Hooking Watermelons | Page 8

her face streaming with tears, and
every lineament convulsed with abject dread, there was little enough to
remind Arthur Steele of the queenly maiden who had favored him with
a glance of negligent curiosity that afternoon. He stopped marching her
along and said reflectively:--
"Lina Maynard, hey! Then you must be the gal that's down on Amy
Steele and would n't ask her to the party to-morrow. Say, ain't yer the
one?"
Lina was too much bewildered by the sudden change of tack to do more
than stammer inarticulately. I am afraid that in her terror she would
have been capable of denying it, if she had thought that would help her.
Her captor reflected more deeply, scratched his head, and finally,
assuming a diplomatic attitude by thrusting his hands in his pocket,
remarked:--
"I s'pose ye 'd like it dummed well ef I was to let yer go and say nothin'
more about it. I reelly don't s'pose I 'd orter do it; but it riles me to see
Amy comin' home cryin' every day, and I 'll tell ye what I 'll do. Ef you
'll ask her to yer fandango to-morrer, and be friends with her arterward
so she 'll come home happy and cheerful like, I 'll let ye go, and if ye
don't, I 'll put ye in jug overnight, sure's taxes. Say Yes or No now,

quick!"
"Yes, yes!" Lina cried, with frantic eagerness.
There was scarcely any possible ransom he could have asked that she
would not have instantly given. She dared not credit her ears, and stood
gazing at him in intense, appealing suspense, as if he might be about to
revoke his offer. But instead of that, he turned down the huge collar of
the old overcoat, took it off, threw it on the ground, and, turning up the
slouch of his hat, stood before her a very good-looking and
well-dressed young gentleman, whom she at once recognized and at
length identified in her mind as the one walking with Amy that
afternoon, which now seemed weeks ago. He bowed very low, and said
earnestly enough, though smiling:--
"I humbly beg your pardon."
Lina stared at him with dumb amazement, and he went on:--
"I am Arthur Steele. I came home on a vacation to-day, and was sitting
up to watch father's melon-patch for the pure fun of it, expecting to
catch some small boys, and when I caught you, I couldn't resist the
temptation of a little farce. As for Amy, that only occurred to me at the
last; and if you think it unfair, you may have your promise back."
Lina had now measurably recovered her equannimity, and, ignoring his
explanation, demanded, as she looked around:--
"How am I to get out of this dreadful place?" mentally contemplating
meanwhile the impossibility of clambering through that fence with a
young gentleman looking on.
"I will let down the bars," he said, and they turned toward the fence.
"Let's see, this is your melon, is it not?" he observed, stooping to pick
up the booty Lina had dropped in her first panic. "You must keep that
anyhow. You 've earned it."

Since the tables turned so unexpectedly in her favor, Lina had
recovered her dignity in some degree, and had become very freezing
toward this young man, by whom she began to feel she had been very
badly treated. In this reaction of indignation she had really almost
forgotten how she came in the garden at all. But this reference to the
melon quite upset her new equanimity, and as Arthur grinned broadly
she blushed and stood there in awful confusion. Finally she blurted
out:--
"I didn't want your stupid melon. I only wanted some fun. I can't
explain, and I don't care whether you understand it or not."
Tears of vexation glittered in her eyes. He sobered instantly, and said,
with an air of the utmost deference:--
"Pardon me for laughing, and do me the justice to believe that I 'm in
no sort of danger of misunderstanding you. I hooked too many melons
myself as a boy not to sympathize perfectly. But you must really let me
carry the melon home for you. What would the girls say, if you
returned empty-handed?"
"Well, I will take the melon," she said, half defiantly; "but I should
prefer not to have your company."
He did not reply till he had let down the bars, and then said:--
"The streets are not safe at this hour, and you 've had frights enough for
one night."
She made no further objections, and with the watermelon poised on his
shoulder he walked by her side, neither speaking a word, till they
reached the gate of the Seminary grounds. There she stopped, and,
turning, extended her hands