The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-05


80 long" he said amiably. At the
door he came nose to nose with a man
| In automobile coat and cap.
81 want the Green Monster" said the
man.
Sold" said the man behind the coiin-
| ter.
Throwing his cap to the ground. the
man stamped on 1t angrily. But Harry
did not walt to see more. He was out,
| leaped into his seat and the machine
sprang away past the car stopped nearly
| against 1t.
And as they gathered Roadway an
other automobile sized by. coming to
stop before the lone tent, then another
and another. The head Of the process
sion which they had passed on the road
and outstripped by the swamp cuton
was hurting itself into the homestretch
They met the squadron of iron animals
first. then they slid along the TANKS
Of the rout, a harlequinade Of vehicles.
all still Juggling away relentlessly as II
| toward some far star in the sky.
The machine did not charge through
| them now; II glided along modestly.
hugging the right bank. making itself
as small as possible. its horn whining
| deprecatory little cries. But even then
| II was recognized. malevolent sibi-
lance ran with 1t down the road. as the
clickety click of opened magazines runs
down a line OF infantry at inspection.
At times this rose into a roar.
once Harry stopped and dlscreetly
whisked out of the tonneau a cabbage
that had been heaved into II. A little
later something hit the collar OF his
shirt with a dry cracking sound. He
made no movement to find out what 1t
was, but he was morally sure that 1t
was an egg. Then the tangle thinned.
They passed the old prospector, gaunt.
long bearded and hollow eyed behind
his little burros-and at last the road
stretched before them empty.
The machine whirred softly. The cool
desert air filled their lungs: 1t exhaled
from them in signs half OF content. half
Of inexplcable dissatisfaction. Before
them. low on the horizon. a big star
beamed liquidly. and the machine
seemed To surge toward 1t in big long
ing leaps. Little by little a piercing
feeling. part pain. part JOY. stole into
IIarry's being.
Then strange thing happened The
soft mufiied figure near Harry began to
oscilate from side TO side. Its head
bent toward him, like a broken flower.
the shoulders slid across the black
leather. nearer. nearer, in little starts
and stops.
In alarm he turned and put up both
hands, the soft form struck against
them. but did not stralghten. He
rounded his left arm upon his knees:
the figure slid Imply into It: he crcled
over 1t with his right armand she lay
in his arms upon his breast. She was
asleep!
For a long time Harry gazed ahead
very fixedly at the big star low on the
horizon. and as the road zigzagged. his
head. following the oscillation of the
star, turned slightly from side to side as
IL he were saying mono His arms were
filling with sweet fatigue. and his heart
was alternately stiled in awe or surglng,
with u mad JOY. And then against his
unquet heart he began to feel the In
sistent knocking of hers.
His eyes left the star and his head
ceased to say mono. They dropped to
the relaxed form. they fixed themselves
upon the veil. And after a time his
right hand stole up quietly. lowered a
moment, then with resolute movement
turned back the veil--a little.
And a mouth appeared, a flower of
mouth. opened slightly like a sensitive
chalice at night. And in the right cor
ner was a faint depression. part weari-
ness, part world tenderness part tremu-
lous appeal. Harry's eyes fixed them
. selves upon that-and like whirlpool
it drew within itself his strength. He
bent down. little by little, fascinated.
But he threw himself sharply back.
and hi. eyes again on the star drew
down the veil. They flew on. The moon
was above. round and golden. The ma
chine swan to the hub in the azure flow
Of its light. After while the sky
greened. n rosy hue crept along the sur
face Of the earth. They came to the
outskirts of the town and Harry's eyes
were still fixed upon the star paling
there in the east
But in the centre OF the otherwise
deserted main street there stood a man.
a big burly fellow, as IL awaiting them.
AS they neared he threw up both arms
and the machine stopped. The man
came to the door, showing no surprise
at the scene within the tonneau
want to sell the Green Monster" he
asked Harry.
How much?" said Harry, a little
dazed.
But the man seemed unwilling to have
this heard. He drew a pad OF paper out
Of his pocket. Slowly he wrote upon
! it, He tore of the top sheet and passed
It to Harry. And Harry read: 800
900 900 900 900 600 900 900 900, 900 900 .OOO,-
OOO. OOO. 900 900 600 900 900 900 900 900 ,O00,
900 900 900 900"
The sum with which I finished above,
the history of the Melville millions. Is
not absolutely accurate. This comes OF
writing on typewriter. once your "$'
and your go tapped Off on the paper 1t
: Is almost impossible To stop pounding
off zeros after them ad nfinitum.
Which brings me to a confession
There Is another version of the manner
, in which Harry Melville came To his for
tune. I'm afraid should have told 1t
first, because really the one that have
given you seems, now that IL IL on
, paper. rather suspicious even to me.
i To get this version with which I
p should have begun We must go back to
4 the time when, you remember, Harry
: was awakened by a knock at his door.
4 He opened the door. But there was no
little man who took him to a lady In
- an automobile who whisked him of to
8 the desert and bought him a mine which