Learning English through story Melons by Bret Harte

melons by Bret Hart

as I do not suppose the most gentle of

readers will believe that anybody

sponsors in baptism ever willfully

assumed the responsibility of such a

name I may as well state that I have

reason to infer that melon’s was simply

the nickname of a small boy I once knew

if he had any other I never knew it

various theories were often projected by

me to account for this strange cog

Newman his head which was covered with a

transparent down like that which clothes

very small chickens plainly permitting

the scalp to show through to an

imaginative mind might have suggested

that succulent vegetable that his

parents recognizing some poetical

significance in the fruits of this

season might have given this name to an

august child was an oriental explanation

that from his infancy he was fond of

indulging in melons seemed on the whole

the most likely particularly as fancy

was not bred in mcginnises court he

dawned upon me as melons his proximity

was indicated by shrill youthful voices

as ah melons or playfully high melons or

authoritative li u melons mcginnises

court was a democratic expression of

some obstinate and radical property

holder occupying a limited space between

two fashionable thoroughfares it refused

to conform to circumstances but sturdily

paraded its unkempt glories and

frequently asserted itself in

ungrammatical language my window a rear

room on the ground floor in this way

derived blended light and shadow from

the court so low was the windowsill that

had I been the least disposed to some

novel ism it would have broken out under

such favorable auspices and I should

have haunted mcginnises Court my

speculations as to the origin of the

court were not altogether gratuitous for

by means of this window I once saw the

past as through a glass darkly

it was a celtic shadow that early one

morning obstructed my ancient lights it

seemed to belong to an individual with a

peacoat a stubby pipe and bristling

beard

he was gazing intently at the court

resting on a heavy cane somewhat in the

way that he rose dramatically visit the

scenes of their boyhood as there was

little of architectural beauty in the

court I came to the conclusion that it

was McGinnis looking after his property

the fact that he carefully kicked a

broken bottle out of the road somewhat

strengthened me in the opinion but he

presently walked away and the court knew

him no more

he probably collected his rents by proxy

if he collected them at all beyond

melons of whom all this is purely

introductory there was little to

interest the most sanguine and hopeful

nature in common with all such

localities a great deal of washing was

done in comparison with the visible

results there was always something

whisking on the line and always

something whisking through the court

that looked as if it ought to be there a

fish geranium of all plants kept for the

recreation of mankind certainly the

greatest illusion straggled under the

window through its dusty leaves I caught

the first glance of melons his age was

about seven he looked older from the

venerable whiteness of his head and it

was impossible to conjecture his size as

he always wore clothes apparently

belonging to some shapely youth of

nineteen a bear of pantaloons that when

sustained by a single suspender

completely equipped him formed his

everyday suit how with this lavish

superfluity of clothing he managed to

perform the surprising gymnastic feats

it has been my privilege to witness I

have never been able to tell his turning

the crab and other minor dislocations

were always attended with success it was

not an unusual sight at any hour of the

day to find melons suspended on a line

or to see his venerable head appearing

above the roofs of the outhouses melons

knew the exact height of every fence in

the vicinity its facilities for scaling

and the possibility of seizure on the

other side is more peaceful and quieter

amusements consisted in dragging a

disused boiler by a large string with

hideous out cries two imaginary fires

melons was not

gregarious in his habits a few youth of

his own age sometimes called upon him

but they eventually became abusive and

their visits were more strictly

predatory incursions for old bottles and

junk which formed the staple of

mcginnises court overcome by loneliness

one day melons inveigled a blind Harper

into the court for two hours did that

wretched man prosecute his unhallowed

calling on recompensed and going round

and round the court apparently under the

impression that it was some other place

while melon surveyed him from an

adjoining fence with calm satisfaction

it was this absence of conscientious

motives that brought melons into

disrepute with his aristocratic

neighbors orders were issued that no

child of wealthy and pious parentage

should play with him this mandate as a

matter of course invested melons with a

fascinating interest to them admiring

glances were cast at melons from nursery

windows baby fingers beckoned to him

invitations to tea on wood and pewter

were lisped to him from aristocratic

backyards it was evident he was looked

upon as a pure and Noble being

untrammeled by the conventionalities of

parentage and physically as well as

mentally exalted above them one

afternoon an unusual commotion prevailed

in the vicinity of mcginnises court

looking from my window I saw melons

perched on the roof of a stable pulling

a rope by which one Tommy and infant

scion of an adjacent and wealthy house

was suspended in midair in vain the

female relatives of Tommy congregated in

the backyard expostulated with melons in

vain the unhappy father shook his fist

at him secure in his position melons

redoubled his exertions and at last

landed Tommy on the roof then it was

that the humiliating fact was disclosed

that Tommy had been acting in collusion

with melons he grinned delightedly back

at his parents as if by merit raised to

that bad eminence long before the latter

arrived that was to succor him he became

the sworn ally of melon

and I regret to say incited by the same

audacious boy chafed his own flesh and

blood below him he was eventually taken

though of course melons escaped but

Tommy was restricted to the window after

that and the companionship was limited

to high melons and you Tommy and melons

to all practical purposes lost him

forever

I looked afterward to see some signs of

sorrow on melons as part but in vain he

buried his grief if he had any somewhere

in his one voluminous garment at about

this time my opportunities of knowing

melons became more extended I was

engaged in filling a void in literature

of the Pacific coast as this void was a

pretty large one and as I was informed

that the Pacific Coast languished under

it

I set apart two hours each day to this

work of filling in it was necessary that

I should adopt a methodical system so I

retired from the world and locked myself

in my room at a certain hour each day

after coming from my office I then

carefully drew out my portfolio and read

what I had written the day before this

would suggest some alterations and I

would carefully rewrite it during this

operation I would turn to consult a book

of reference which invariably proved

extremely interesting and attractive it

would generally suggest another and

better method of filling in turning this

method over reflectively in my mind I

would finally commence the new method

which I eventually abandoned for the

original plan at this time I would

become convinced that my exhausted

faculties demanded a cigar the operation

of lighting a cigar usually suggested

that a little quiet reflection and

meditation would be of service to me and

I always allowed myself to be guided by

Prudential instincts eventually seated

by my window as before stated melons

asserted himself though our conversation

rarely went further than hello mr. and

ah melons a vagabond instinct we felt in

common implied a communion deeper than

words in this spiritual commingling the

time past often beguiled by gymnastics

on the fan

soare line always with an eye to my

window until dinner was announced and I

found a more practical void required my

attention an unlooked-for incident drew

us in closer relation a seafaring friend

just from a tropical voyage had

presented me with a bunch of bananas

they were not quite ripe and I hung them

before my window to mature in the son of

mcginnises court who’s forcing qualities

were remarkable in the mysteriously

mingled odors of ship and sure which

they diffused throughout my room there

was lingering reminiscence of low

latitudes but even that joy was fleeting

and evanescent they never reached

maturity coming home one day as I turned

the corner of that fashionable

thoroughfare before alluded to I met a

small boy eating a banana there was

nothing remarkable in that but as I

neared mcginnises Court I presently met

another small boy also eating a banana

a third small boy engaged in a like

occupation of true today painful

coincidence upon my mind I leave the

psychological reader to determine the

exact correlation between the

circumstance and the sickening sense of

loss that overcame me on witnessing it I

reached my room the bananas were gone

there was but one that knew of their

existence but one who frequented my

window but one capable of gymnastic

effort to procure them and that was I

blush to say it melons

melons the depredations de spoiled by

larger boys of his ill-gotten booty or

reckless and indiscreetly liberal melons

now a fugitive on some neighborhood

housetop I lit a cigar and drawing my

chair to the window saw it sir crease of

sorrow in the contemplation of the fish

geranium in a few moments something

white passed my window at about the

level of the edge there was no mistaking

that hoary head which now represented to

me only aged iniquity

it was melons that venerable juvenile

hypocrite he affected not to observe me

and would have withdrawn quietly but

that horrible fascination which causes

the murder

to revisit the scene of his crime

impelled him toward my window I smoked

calmly and gazed at him without speaking

he walked several times up and down the

court with a half rigid half belligerent

expression of eye and shoulder intended

to represent the carelessness of

innocence once or twice he stopped and

putting his arms their whole length into

his capacious trousers gazed with some

interest at the additional width they

thus acquired then he whistled these

singular conflicting conditions of John

Brown’s body and soul were at that time

beginning to attract the attention of

youth and Mellon’s performance of that

melody was always remarkable but today

he whistled falsely and shrilly between

his teeth

at last he met my eye he went slightly

but recovered himself and going to the

fence stood for a few moments on his

hands with his bare feet quivering in

the air then he turned toward me and

threw out a conversational preliminary

phase a circus said melons gravely

hanging with his back to the fence and

his arms twisted around the Palin’s a

circus over yonder indicating the

locality with his foot with horses and

horseback riders there is a man what

rides six horses to wanst six horses to

wanst and nary a saddle he paused in

expectation even this equestrian novelty

did not affect me I still kept a fixed

gaze on melons I and he began to tremble

and visibly shrink in his capacious

garment some other desperate means

conversation with melons was always a

desperate means must be resorted to he

recommenced more artfully Deno carrots

I had a faint remembrance of a boy of

that euphonious name with scarlet hair

who was a playmate and persecutor of

melons but I said nothing carrots is a

bad boy killed a policeman waltzed wears

a Dirk knife in his boots saw him today

looking in your windy I felt that this

must end here I rose sternly and

addressed melons melons this

is all irrelevant and impertinent to the

case you took those bananas your

proposition regarding carrots even if I

were inclined to accept it as credible

information does not alter the material

issue you took those bananas the offence

under these statutes of California is a

felony how far carrots may have been

accessory to the fact either before or

after is not my intention at present to

discuss the act is complete your present

conduct shows the animal fur on day 2

have been equally clear by the time I

had finished this exordium melons had

disappeared as I fully expected he never

reappeared the remorse that I have

experienced for the part I had taken in

what I fear may have resulted in his

utter and complete extermination alas he

may not know except through these pages

for I have never seen him since whether

he ran away and went to sea to reappear

at some future day as the most ancient

of mariners or whether he buried himself

completely in his trousers I never shall

know I have read the papers anxiously

for accounts of him I have gone to the

police office in the vain attempt of

identifying him as a lost child but I

never saw him or heard of him since

strange fears have sometimes crossed my

mind that his venerable appearance may

have been actually the result of

senility and that he may have been

gathered peacefully to his fathers in a

green old age I have even had doubts of

his existence and have sometimes thought

that he was providentially and

mysteriously offered to fill the void I

have before alluded to in that hope I

have written these pages

of melons by Bret Harte

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