The Washington herald., 1912-10-13
CHAPTER XIV.

The Poet or the Poodle.
|" HE day was unusually hot TO,
| late August in Maine The grass
i = was brown and dry. the leave.
hung Imply on the trees and the dust
in the roads was ankle deep. No breeze
came from the sea, while the sails OF
the pleasure boats drooped in warm
detection. Every one had sought shell
ter from the sun, and wharfs, streets,
and houses of the small seaport town
appeared deserted.
Bartlett had taken himself off to the
dim seclusion Of the house, where he
lounged with windows opened. blinds
drawn and small table of cooling bev-
erages near at hand. The heat. the
drowsy. shrill hum of the crickets and
the muffled. monotonous' roar of the sea
had a soothing influence and Bartlett
let his book fall from his hands and
slept, stretched at ease in the steamer
chair. A door gently opening and soft
ly shutting aroused him. He sat up,
yawned and grunted
| Hello drawled a voice, slow, in
| dlferent, familiar.
Bartlett recalled week in June,
when. with rare credulity, he had kid
naped a stranger ahd had discovered
that he had been the one in truth to
be kidnapped. He turned his head and
saw the Watermelon crossing the room
He knew that it was the boy by the size
of the shoulders and the grace of the
long limbs, but the thin. good-natured
face was covered with months growth
of light hair. the brown suit with the
pale green and red stripe was suit
no longer, merely a bundle of rags.
The shirt was opened at the throat.
without tie or button. while the pam
anna was shapeless and colorless, but
worn with the familiar jaunty ease
"Ah." said Bartlett. "Jeroboam Mar
tin"
He smiled as one who meets an old
and eongenial friend, for yeroboam
Martin had shown fine capability for
getting out of tight place and carry
ing through desired project with sue
cess and nerve, and Bartlett had grown
to like the lad
"Am / bum enough?" asked the Wa
When one has come to test love, life
"You are fairly dirty and shabby"
Il have had hard luck" said the Wa.
termelon. "How's Billy"
Pretty well, thanks"
Expecting me-" asked the Water
melon, taking off his hat and gently
patting his back hair as he had a way
of doing
R,rt1ett nodded "y.s h,,+ MI
actly as you are"
Its tough on the little girl" NUT
tered the Watermelon He sank into
a chair and stretched out his long legs
with the weather-strained trousers and
dirty, broken shoes. "Oh, mamma, I'm
tired. Been hoo6ng it since sun-up yes
terday with hardly stop. l wanted
to see the kid So"
"Well, go and get drunk returned
Bartlett. And then you can see her"
The Watermelon frowned. "See here,
! don't drink, necessarily. I'm not a
brand to be plucked from the burning,
sheep strayed from the fold The
whisky bottle wasn't my undoing and
didn't make me take to the highway.
I'm not fallen. / was always down, I
guess. l hate work: I hate worry and
trouble, shaving like Swede all day
for just enough money to be an ever
lasting cheap guy. l like leisure and
time to develop my own soul" He
waved his hand in airy imitation of
James.
That's all right" said Bartlett. But |
get drunk. If she can stand YOU soused |
she can stand you sober. She has got
to know what she's getting, If she de- |
cides to take you after al"
The Watermelon's tired face grew a |
bit whittier under the tan and beard. He |
shrugged hopelessly and rose "Ar
right. if you say so. l hope to hell it
will kill her love on the spot and she
won't suffer for it afterward / sup
pose it will" He started for the door
and paused, one hand on the knob
Shall l have it on you?" he asked |
with smile I'm broke"
Bartlett tossed him a bill. as that
YES" said the Watermelon and
slipped it into his pocket
Have one with me before you co."
said Bartlett. pushing a glass and the
bottle across the table.
The Watermelon filled his glass and
'aised it. To Billy" said he.
TO Billy's happiness" amended
Bartlett.
Maine is prohibition State, but
he Watermelon had been there before
md knew just where and how to obtain
what he was looking for. With the
'ottle in his pocket, he sought the beach
md made his way up it to some seclud-
d place where he could drink in peace
md out of the heat of the sun. A sea
.ull flew wheeling gracefully by to the
listant cliffs, the waves, long, purrinp,
oam-hecked, ran indolentiy up the
,leaming sands, broke with a gurgling
plash of seaweed and tumbled stones
nd ran back to meet the next one. The
'cean stretched limitless before him and
ehind rose the rocks. hiding him com
'letely from the sight of land. With
grunt of dissatisfaction, he sat down
nd drew the cork of the whisky bot
le.
As the day advanced, the sun crept
round the headland until II streamed
nchecked upon the Watermelon. !
drunk, and warm and dirty
4 the lee of the rocks. The combined