Los Angeles herald., 1905-06-11
Two Boys and
the Fountain


persons who lived on the uptown side
of the square and the fountain spoke
of the place as Washington square. But
Richard and all the other children VINO
lived south of the square and the foun-
tain called the square Fourth street
park"
Richard adored the square. 1t was
the one lovely place that the children
who lived south of it knew anything
about. 1t was delightful at all times
of the year. In the winter there was
snowballing If the policeman wasn't
looking, and shedding IL there was
sled that could be borrowed.
In the spring there was the fresh
grass and the trees just budding out.
There were flowers. newly planted, IN
the open space around the FOUNTAIN
and there were innumerable kids
whom one might play with or tease, as
the occasion suggested.
But in the summer 1t was best Of all.
During the long vacation the square
was Richards region of delight. The
grass got little worn by August, 1t is
true, from the ceaseless wear OF BABY
feet, for the policeman allowed the lit
tie children to play over the green car
pet. The flowers by the fountain, too,
had stopped blooming at midsummer
the asphalt was hot and glittering, the
babies, of whom the square was full,
cried and fretted with the heat, but
Richard cared for none of this. He was
made happy by two particular circum-
stances; for one thing the band played
In the square two evenings each week
and for another the fountain seemed to
gush forth more gloriously in midsum-
mer than at any other season. There
was a secret reason for Richards joy
at this. Not that the policeman did
not know about it, because he had
caught other boys at 1t more than once,
but he had never caught Richard.
When he caught boy at it that boy
was marked. He was warned off in
the first place and then when he did
enter the park the policeman was so
suspicious of him that he seemed to
see him two blocks away and he never
took his eye off him until the boy left
the square.
The fact of the matter was that there
couldn's be any greater fun anywhere
in the world, the boys around the
square thought, than going in to battle
in that fountain. The big stream of the
fountain rose into spray and poured
into huge basin, which encircled it.
This pool was supplied by water pipes
from below also and was altogether a
fair sized bathing pool. One could
hardly swim in it because there were
so many water lilies and lotos blossoms |
in the way. Besides this it was almost
too shallow to make swimming worth |
while. But to splash about among the
gold fish and the water lilies, to feel |
the delightful spray of the fountain and
TO realize the danger that lurked in
every policeman, in every outraged |
householder, residing in the big houses
that encircled the square, made sum
of happiness that Richard was power
less to resist.
He sat contemplating the fountain
and thinking of the delights of a
plunge on one particularly hot August |
afternoon. Out Of the tail of his eye
he saw the policeman coming ponder |
ously across the path. Richard had had
great good luck so far. He had been
in the fountain five times since the |
first of the month and he hadn't been
caught yet. Mostly he had chosen the |
evening at about 10 o'clock, when the !
people were considerably thinned out
of the park. Later than 10 he had |
rapidly, swim was dangerous because |
there were two policemen on duty, and |
they were much more vigilant than
during the day. But at about 10
Mike" the single guard, had habit
of sauntering up toward the end of his
beat, where there was a very comfor-
table saloon situated, and though 1t
isn't possible that Mike" being a po-
liceman, ever went into the saloon, still
it must be admitted that before he
came back there was usually time for
Richard to have had his plunge.
But now things had changed. There
was a new policeman on mikes" beat,
and he was a person without habit.
On three successive nights Richard
had loitered around the park faithfully
planning for a plunge. The new police
man, it is true, went up to the saloon
end of the street at intervals. At least
a dozen times Richard had come to
the conclusion that he was to be gone
some time and had planted "Leggy"
Martin, the fastest runner on Third
street, in the way to give warning Of
his return.
But, alas! he had hardly reached the
fountain before he was alarmed by
wild whoop from "Leggy," and turned
to behold that sentry desert his post
and come sprinting toward him maa-
fully.
He did not need to wait to be told,
after one such evening of dlsappoint-
ments, that the new policeman had
turned without a moments pause at
the saloon corner, nor that he was a
man without habit.
xuaa fIa4, fl,o. fLok