The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1913-02-22


She looked at Bartlett as he held
out his hand to help her down and
her eyes laughed deep into his.
I'm self-defense-" he pleaded in q
whisper.
So in the freshness of the early
morning they dipped down the hill
into the valley, passed farm.houses
and corn lands. They stopped about
nine at a farmhouse and partook of a
breakfast of coffee, bacon and eggs
Alphonse filed the cars at village
store and they went on. The glory
Of the day, the close proximity Of Hen.
rietta. who sat beside him, dainty,
merry, feminine, the success so far
Of his plan, whiah in his saner mo-
ments he still cherished, raised Bart.
let's spirits higher and higher and
they went faster and faster. Farm.
houses appeared and disappeared in a
cloud Of dust. Lakes were. seen one
moment and gone the next. They
swept around a bend in the road and
into a man trap. q pile Of wood across
the road and three farmers waiting
,grimly with loaded guns.
The Watermelon ih the tonneau of
the generals car. with Billy. straight
ened up with sickening fear OF be-
Ing arrested in her presence. The fun
and excitement Of the adventure had
disappeared. In their stead stalked
the. grim reality Of the fear Of ex-
posture, Of the surprise, scorn, per-
.haps anger, maybe pity, he would SEQ
in Billy's eyes. ~.
The general for a moment consid-
cred 1t merely another means taken
by the conspiracy to rob him Of his
car and contemplated stern defiance
Of the laws command to stop.
Its not highway robbery, Charlie"
laughed Bartlett. We've been going
. bit. fast and have to pay up, that's
ALL"
Hailed before the justice of the
peace in the village store. Bartlett
paid his fine with casual indifference,
the general with the naughty disap.
prevail of judge presiding at the bar
Of Justice, while Henrietta, with gentle
condescension, bought some highly
scented soap, ito help them out, she
explained, meaning the owners Of the
store, and the Watermelon. to all out
ward appearances, frankly bored by
the proceedings, presented Billy with
. choice assortment Of gaily tinted,
dusty candy ~ II.
They put up for the night at q small
town In Maine. It consisted of four
or i've scattered houses, Q school, q
store, and q barrel factory. They
found rooms in one Of the houses and
after supper, Henrietta, Bartlett and
the general sat on the stoop, while
the men smoked and the stars came
out one by one, the frogs croaked. dis
mally and the whippoorwills called
and called.
The Watermelon asked Billy to take
walk with him and she consented.
She must never know, thought the
Watermelon, with boyish self-loathing,
that he had dared to 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 they parted. she
to go: to Newport and Bar Harbor, and
he to drift out on the tide. again, with
James and Mike. -,..-.
They walked up the road in the
soft beauty Of the summer night, The
Watermelon rolled cigarette. and
pulled modify, too busy himself with
thoughts to talk, and the Watermelon
did not like to think. He was not
used to it. s@.
b: 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, a
lonely, neglected place, - overgrown
with weeds and tall, rank grasses. the
gravestones nat or falling. Hardly
aware Of what they did, they. turned in
and picked their way among the sunk.
eh graves. ~,
Billy sat down on the bank by, the
driveway, and the Watermelon sat be.
side her, not too near: There was at
least foot between them.
. I'VE aresall alone, !" said the Water.
melon. thinking. aloud half Of his
thoughts. "All alone, but for the
dead" go -'.e'
Alone, and the seven seas could not
have parted them further.
and Cod" added Billy piously.
"1f there is one." admitted the Wa.
termelon.
Billy looked at him quickly, ear.
nestly. "Oh, Jerry, Of course there is
. God. Don't you know IT." !
NO" said the Watermelon. when
: person is happy. they know there
10 q. God; when. they are wretched,
they say. every one does. There 10 mo
God II there 10 one, why doesn't he
let the miserable wretch realize It in.
stincttveiy as we'll az the happy per.
son? 2" t7.,5.
Billy had never, suffered, had never
felt the foundations, Of her world fall.
ing around her in ruins. had never
cried aloud in anguish. "How long,
oh Lord, how long?" She answered