The Detroit times., 1912-10-10

shadows OF the woods to the open
country, pastures and rolling grain
| fields on each hand Now they
| plunged among the trees again with
the 'drowsy twitter OF birds and the
l'clear -tIabbimg of brook somewhere
on among the ferns and brambles.
The Watermelon leaned back in the
deep soft cushions of the big car and
smiled a smile OF calm and peace and
comfort. The car ran smoothly, noise
lessly, little breezes laden with the
sweetness OF the approaching night
wandered by, on each side OF him
was a pretty. girl. Tramping ideal
lied! II was living idealized. And
that morning. hungry. shabby, I'M
shaved, he had been content to lie In
Cthe sweet lush grasses of chance
meadow, under butternut tree, with
the convivial James and the corpu-
Elent Mike, He crossed one we'll
pressed, silken leg over the other and
saw by the wayside. lounging In the
shadows, waiting for the car to pass,
the two, James and Mike-Mike, fat,
red-faoed, dirty, his frowsy hat pulled
aslant over his small, bleary eyes,
shoulders bumped from long habit In
cold weather, toes coming out OF his
boot ends: James, clean shaven, but
otherwise no better dressed, no clean
er, both che wing tobacco with the
| thoughtful rumination OF the cows
watching over the pasture bars at
| the end Of the wooded lane.
+ Over the trees, the sun was drop
ping from sight. Clearly and sweet
lily on the quiet air OF the eventide.
the church bells began to toll from
| the village below them in the valley.
Billy nudged the Watermelon to
call his attention to the two weary
| figures by the wayside.
Poor fellows" said Henrietta soft
ly, lest they hear her.
The Watermelon glanced at them
| In lofty disgust and catching James
eye, his own dickered the fraction or
an inch and he raised his hands
languidly to adjust the brown silk tie
at his throat. When they had passed,
he turned and waved graceful fare
we'll He explained, to Billy az they
swept on into the deepening dusk
"You might as well encourage the
! poor fellows. They probably want to
ride as well as l." And Henrietta
fancied that possibly his father, had
looked thus on Sunday, In the pull
pit OF country church:
"Yes," agreed Billy. They may be
perfectly dandy Fellows,
"Assuredly," laughed Henrietta,
1.-The stout one fairly radiated truth
and nobility, manly, upright youth"
IL don't care" declared Billy warm.
ly. You cant always tell from ap.
pearances. You ought to know that,
Henrietta. Clothes don't make the
man"
Sure said the watermelon.
Father used TO say that manners
didn't count any more than the good
apples on the top of the box to hide
the rotten ones beneath"
II think your father was a cynic,"
said Henrietta sharply, into whose
ears Billy had been recounting the
sayings OF the absent divine.
Yes" admitted the Watermelon,
he was"
"Cynicism Is sign OF failure"
quoted Henrietta. Surely your faith
er wasn't cynic."
Yes, he was" declared the Water
melon, and you didn't make that up
yourself. You heard some failure say
IL. Father used to say. and he's right
that II man reached 40 without be-
coming a cynic. he was fool and
might better never have reached 40.
A success can be a cynic. for cynicism
Is simply a pretty good idea OF the
meanness OF human nature and no
unfounded expectation of anything
especially decent coming from II, isn't
that so? Father used to say that love
was divine, hate devi1ish and mean
ness just cussed human nature, and
mixture OF the three in more or less
degree made man"
Your father was a philosopher. /"
laughed Henrietta. Il would like TO
have met him"
~ thought the papers said" be-
gan Billy. In her SLOW. anxious way
to get things right.
Yes, they did" interrupted tia
Watermelon. and they were right"
| II was quite dark now. Bartlett
| stopped moment while Alphonse lii
the lamps, and then they went on
and on, faster and faster, into the
summer night. Once In a while they
passed lighted farmhouse and a
dog rushed out and barked at them.
Twice they whirled through small
villages and the villagers, going home
from church, paused to watch them
pass and be swallowed up in the dark
ahead. The air was full OF firefl!es
A whippoorwill called plaintively from
the bushes, and low in the west were
flashes OF heat lightning, with now
and then an ominous rumble of dis
tant thunder, Silence had settled on
all even Billy unused in her corner,
half asleep.
The general had been worried for
some time. They were apparently
getting nowhere. He felt that h
should have consulted the blue book.
He was about to suggest that they
stop and get the book from the rear
car, when Bartlett waved toward the
dark bulk OF house looming out Of
the night, some little way ahead.
\ That's the place." said he. I'VE
can spend the night there and get one
hof~the best chicken breakfasts I ever
ate :" a-...---
The general looked at the place and
rallied his sinking spirits. n an
Peared dark and he should say n was
deserted, but Bartlett doubtless knew
what he was talking about. The peo-
pie probably lived In the kitchen. He
was hungry and tired and the thought
OF hot sausages. bread and jam and
milk and then soft cool bed was