Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-23
A GRIM EXPERIENCE
BY HAMLIU GARLAND.

Copyright, 1895. by Irving Bachel1er.)
I have been in most states Of the Union
said my friend. and in Ill the larger cities
north and south at all times ofathe day or
night. and I've had only two moments of
{ear-that Is, apprehension OF personal as
sault.
One of these is called to mind by a para
graph In this mornings paper. 1 was on a
1ecturing tour in the west, and was spend
ing an Oft night in little town in south
ern Io"a. There was no possibility of get
ting away until the next morning, and there
was only one little hotel Still, I was not
Complaining. 1t was glorious September.
The smell of ripening corn, bleaching stub
BILE and following vines whelmed the little
village in its depths as the odor of the sea
closes round and over a ship.
The day mad been misty and warm and
odorous. and the night came cool and clear
and aromatic. To the north lay the grain
fields; to the south ripening forests stood.
and swift, clear little stream moved
busily.
After my supper at the little hotel (where
I eyed with certain suspicion, it
seemed to mel, 1 went out into the street
which ran irregularly away into the per-
feet darkness of a moonless night.
sauntered with lettering step enjoying
the quaint, abrupt turns in the street, so
different from most towns Of the plain. 1t
accommodated itself to the river, whose
dashing roar below added to my thirst, and
a watermelon seemed the necessity of my
life
Suddenly a man appeared at my side. I
studied him through the dusk with eyes of
inquiry. He was a heavy-sct man, dark
faced and gleamn g-eyed. He wore a wide
white hat. and he spoke his breath
smelled strongly of whisky.
"Hello." he said. and peered into my face.
laughing in embarrassment. "Ha, ha; Ia
- Nice evenin', amt it?'
VERY pleasant, surely" I replie,1. His
eyes seemed fixed upon small silver badge
"a club badge which I wore. He took hold
OF my lapel and laughed again In a still
more nervous way.
"Strolln' around little, stranger"
He seemed to have taken me for some
body else and now wished TO gracefully re-
tire To help him out. 1 said pleasantly:
Eyes; I'm looking for a good watermtlnn
He laughed third time more foolishly
than before.
"A watern' elon?"
Eyes. l feel like a nice juicy melon-a
native one. suppose they raise EN-
around here?'
;rBut now I've accosted you. by mistake.
III see you through. Come with me-"
The fellows laugh turned to something
harder and 1 did not exactly relish MS
oficlousness was convinced of his In
toxicction; that tbs elaborate courtesy
was one of the thousand forms drunken
ness assumes. However, I followed him
across the street toward the dull Hsnt Oh
pair of windows.
1t was evidently fruit and cigar store.
AS 1 entered I looked first at the coun-
ter, where tobacco was displayed. and be-
bind which young man stood staring at
me with keen, hard, unwaving eyes A
ragged, uncouth group of men stood (or
saD immovably, as If my entrance had
smitten them into wax figures. Their eyes
were very much alike, 1 noticed. They
did not change countenance or make
motion. There was something uncanny in
their Analysing stare.
My guide shouted unnecessarily loud Ut
appeared to mel, Got any watermelons?
No one replied, and he crossed the room
and said to the young man behind the
counter, Here's man who Is all right
Or he's a--seampi"l
There was a touch of explanatory en-