The Irish standard., 1913-03-15

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Icy crowd of summer resort on the
coast. The sight Of the Mary Glou.
cester, steaming gracefully into port
was greeted with gay flutter OF
handkerchiefs and straw hats, and
Billy and Bartlett. standing where the
yacht would dock, were soon the cen.
ter Of the laughing. merry crowd,
ready and eager to welcome home the
stout widow, her unfortunate chaperon
and the two supplements" as a vii.
lage wag called the fat Henry and the
slim BERTHE.
Az the yacht drew near. the widow.
corpulent form was seen by the rail,
on one side a tall youth, and on the
other, two. side by side and apparent
ly in no very good humor.
"Three. by George" cried Blatts, .
prosperous brewer from Milwaukee
She left here with two and returns
with three. Where did she get him.
Bartlett?"
But Bartlett did not answer, did not
hear. The gang-plank had been low
sred and he was watching in numb
fascination, the tall youth walking be-
side the widow, her ridiculous dog in
his arms. It was Jeroboan1 Martin in
IN immaculate white suit of Bertie's.
His hat was of and his hair, after the
swim, cleaned soft and yellow. For
he sake of the widow upon whose
boat he found himself, he had shaved
as well as he could with Henry's
razor, and while his cheeks were
smooth enough, he still wore small
yellow mustache and goatee. Both
were brushed until they shone like his
hair and they lent a fascinating and
distinctly foreign air to his long. thin.
clever face. In his arms was the lit
tie dog with it's enormous bow of sky
blue ribbon.
Bartlett wondered If he were going
mad and seeing things that were not
so. At two. or whereabouts, he had
seen Martin. dirty, shabby, tired and
had given him money on which to get
drunk. At seven, a yacht, which had
not been in Westhaven for over a
week, carefully deposits the youth,
clean. fresh, well-dressed at his very
side. Was he mad?
Billy, too, had seen, but did not won
der. She knew he was a tramp, for he
had said he was, but she never
thought Of him or pictured him other
than well-dressed. well-cared for.
gently blase and bit languid. She
looked at him now over the heads Of
the intervening crowd and her heart
did not question how he came there,
only rushed out to him with the glad
ness in her eyes, the joyous smile on
her parted lips. He had said he would
come, and there he was. Further she
did not question. Their eyes met
over the heads Of the people, eager
questioning in his. joyful answer In
hers.
Hastily he dropped the pup with
the sky-blue bow upon the wharf,
among the plebeian feet there assem-
bled, and reaching Billy's side through
the crowd, grabbed both small hands
and stood laughing down at her.
Billy" he whispered, "Oh, you
Billy"
There was. there must be some ex.
PLANTATION, Bartlett told himself des.
perately. It could not be that this
was not Martin? Bartlett had not
slept with the youth for nearly q
week without being pretty familiar
with the long lank form, the thin
careless face. And it was equally i'm
possible that the forlorn piece of hu.
manity who had stood that afternoon
In the drawing-room and inquired fol
Billy was not Martin. They were one
and the same and once more he and
Billy had met on equal footing. To
ask the boy again to get drunk was an
absurdity.
Il suppose I can give him a jot
where he won't have much more to dc
than draw his pay" thought Bartlett
hopelessly, dazedly.
The Watermelon dropped Billy'e
hands and turned to her father in
well-bred greeting, but their eyes met
and in the Watermelon's was grim de
flance. He had seen Billy again and
nothing could part them now. All his
humility and repentance had gone
and in. their place: was his old-time
arrogance and sublime ,self-assurance
Fate in the form Of a. little white dog
had brought him and Billy togethe,
again, with the Watermelon, still
clean,s still well-dressed, and to all out
ward Appearances the same as the
other gay youths Of Billy's> acquaint
ance. With head up, lawsuit, he
scorned to lower himself for anyone
He would prove himself worthy, moi
unworthy of Billy. Out of his repent
ance had grown his manhood He
was no nameless hobo of the great
army of the unemployed. He was
Jeroboam Martin, son of the late
Rev. Mr.. 4lartin. in temporary inan
cfal embarrassment that could be soo1
remedied. He would work for Billy
and they would be, happy on his
wages. He drew himself up and held
out his hand. Bartlett could take II