from an adjoining fence with calm
satisfaction. It was this absence Of
conscientious motives that brought
Melons into disrepute with his aristo-
cratic neighbors. Order were issued
that no child of wealthy and pious
parentage should play with him.
THIS mandate, as a matter Of course,
invested Melons with a fascinating in
terest to them. Admiring glances
were cast at Melons from nursery
windows, Baby fingers beckoned to
him. Invitations to tea ION wood and
pewter) were lisped to him from aris
tocratic back yards. 1t was evident
he was looked upon as a pure and
noble being, untrammelled by the con-
ventionalities ofparentage, and physl,
cally as well as mentally exalted above
them. One afternoon an unusual
commotion prevailed in the vicinity
of McGinnis's SCOUT. Looking from
my window, l saw Melons perched on
the roof of a stable, pulling up a rope
by which one "Tommy," an infant
scion of an adjacent and wealthy house,
was suspended in mid-air. In vain
the female relatives of Tommy, con
gregated in the back yard, expostula-
ted with Melons in vain the unhap-
py father shook his fist at him, Sc
cure in his position, he redoubled his
exertons, and at last landed Tommy
on the roof. Then it was that the
humiiating fact was disclosed that
Tommy had been acting in collision
with Melons. He grinned delightfully."-
back at his parents, as if "hy merit
raised to that bad eminence." Long
before the ladder arrived that was to
succor him, he became the sworn ally
of Melons, and, l regret to say, III
cited by the same audacious boy,
'chaffed' his own flesh and blood be-
low him. He was evidently taken,
though, Of course, Melons, escaped
But Tommy was restricted to the win
dow after that, and the companion
ship was limited to ''lIi, Melons! y and
"You, Tommy = and Melons, to all
practical purposes, lost him forever.
/ looked afterward to see some signs
of sorrow on Melons's part, but in
vain he buried his grief, if he had
any, somewhere in his one volumni-
Gus garment.