The Republican journal., 1877-10-11
Hooking Water Melons.

HOOKING w WaGer- melons.
From Scribncrs Monthly
The tram Slac chcned, Il brakeman thrust
his head in at the door and shouted "Bah, :"
- a mysterious tormality observed on
American trains us they enter towns, and
an elderly lady, two drummers, and a
young man With satchel got out follow
ed by the languid envy of the other pas
sengers, who had longer or shorter pen
ances of heat and dust before them
The train got under way again while the
knot Of lodterS about the station proceed
ed to eve the arrivals as judicially as if
they were a committee of safety to pro-
tect the village from invasion by doubt
FIJI characters. The old lady. apparent
ly laboring under some such impression,
regarded them detcrentiallN, us nervous
travellers Oh arriving i'll strange places
generally do regard everybody who seems
to feel at home. The drummcrs brisklv
disappeared down the main street, each
anxious to anticipate the other at the
stores The young man with the satchel,
however, didn't get away till he had shak
en- hands, and exchanged few good nat
ured inquiries with one of the loungers.
"Whu's that, Bill! ," asked one of the
group staring after the retreating figure
with lazy curiosity.
"Why, didn't YOU know him Thought
everybody knew him. That's Arthur
Steele, replied the one who had shaken
hands III tone of cordiality indicating
that politeness had left a pleasant i'm
preston ON his mind, as Arthur Steele's
politeness general! did.
"Who is he, anyhow ?' pursued the
other
"Why, he's a Fairfield boy" uhe brake
man pronounced it ''Bah,') "born and
brought up here. His folks alters lived
right next to mine. and now he's dom Il
rushn lawyer trade down New York,
and expect he's Just rakin' the stamps
Did yer see that diamond pin he Wore :"
'S'pose it, Genooinc p asked ii third
loater, With interest
Course it was. tell YOU hes on the
make. and don't You forget it, Some tel-
lers alters has luck. Many's the time he
II I've been III sWimmin' and hookin' APP
pies together when WE WIS little chaps
pursued Bill in It tone implying 4 mild re
proach 1T the deceittulnesS of an analogy
that after such fair promise in early life,
failed 10 complete itself i'm their later for
tunes
"Why, darn it all, you know him, jim"
he continued, dropping the tone OF pen
Siyc "Reminiscences into which he had mo-
mentarily allowed himself to fall. THAT
pretty cal that sings in the Baptis' choir
Is his sister
After a space of silent rumination and
Jerking OF peanut shells upon the track,
the group broke up its session and ad-
journed by tacit understanding till the
next train was due.
Arthur Steele was half an hour in get
ting to his fathers house, because every
body he met on the street insisted on
shaking hands with him. Everybody i'll
Fairfield had known him since he was a
boy, and had seen him grow up and all
We're proud Of him as Il credit to the viii
lage and one OF its most successful repre-
SentatiNes in the big outs lde world. The
Young man had SENSE and sentiment
enough to feel that the place he held in
the esteem Of his native community was
a thing to feel more Just pride in than
any station he could win in the city. and
us he walked along hand shaking with
old friends on this side and that, it was
about his idea of a trumpha entry
There was the dear Old house, and as
he saw it his memory of it started out
vividly in his mind as if to attest how
faithfully it had kept each detail. 1t
never would come out SO clearly at times
when he was far away and needed its
comfort. He opened the door softly. The
slttng-room was empty and darkened to
keep out the heat and flies. The latched
door stood open, and, hearing voices, he
tlp-toed across the floor with u guileful
smile and, leaning through the door way,
saw his mother and sister sitting bv the
cool lilac shaded window, picking over
culrants for tea, and talking TRANQUILITY
Being a provdent young man, he paused
a minute to let the pretty peaceful scene
impress itself upon his mind, to be remem-
bered afterward for the cheer of bleak
boarding house Sunday afternoon. Then
there was a sudden glancing up, a cry of
joyful CONSERVATION, and the pan of cur
rants rolled from Amy's lap like 4 bro
ken necklace OF rubicS across the uncar-
peted floor, while Arthur held mother
and sister in Il double embrace And
when at length the kissing had all been
! done, he established himself in his tamil-
lar hoyish attitude on the window seat,
kicking his heels against the mop board,
with his elbows on his knees, and the
three talked away steadily till the shop
bell rang, and Mrs. Steele sprang up in a
panic, eAclaiming Father will be here
in five minutes and the curlants are on
the floor. Come, Amy, quick we must
pick some more and You shall help, AT
thur"
But though he went out into the gar
den with them readily enough it was
quite another thing to make him pick
currants, for he insisted on wandering all
over the place and demanding what had
become of everything he missed, and the
history of everything new. And pretty
soon Mr. Steele also appeared in the gar
den, having found no one in the house on
arriving home. He had learned on the
street that Arthur had arrived and came
out beaming. 1t was good to see the
| hearty affection with which the two shook
hands.
The transition Of the son from the pu
| pllage OF childhood and youth to the in
| dependence OF manhood is often trying to
| the flllal relation. Neither party fully
realizes that the old relation is at an end
or just what the new basis is, or when the
| change takes place. The absence of the
son for two or three years at this period
| has often the best results. He goes q
boy and returns a man; the old relation
is forgotten by both parties and they
readily fall into the new one. So it has
Jared with Arthur and his father.
"You've got splendid lot Of water
melons," said the former as they arrived
| Al. Il 1{ No,