The Detroit times., 1912-10-14
CHAPTER xi.
a Nights Lodging.

a Nights lodging
The general hesitated. II was not
awful. not right. They had broken
Into another mans house and should
|1Ito az once. But all his life he had
Lived BY rules and regulations, follow,
~ lies blue book as persistently ana
~ well as he did the auto blue oook'
Now he was lost, the blue book was
zone and there was an. -1ndehnaole
pleasure In, letting go. the rules ana
<oE,lIations that. had governed him SO
IopE. In the warm June night, with
tho youthful, foolish Billy and the
Irresponsible Watermelon, the gen
&<nfs latent criminal tendency came
IDpermost, that tendency IN all OF us
once Ia a while TO do wrong for the
1@ke Oh the adventure' IN IT. for the
E<citement and fasctnatton, rather
Than for any material gain. In the
cxDcrience of being in another mans
house unknown and unlimited by the
owuer,~of~ listening feF-the rattle OF.
xaeon- turning IN at. the gate. for
tho crnneh .of a foot on the gravel
without. there was an exhilaration he
had not known for Years. he feit
that-a--hold laWlessness which he had
never had and had always ielt rather
proudly was only kept under by the
veneer or civilization, was rising In
him and that he was growing young
again He had always believed that
n the occasion arose, he could out
RaffIe Raffies.
.It Will not 10 any harm, 'i-he
thought with the remains .of his old
conscience I'VE will go directly at
ter suppen'l - = - .-,--.>. ~
II was joviai meal Tho converse
fion waxed merrier and merrier The
general grew younger with every
mouthful and Bartlett more and more
genial He forgot that he was kid
mapping famous young financier,
and told all his most enjoyable stories
with the skill OF many repetitions,
When they had finished, no one for a
while made any motion 10 clear up
the table preparatory to--ieaying.
Billy, win her -cfrinr on her hand,
thDughtfully gathered up theverumos
sfHf ON her plate sand transferred
them to. her mouth. Henrietta leaned
back In her chair her hands clasped
behind her head. gazing dreamily at
fha diclZerin2 laIlp. BARTLETT and tho
general smoked in contented silence
and the Watermelon rolled cigarette
with his lCng, thin fingers. his old
clay pipe discarded with his rags.
Alphonse was already asleep. 4
sn6fe from nix corner drew their at,
tonflCn.
The watermelon - licked his
cigarette pa,er and glanced at Billy.
'He'srgst his nerve, said he, putting
the cigarette in his mouth and reach
ing for a match. y.
.1 1-dnn,t tAihink that any of US. have.
been lacking. in nerve. tonight said
the general. with no little pride.
You're dead game sports admit;
ted The watermelon. Let's stay all
night
tits morning already" said Hen
rietta. we have stayed alfnight.
Lets sleep here" said the Water
melon. we .caR leave early
Er--er--are there any beds? ?"
asked the general.
Father. father cried Henrietta,
'yon are backsiiding.r ---.---
The general protested, Immensely
Uattort,tl,-- c-s~,y..s- .s..,r- .-..~-
Father used To say II you didn't
backslide once in "A WHILE. goodness
wouldn't be goodness, but habit.
said the. Watermelon.
The general always looked back on I
( that night and the week that followed
with wonder, thankfulness and pride. I
When the Watermelon, waiting for no I
further consent, picked "up the lamp
and started 10 investigate the beds
rooms the general was the first TO
follow him =.
They found two bedrooms on the
Eroandr floor. and Though the beds only
had mattresses and pillows on them,
evan the Watermelon did not suggest
q search for sheets and pillowcases.
The girls took one room, the men the
other. Alphonse was aroused enough
to be dragged 10 the haircloth sofa in
the kitchen, from which he kept fall.
ing during the course OF the night
with dull thnds that woke no one but
himself.
Tne watermelon was having the