The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-04-26


find her unprepared--Alma Jones q
Jabez Lincoln and his wife, or Ben as
Mary HUMPHREYS, or ''Mr. and M
Horace Dunkelberg." These were tNd
people of whom she talked when tn
neighbors came in and when she wy
not talking of the Bayneses. observpH
that she. always said "Mr. and NH
Horace Dunkelberg." They were u
conversational ornaments of our hOnl.b
"As Mrs. Horace Dunkelberg says" Il
"as said to Mr. Horace DunkelbersF
were phrases calculated to establis
our social standing. / supposed ths
the world was peopled by Joneses, Lily
coins, HUMPHREYS and Dunkelberg1
but mostly by Dunkelbergs. These la,l
ter were very rich people who lived in
Canton village.
I know, now. how dearly Aunt Deel
loved her brother and me. / must have
been great trial to that woman Of
forty unused to the prankS of chill
dren and the tender offices Of moth
err. Naturally turned from her to
my Uncle Peabody as refuge and
help in time of trouble, with increasing
fondness. He had no knitting or sew
ing to do and when Uncle Peabody sat
in the house he gave all his time to
me and we weathered many storm
together as we sat silently in his ia
vorite corner, of an evening, when /
always went to sleep in his arms.
1 was seven years old when Uncle
Peabody gave me the watermelon
seeds. / put one Of them in my mouth
and bit it.
''It appears to me there's an awful
draft blowin' down your throat" said
Uncle Peabody. "You amt no busi-
ness eatin a melon seed"
"Why" was my query.
"Cause it was made to pat in the
ground. Didn't you know 1t was alive?'
"Alivew exclaimed.
"Alive," said he. ''Ill show ye."
He put a number Of the seeds in
the ground and covered them, and
said that part of the garden should
be mine. watched 1t every day and
by and by two vines came up. One
siekened and died in dry weather. On
Gle Peabody said that must water
the other every day. did 1t faith
fully and the vine throve.
It was hard work, thought, TO g
down into the garden, night and morn
ing, with my little pail full Of water,
but uncle said that I should get my
pay when the melon was ripe. / had
also to keep the wood-box full and
feed the chickens. They were odious
tasks. When I asked Aunt Deel what
should get for doing them she an
swered quickly:
"Nospanks and bread and butter
ayes"
When asked what were "nospanks'
she told me that they were part OF
the wages of a good child. was
better paid for my care of the water.
melon vine, for its growth was mea.
sured with string every day and kept
me Interested. One morning found
five blossoms ON it. picked one and
carried it to Aunt Deel. Another
destroyed in the tragedy Of catching
bumblebee which had crawled into
Its cup. In due time three small mel
ons appeared. When they were as
big as baseball picked two of them
One I tasted and threw away as
ran to the pump for relief. The Other
I hurled at a dog on my way t.
school.
So that last melon on the vine had
my undivided affection. It grew iI
size and reputation, and soon
learned that reputation is about ths
worst thing that a watermelon car
acquire while 1t Is on the vine. in
vited everybody that came to tn,
house to go and see my watermelon
They looked it over and said pleas
ant things about 1t. When I was {
boy people used to treat children ant
watermelons with a like solicitude
. Both were subject for jests ant
: produced similar reactions in the hu
man countenance.
At last Uncle Peabody agreed witt
me that It was about time to pick tn,
} melon. decided to pick 1t immediate
ly after meeting on Sunday, SO tina
: / could give 1t to my aunt and uncle
3 at dinner-time. When we got HON,
. I ran for the garden. My feet ant
those OF our friends and neighbor
] had literally worn path to the mel
( on. In eager haste I got my littl,
wheelbarrow and ran with it to tn,
e end Of that path. There l fount
Y nothing but broken vines! Tho nelol
n had vanished. ran back to tn
Y house almost overcome by feelin
y Of alarm, for I had thought long o
i that hour of pride when / shoul
d bring the melon and present it to m
b aunt and uncle.
d "Uncle Peabody" I shouted IN
q melon is gone"
s "Well, / van!" said he, "soiAebod
% must "a stole it."
e "But 1t was my melon" said wit
i a trembling voice.
l. Eyes, and yum it's too ba0i Blu
- | nj 49,, Iaorno oh xyft fhn4 Az.