The Washington herald., 1912-08-18

.vA1ITH hair nicely cut, face once
wv more as smooth as boys,
" and S3.Io in his pocket, the
Watermelon gazed fondIy at himself
in the glass and felt sorry for James.
He gently patted his hair. wet, shiny
and Smelling of bay rum, arranged his
hat with great nicely at just the grace
fu! angle he preferred as doing the
most justice to his. charms, and sailed
forth to look for suit of clothes. He
had scanned critically those he had
encountered in the barber shop with
an eye to future possession, but none
of them, at least what he had been able
to see of them, the coat havitg gener-
had pleased him. They had the un-
compromising cut of the country and
the Watermelon felt that the attrac-
tons that gazed back at him from the
mirror were worthy of something bet
ter. He had vague fancy for light
gray with a pearl-colored waistcoat
and purple socks-a suit possessing the
gentle folds and undulations of the
city, not the scant though sturdy out
lines of the country. The hotel SEEM
ed the best place to look tor what he
wanted, so he turned in that direction.
The hotel was several miles from
the village. Its gables and chimneys
could be seen rising in majestic aloof-
ness from the woods on a distant hill
side. The Watermelon paused where
the. road dipped down again into the
valley and ran his eye over the inter-
vening landscape By the road. it
would be at least FIVE miles; through
the woods, the distance dwindled 10
about three. The Watermelon took to
the woods. They became thicker at
every step, the quiet and shade deeper
and deeper A birds call echoed clear
and sweet as though among the pillars
of some huge grotto. A brook laugh
ed between its mossy banks. tumbling
into foamy little waterfalls over every
bowlder that got in its path. The Wat
ermelon determined TO follow the
brook, sure that in the end il would
lead him to the hotel. City people
had failing for brooks and no hotel
management would miss the chance
OF having one gurgling by, close at
hand. The brook grew wider and
wider, and through a break in the trees
the Watermelon saw lake. disappear
ing in the leafy distance He heard a
splash and saw the shiny white body
OF man rise for one joyful moment
from the green depths ahead and then
dive from sight with another cool
splash.
The Watermelon decided from habit
TO get a better view of the lonely
swimmer before he let his own pres
ence become known He slipped into
the bushes and slowly wriggled his
way to the little glade. The lake was
bigger than at first appeared. 1t turn
ed and twisted through the woods and
was finally lost from view around
small promontory The trees grew
nearly to the waters edge, a dense
protecting wall to one who wished to
sport in natures solitude, garbed in
natures simple clothing. The lake was
too far from the hotel to have been
annexed as one OF the attractions of
that hosiery. All this the Watermelon
noticed at a glance He also noticed
that the man swimming in the cool
brown depths. with long easy strokes.
was alone and a stranger. The Water
melon locked for the clothes and found
them on log. practically at his feet
In everything but color, they fulfilled
his dream of what raiment should be
like. Instead of the pale gray he rath-
er favored. the suit was brown. a light
brown. with tiny green stripe. barely
visible. intertwined with a faint sug-
gestion OF red. forming harmonious
whole that was vastly pleasing TO the
Watermelon'S aesthetic senses. In the
matter of socks. he realized that the
stranger had not taken the best ad-
vantage OF his opportunity. Instead of
being red or green TO lend character to
the delicate suggestion OF those colorS
found in the suit. they were a soft dun
brown. There was a tie of the same
shade and silk negliGe shirt of white
with pale green stripes. The owner
was clearly a Young man of rare taste,
unhampered by a vexatious limitation
of his pocketbook
He could be seen swimming slowly
and luxuriously in the little lake, per-
feCtly contented. unconscious that some
one besides the woodpeckers and the
squirrels were watching him. The
swimmers strokes had quickened and
the Watermelon perceived that he was
swimming straight up the lake with
the probable intention of rounding the
promontory and exploring the farther
lake. When he disappeared. the Wat
ermelon quickly, carefully. gathered up
the clothes and likewise disappeared
The swimmer was a big man and the
clothes as good a fit as one could look
set off the Watermelon's long. lean fig
ure to perfection. and the hat. soft
and expensive panama, lent added dis
tinction. The Watermelon removed the
S3.I and the keys from his own pock-
cts. and making a bundle OF his cast
off clothes. stuffed them out of sight
i'll a hollow log, where later he could
return and find them. 1t was just as
we'll to leave the stranger a practical
captive in natures depths until the
beauty show was pulled off. After that
event. he would return, and if the
stranger was amenable to reason, he
could have his good clothes back. but
if he acted put out at all, for punish
ment he would have to accept the Wat
ermelon's glorious attire.
Clean-shaven, well-clothed. there was
no longer any need for him to 60 to
the hotel. unless he wished to dine
there. II the devotee of nature, back
in the swimming pool, was a stranger