The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1857-07-15
STEALING WATER MELONS,

A man III country IOWn tuOh great
pleasure in having a 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, trampled down his
flowers, and ''hooked" his choicest fruits.
He tried various ways to protect his
grounds; but his watch-dogs were poison
ed, and set-traps caught nothing but his
fattest fowls and favorite cat.
One afternoon, however just at night
fall, he overheard couple of mischievous
boys talking together, when one of them
said: -
! "What do you say, Joe? Shall we come
the grab over them melons to night? Old
| owipes will be snoring like ten men be-
ffore ! O'Clock" !" -
The other objected as there was high
wall to get over.
"Oh, psbaw!" was the reply; II know
a place where you can get over just as
easy it like book. Come, Joe,
let's go?"
The owner of the melon patch didn't
like the idea of being an caves dropper;
hut the conversation so intimately con-
tcerned his melons, which he had taken SO
much pains to raise, that he kept quiet,
and listened to the young scapegraces SC
i that he might make it somewhat bother
some for them.
/ Ned proposed to get over the wall or
the south side, by the great pear tree, ano
cut directly across to the summer house
) Just north of which were the melons.
Joe was clever fellow, who loved
good fruit exceedingly. and was as obsti
8 nate as an ass. Get him once started tt
do thing, and he would stick to it lik'
mud turtle to negro's toe. The 9th
er didn't care SO much for the melons a
for the fur of getting them
Now hear the owners story:
: ri made needful preparation for tn
: visit; put in brads pretty thick in th
b scantling along the wall where they in
tended to get over; uncovered larg
v water-vat that had been filed for som
9 time, from which in dry weather, I wa
s accustomed to water my garden; dug
! trench foot deep or so, and placed slen
Q der boards over it, which were Slight
!. covered with dirt, and just beyond ther
IS some little cords, fastened tightly, som
IS eight inches from the ground. I pickle
9 all the melons cared to preserve, leavin
y pumpkins and squashes, about the size an
$ shape of melons, in their places!"
It The boys were quite right in supposin
Il it would be dark, but they missed it lii
e tie in inferring that cold Swipes," q
It they called him, would be in bed. Th
e old man liked little fun as well as the,
d and when the time came, from his hidin
D place he listened
} "Whist, Joe! don't you hear some
st thing?' Y s'a y - S. -s,.<
20 I think that it was very probable ths
% Ethey>did, for hardly were the words utte1
3 led, than there came sound of forcib
Of tearing Of fustian.
~ "Get off my coat tall" whispered Jo'
3 "there goes one flap, sure as guns! VIII
II get of, Ned" NV.
8. And Ned was off, and one leg of h
breeches besides; and then he was ah-in
IT. and oh-ing, and telling Joe that he "b
'e. lieved there was nails in the side of tt
wall, for something had scratched hi
tremendously and torn his breeches all
in pieces"
i. Joe sympathized with him, for he sa
'haf his coat was hanging up there som
ID where" -
D. They now started hand in hand, Fl
le Ned believed he "knew the way" Tht
ID had arrived little beyond the trees, wht
10 something went swash! swash! into Il
I'd water vat.
le A sneeze ensued, then the exclamatic
te Thunder! that water smells rather old
ii Ned wanted to go home at once, b
re Joe was too much excited to listen for
= moment to such proposition.
o. Never heard anything about that ci
ne tern before; the old fellow must have fxt