The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1859-03-03
Stealing Watermelons.

- III :" SO"'o'J NO"AA SSOAN .
pleasure in having neat garden. He
had all kinds Of vegetables and fruits
earlier than his neighbors. But thiev-
ing 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 pris-
oned, and his set traps caught nothing
but his fattest fowls and most favorite
cat.
One afternoon, however, just atnight-
fall, he ovcrhears couple of mischeiv-
Gus boys talking together, when one of
them says:
"What do you say, Joe? Shall we
come the grab over them melons to-
night? Old Swipes will be snoring
like ten men before twelve o'clock"
The other objected, as there was a
high wall to get over.
"Oh, pshawp' was the reply,
know place where you can get over
just as easy"
The owner of the melon-patch didn't
like the idea of being an eaves-drop-
per, but the conversation so intimately
concerned his melons, which he had
taken so much pains to raise, that he
kept quiet, and listened to the plans OF
the young scapegraces, so that he
might make it somewhat 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 just north of which were the
melons.
Joe was clever fellow, who loved
good fruit exceedingly, and was as OBJ
stinate as an ass. Get him once start.
ed to do thing and he would stick to
it like a mud-turtle to negro's toe.
The other didn't care so much for the
melons as for the fun of getting them.
Now hear the owners story.
"I made all needful preparation fol
the visit; drove brads pretty thick into
the scantling along the wall where they
intended to get over; uncovered 9
large water-vat that had been filled fol
some time, from which, in dry weather
was accustomed to water my garden
dug trench a foot deep or so, and
put slender boards over it, which were
slightly covered with dirt, and just be-
yond them some little cords, fastened
| tightly, some eight inches from Tx
ground. l picked all the melons
cared to preserve leaving pumpkins and
squashes, about the shape and size Of
melons, in their places.
The boys were quite right in suppos
i ing that it would be dark, but they
missed it little in inferring that 9. Ole
Swipes," as they called him, would
be in bed:
The old man liked a little fun as well
as they, and when the time came, from
his hiding place he listened:
whist, Joe! don't you hear some
thing?"
| l thing it was very probable he die
for hardly were the words uttered, than
there came sound of forcibly tearing
fustain.
Sect off my coat tail, whispered Joe
There goes one flap, sure as a gun
Why, get off Ned.''
And Ned was of, and one leg of hi:
breeches beside; and then he was "ah"
ing and oh ling, and telling Joe that
he " believed there were nails in the
side of the wall, for something had
scratched him tremendously, and tore
his breeches all to pieces"
Joe sympathized with him, for he
said "half his coat was hanging ur
there somewhere" They now started
hand-in-hand for Ned believed he knew
the way. They had arrived a little be
yond the trees, when something wen,
swash! swash! into the water-vat.
A sneeze ensues, then the exclama
ton:
Thunder! that water smells rather
old.' -
Ned wanted to go home at once, but
Joe was too much excitcd to listen for 6
moment to such proposition.
sNever heard anything about thai
cistern before; the old fellow must have
fixed it on purpose to drown people