Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-06-11
STEALING wATER.M MELONS.

SIEALiNG WATER.MELONS.
A man in a country town took great pleasure
In having neat garden. He had all kinds of
vegetables and fruits earlier than his neiehbors.
but thieying boys in the neighborhood annoyed
him damaged his trees, trampled down his
! flowers, and " hooked his choicest fruits. He
tried various ways to protect his grounds but
his watch-dogs were poisoned, and set-traps
caught nothing but his fattest fowls and fayorite
cat
One afternoon. however, lust at nirbtfsu he
overheard couple of mischevous boys talking
together, when one of them said
What DO you say, Joe? Shall we come the
grab over them melons tonight? Old Swipes
will be snoring like ten men before II O'Clock -
The other objected as there was high wall to
get over
"Oh, pshaw!'' was the reply; "I know a
place where you can get over just as easy
know it like book. Come, Joe, let's 90 ?n .
The owner of the melon patch didn't like the
tdea OF being an eaves-dropper; but the con-
versation 30 intimately concerned his melons,
which he had taken 50 much pains to raise,
tnat ne Kept quiet, and listened to the plans of
!ne young scapeyraces, so that he might make
II somewhat bothersome for them
Ned proposed to get over the wall on the
south side, by the great pear tree, and cut di
rectly across to the summer house, lust north
of which were the melons
Joe was clever fellow, who loved good fruit
exceedingly, and was as obstinate as an ass.
uet MN once started to do thing, and he
would stick to it like q mud: turtle TO ne..ro's
toe: The other didn't care so much for the
melons as for the fun of getting them
Now hear the owners Story
made needful preparation for the visit .
put In brads pretty thick in the scantling along
the wall where they intended to get over; un7
covered large water-vat that had been filed
Tor some time, from which, in ary weather. I
was accustomed to water my garden: ding a
trench foot deep or so, and placed slender
boards over 1T, 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 cared to
preserve, leaving pumkins and squashes, about
the size and shape of melons, in their places -
The boys were quite right in supposing it
would be dark, but they missed il a little in in.
ferring that ''0ld Swipes, +" rs 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 %
think that it was very probable that thew
did, for hardly were the words uttered. than
there came sound Of forcible tearing Of fus-
tian.
Get off my coat tail 20 whispered Joe " there
goes one flap, sure as guns, Why, get off, Ned. {"
And Ned was of, and one leg of his breeches
besides and then he was ah-ing and oh-ing, and
the side Of the wall, for something had scratch
ed him tremendously and torn his breeehes all
to pieces"
Joe sympathized with him, for he said half
his coat was hanging up there somewhere.
They now started hand in hand, for Ned be-
heyed he IL knew the way" They had arrived
niue beyond the trees, when something went
swash : swash into the water-vat
sneeze ensued, then the exclamation :.
Thunder that water smells rather old"
Ned wanted TO go home at once, but Joe was
too much excited 10 listen for a moment to such
proposition.
Never heard anything about that cistern
before; the old fellow must have fixed it on
purpose to drown people in. Curious, thoupb
that We should both fall in it''
They pushed on again for the melons Pres
entity they were caught by the cords, and head
long they went into heap of briars and this
ties, and the like, which had been placed there
for their express accommodation.
Such gettin' up stairs ~ muttered one.
"Nettles and thistles how they prick :" ex-
claimed the other.
They now determined to go more cautiously.
At length they arrived at the patch
How thick they are, Joe Come here?
There's more than dozen fat ones right here,"
And down they sat in the midst of them, and
seemed to conclude that they were amply re-
warded for all their mishaps
eoiu -Nou, take tnlS musk
melon; isn't it a rouser, Slash into it,
1t cuts tremendous hard, Ned Ned it's a
squash"
=. No it isn't, tell you; it's new kind-Old
Swipes sent to Rhode Island for the seed last
spring"
Well, then, all I've got to say, is that the
old fellow got sucked in-that's all.''
IN going to gouge into the water-melons ::
hallo there goes half dollar. I've broke
my knife. If didn't know that it was water.
melon, should say it was pumpkin. Fact is,
/ believe il is pumkin'
What the boys did besides, while the owner
went to the stable and unmuzzled the dog, and
led him into the garden, he couldn't say; that
they took long steps, the onion and flower beds
revealed in the morning.
They paid pretty dear for the whistle They
had not tasted a single melon; they had got
scratched, and torn their clothes; were as wet
as drowned rats, and half scared out Of their
wits at the ravenous dog, and the apprehension
Of being discovered
Ihe next night the owner of the melon patch
invited all the boys of the village. Including
Ned and Joe, to feast of melons. on the prin.
ciple OF returning good for evil" This cir
cumstance changed the boys opinion of " Old
Swipes," and his melons were never disturbed
again.
ID A great sale Of tobacco took place I'm Pc
teTsburg, Va, on Thursday E,st The prices OBJ
tanned were unusually high. One hogshead
brought sass, or S37 IS per 10U pounds and Others
4 a ~, \ 49,