The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1892-10-29
for something but secured nothing

folled at his game, he drew back,
greeted with the sarcastic rally:
'Set up your show, Gil; the audience
is becoming impatient"
"Well, gentlemen, I'm more sold than
Hosmer. and paid in my own coin.
Fact is, | had basket of melons to
show you, and, to keep them cool,
placed them out on the roof; but they
seem to have evaporated."
Served you right" exclaimed Dan.
And the rest of us gave way to bois.
ferrous laughter.
Half dozen attempts at wit flashed
out on the instant:
Like an Irishman's flea."
"Great anticipations; realizations
non sunt.''
Nov you see it and now you don't"
When these explosions were ended,
Charley Gates called out, in a pitiful
tone:
''This is too bad, fellows. My heart
aches for you in your disappointment.
long to relieve you, and, though can
do but little toward it, invite you to
my humble apartment to share my last
bone and crust"
By this time we had all absorbed
such spirit of fun that we needed no
urging to accompany him.
Every boy, too, was fully convinced
OF the fact that we were in pursuit of
basket Of melons, under difficulties.
Whether we should ever catch it or not
was the puzzle; but Craig Hammond,
of course, thought he was the only fell
low who saw the end from the begin
ming.
Like Gil, Charley undertook to pro.
cure his bone and crust" through the
window, and, like Gil. failed, feeling
wildly into the outside darkness.
When he turned and faced us, the
laughter that filed that room was un-
controllable. Some of us sank to the
foor-it would seem almost in convul.
sions.
Witty remarks seemed dry and out OF
place, as we realized the merits of our
case. in pursuit of melons, which
lodged Us as if alive. At length Craig
Hammond thought his turn had come.
"Now, fellows, we can't close up the
fun without something substantial.
A roar of laughter answered him, for
every one of us knew we'll enough that
another chapter of melons was coming.
Come along" continued Craig, "we'll
make sure thing of it this time; for
don't depend on lounges and portico
roofs for my supplies"
"Ha, ha! When you cabbage melons,
you hide them where you can find them,
do you, Craig2" was the response.
lie undertook to parry this hint and
put US off the scent by declaring that
he was going to forage through the
country for supplies, to make up for
Hosmer's losses.
Gut we went and started across
corner OF the campus, toward his room
IN the other wing of the building, when
he halted us in the moonlight and baale
us wait, while he stepped to Rev.
Clarks premises, as he said, ito recon-
noiter"
While he was gone, the rest of us
ciphered out his trick by recalling his
late arrival at the meeting and putting
1T with Charley's statement that he
thought somebody was watching him
while he was climbin about with the
basket.
Il declare. hope he'll miss them,
too" said Dan, mirthfully.
Never mind, Hosmer. If ever we
overtake those melons, we'll credit
them to you as the first mover in the
panorama.
"Basketorama, more accurately.n
suggested some one.
II fear we shall never bask in the
contents of that basket" groaned Gil.
But for you, prime conspirator, we
should long ere this have tasted their
sweets" said another, in mock elo.
quence, and pointing a long forefnger
in Gils face.
by this time Craig returned empty
handed, reporting that the woodhouse
door was shut and locked, and was sa.
luted with jibes and laughter.
"Alas! alas! our poor deprived pal.
ates!" sighed one.
"Palatial humbug," exclaimed anoth.
er, in poor attempt to play on the
word palate.
Melancholy wreck of our fond ex.
pectations, mourned another.
We voted ourselves cheated and in.
jured set of fellows, and, with many
mock lamentation, scattered to our
rooms
The next day brought to each of us
an invitation from Mrs. Clark to call at
her home from eight to nine that even.
ing.
From Craig we learned that when
some one of the family came to lock up
the house the melons were discovered,
and supposed to be present from some
country parishioner. But, early in the
morning, Craig called on Mrs. Clark
and explained.
That evening at the minister's, our
party, reinforced by several charming
friends, overlook the fugitive melons,
and with gusto put an end to their wan.
lering habit.
But, notwithstanding the common
impression that such young fellows are
chiefly creatures of appetite, the fact
remains that we enjoyed the pleasure
of pursuit more than that of eating the
nelons.-Lamar Beaumont in Golden