Cleveland County herald., 1919-01-02

lie 1aQ no sooner Sa1Q It Lnau al cry broke from my lips, and I sank down upon the grass moaning and sobbing. I lay amidst the ruins of the simple faith of childhood. 1t was as if the world and ali it's joys had | come to an end.
 Aunt Deel spoke in a low, kindly tone and came and lifted me to my feet very tenderly.
 Come. Bart, don't feel so about that old melon," said she, "it ain't worth it. Come with me. Pm going to give you a present-ayes I bel"
 I was still crying when she took me to her trunk, and offered the grateful assuagement of candy and a belt, all embroidered with blue and white beads.
 "Now you see, Bart, how low and mean anybody Is that takes what don't belong to 'em-ayes! They're snakes! Everybody hates lem an stamps on lem when they come in sight-ayesw
 The abomination of the Lord was in her look and manner. How it shook my soul He who had taken the watermelon had also taken from me something I was never to have again, and a very wonderful thing it was-faith in the goodness of men. My eyes had seen evil. The world had committed it's first offense against me and my spirit was no longer the white and beautiful thing it had been. Still, therein Is the beginning of wis dom and, looking down the long vista of the years, I thank God for the great harvest of the lost watermelon. Better things had come in It's place understanding and what more, often I have vainly tried to estimate. For one thing that sudden revelation of the heart of childhood had lifted my aunt's out Of the cold storage of a puritanic spirit, and warmed it into new life and opened it's door for me.
 In the afternoon she sent me over to Wills to borrow a little tea. l stopped for a few minutes to play with Henry Wills--a boy not quite a year older than I. While playing there I discoyered a piece of the rind of my YAeN N in the dooryard. On that piece AnAd saw the cross which I had made one day with my l thumb-nail. It was intended to in dicate that the melon was solely and wholly mine. I felt flush of anger
 q hate you," I said as I approached him.
 "I hate you," he answered.
 You're a snake' I said
 We now stood, face to face an( breast to breast, like pair of young roosters. He gave me a shove anC told me to go home. I gave him { shove and told him I wouldn't. pushed up close to him again anC we glared into each others eyes.
 Suddenly he spat in my face. gave him a scratch on the forehead with my finger-nails. Then we fell upon each other and rolled on the ground and hit and scratched with feline ferocity.
 Mrs. Wills ran out of the house and parted us. Our blood was hot, and leaking through the skin of our faces little.
 'He pitched on me-" Henry ex- plained.
 I couldn't speak.
 "Go right home-this minute-you brat l" said Mrs. Willis in anger. Here's your tea. Don't you ever come here again."
 I took the tea and started down the road weeping. What a bitter day that was for mel I dreaded to face my aunt and uncle. Coming through 1 the grove down by our gate met | Uncle Peabody. With the keen in sight of the father of the prodigal son he had seen me coming "a long way off" and shouted:
 1 "Well, here ye bel was kind O worried, Bub."
 Then his eye caught the look of de. l jection In my gait and figure. He hur- ried toward me. He stopped as came sobbing to his feet.
 "Why, what's the matter?" he asked gently, as he took the tea cup f<om my hand. and sat down upon his heels.