Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-09-17
Hlisfellaneoms.
stealing Water-MeIons.


A man in country town took great
pleasure in having neat garden. He had
all kinds of vegetables and fruits earlier
than his neighbors, but thieving boys in
the neighborhood annoyed him, damaged
his trees, hampled down his flowers. and
"hooked" his choicest fruits. He tried va
rious ways to protect his grounds; but his
watch dogs were poisoned, and set-traps
caught nothing but his fattest fowls and
favorite cat. n
One afternoon however, just at night
fall, he overheard a couple of mischieveus
boys talking together, when one of them
said: .s
"Wkat do you say, Joe? Shall we
come the grab game over the melons to-
nighta Old Swipes will be snoring like
ten men before IL o'clock"
The other objected, as there was high
wall to get over.
"Oh, psbaw! was The reply; know a
place where you can get over just as easy
know it like book. Come, Joe, let's
go. =
The owner of the melon patch didn't
like the idea of being an caves dropper;
but the conversation so Immediately con-
cerned his melons which he had taken so
much pains to raise, that he kept quiet and
listen'd to the plans of the young scape-
graces, SO that he might make it some what
bothersome for them.
Ned proposed to get over the wall on
the south side by the great pear tree, and
cut directly across to the summer-house,
Iust north of which were the melons.
Joe was clever fellow, who loved good
fruits exceedingly, and was as obstinate as
an ass. Get once started to do thing,
and he would stick to it like a mud-turtle
to a negro's toe. The other didn't care so
much for the melons as for the fun of get
ting them.
Now hear the owners story.
81 made needful preparation for the
visit; put in brads pretty thick in the scant-
ling along the wall where they intended
to get over; uncovered large water vat
which had been filled for some time, from
which, in dry weather, was accustomed
to water my garden; dug trench foot
deep or so, and placed slender boards over
it, which were slightly covered with dirt,
and Just beyond them some little cords,
fastened tightly some eight inches from the
ground. | picked all the melons l wished
to preserve, leaving pumkins and squashes,
about the size and shape of melons, in their
places" sa sl-
The boys were quite right in supposing
it would be dark, but they missed it lit
tie in referring that eOld Sxipes," as they
called him, would be in bed. The old
man liked little fun as well as they, and
when the time came, from his hiding place
he listened:
whist Joe don't you hear something" 2"
think that it was very probable that
they did, for hardly were the words utter
ed, than there came sound of forcible tear
ing of filstian.
SECT off my coat tailw whispered Joe,
"tbere goes one of the flaps as sure as gunsi
Why, get of, Ned"
And Ned was of, and one leg of his
breeches besides; and then he was ah-ing,
oh-ing, and telling Joe that he believed
that there was nails in IL at side of the wall,
for something had scratched him tremend-
ously and torn his breeches all to pieces
Joe sympathized with him, for he said
mali ms coat was hanging up there some
where"
They now started hand-in-hand, for Ned
believed he knew the way.n They bad
arrived a little beyond the trees when
something went swash! swash! into the
water-vat.
a sneeze ensued, then the exclamation
"Thunderl that water smells rather old r
Ned wanted to 60 home at once, but
Joe was too much excited to listen for
moment to such proposition.
aNeyer heard anything about that cis-
tern before; the old fellow must have fixed
it on purpose TO drown people in. Curious,
though, that we should both fall into it.
They pushed on again for the melons.
Presently they were caught by the cords,
and headlong they went into heap Of bri-
srs and thistles, and the like, which had
been placed there for their express accom-