The Washington herald., 1912-09-22

must never know, thought the Water
. melon, with boyish self-loathing, that
he had dared 70 insult her by thinking
of love. but it would not hurt any one
but himself to walk with her. There
was only day or two more at the most
! before thew parted. she to 60 to New
port and Bar Harbor, and he to drift
out on the tide again, one with James
and Mike.
They walked up the road in the soft
beauty of the summer night. Billy was
tired and thoughtful her girlish eyes
/, catching a far off vision of womanhood
and what il meant. Unconsciously to
T, to both, a mans soul had spoken and
her woman's soul had stirred in answer,
stirred, but would il fully waken.
The Watermelon rolled a cigarette
and pulled moodily. too busy himself
with thoughts to talk. and the Water
melon did no. like 70 think. He was
not used TO it.
Darn it," he unused, what did the
Lord give us bodies for to want and
want and then add minds to Think
They came to New England grave
yard, perched on a rise of ground,
where the road cut through hill, q
| lOuClNs hCSiCNtCu pi1SIs St6toWh
weeds and tall rank grasses, the grave
what they did, they turned in and picked
their way among the sunksn graves;
Gods acre." whispered Billy softly,
for youth loves sadness, at certain
times.
The Watermelon tossed away his Gig
arctic and took off his hat. Some
where, over there among the Green
Mountains, in just such another place, his
tired little mother slept. Was her grave
sunken, he wondered, her tombstone
fat or falling Imply sidewise?
The moon was sinking slowly in the
West, silver crescent just above the
q, dark, outlines of the woods. The sky
was bright with stars. like the kindled
hopes OF those who have gone. A wind
stole softly by. rus,ling the tall grasses
and swaying the tree tops. But there
among the graves, it was very dark
and still.
Billy sat down on the bank by the
driveway. and the Watermelon sat be-
side her, not too near. There was al
least foot between them.
I'VE are all alone" said Watermelon
thinking aloud half of his thoughts. "All
| alone, but TOR the dead.
Alone, and the seven seas could not
have parted them farther
And God" added Billy piously.
'If there is one" admitted the Wat
ermelon.
Billy looked at him quickly. earnest
ly. "Oh, Jerry, of course there Is
God Don't you know it:'
No" said the Watermelon. When
person is happy. they know there is a
God; when they are wretched, they say
every one does. There is no God II
there is one, why doesn't He let. the
miserable wretch realize it instinctively
as we'll as the happy person!
| Billy had never suffered. had never
felt the foundations of her world fall
! ing around her i'll ruins, had never cried
aloud in anguish, How long, oh Lord
how long?" She answered from her in.
experience, from the faith that had
never been tested. "Of course there is
a God. Every one knows it, every one
prays Why, if your father was min
ister, should think you would know
that there is a God"
That's the trouble. He was min-
lister and he lost faith, and when he
who should have known. wondered II
there was a God, we kids knew there
wasn't l suppose its the same il boy
finds that his mother has lost her vir-
tue He thinks there is none"
Billy placed.her hand on the bank be-
tween them and leaned toward him or
her Strengthened arm. Poor old Jerry
But if your mother still believed ??
"A mother always believes in God
and her worthless sons. It's part OF
being a mother, | suppose"