Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-10-30


the owner was near.
Good day, sir" said Mr.. Watts, ap-
preaching the spot "Are you travel
ing. sir?"
Yes, SIR" returned the stranger.
L suppose little good fruit must be
pleasant such day as this, especially
II one Is weary. just step this way,
sir. Here are some much better than
those" And as he spoke Watts picked
up his two hands full and extended
them to the traveller.
g You are too generous" exclaimed
the man, as he thankfully took the
profered fruit
"Oh, no, sir. can never see a per-
son want for little fruit while have
an abundance. That is one of the
greatest sources of enjoyment my abun-
dance gives me-to minister to the
wants of Others"
"Then yours must be happy heart -
"It is, SIR"
Ihe traveller soon resumed his Jour-
ney. and the farmer again turned to
his work.
Mr.. Watts" cried little voice on
the other side of the wall, "mayn't |
come over and get an apple? ?"
Certainly my little man-just as
many as you want" And so saying
the kind man stepped to the wall aud
assisted the urchin-a boy Of some
twelve years = into the orchard.
" There; now pick some up. Where is
your brother, John?"
"He's plowing, sir"
Then carry a few to him. He will
like them if he is at work.
"Yes sir-an' Ill tell him you sent
'em, sir.''
''Just as you please about that" re-
turned Mr.. Watts, with smile and he
once more resumed his work, and the
boy trotted of with his hat full of ap-
piles.
That evening Watts and Green met
1t was in small shed belonging TO the
former, standing at some distance
from the house, and used in time of
washing sheep, there being a brook
running by it.
Watts" said Green, "haven't them
Internal scamps troubled your orchard
this season."
''What scamps?" quietly asked
Watts.
"why, those fellows that bother me
so."
''No one has troubled me-
swell, that's curious. They're
romping around my orchard almost
every night. Last night they just
spoiled one of the best gratis I've got.
| wouldn't have taken twenty dollars
for it. Oh, jdst let me catch 'em at it,
that's all.''
What would you do?"
"I'd fog 'em within an inch of
their lives"
"Then | don't wonder they rob you
Of your fruit"
"Don't wonder, What do you
mean:"
81 mean simply this: that You are
taking just the course to bring the To-
venge of those boys down upon you. y
"And so, suppose, you would have
me buy them off-that is, pay them for
not stealing?"
"Oh, no, you don't understand me.
You know that these kinds of early
fruit that you and have are great
temptations to the boys-and TO even
quite big boys, too. Now, they see the
apples laying about on the ground, and
it does not appear like real theft TO
iump over the wall and pick few of
them up. They see them laying there
exposed to the bugs and grasshoppers,
and cannot say that | blame a person
for occasionally picking up few. 1t
is certainly no palpable loss to us, and
affords great satisfaction to them. Now,
if YOU are asked for few apples and
refuse them, or if YOU find some one in
YOUR orchard merely picking up few
wind-falls, and roughly drive him out,
YOU may expect they will come when
YOU don't know it, and then feeling
of pique will lead them TO take as many
as they can carry In short. your Or
chard is a kind of glass house, and
the more roughness you use to keep
people away from it, the more liable
YOU are to have it broken. You know
the nature of boys as well AS L do; and
YOU know that harsh language and
blows will make many. who are by nc
means wickedly inclined, do some
pretty dangerous things. Now, nc
one troubles me. If any one wants
few of my apples to eat, L give them
some: for / have plenty to spare while
they are growing and dropping from
the trees. / take great deal of real
Measure. too, in doing so, for L love to
see people happy on my bounty"
"But some of them pizened my
dog"
81 can't say that l wonder at that
either"
"Wen, l must say you have some
strange notions of right and wrong,
said Green, in bitter tone.
II didn't say l thought it was right
On the contrary, l think it was very
wrong. But then you must remember
for what purpose you purchased thu
dog, and in what manner you trained
him. 1 don't wonder that he wa
killed, for he has bitten number o.
people since you had him."
Mr.. Green would have made SOM
further remark, but at that moment nj
attention was arrested by the sound o
voices from the path that ran along bl
the brook, and thinking that he hear'
his own name mentioned, he listened
"Did yeu know that some OF tn
bows broke one of old Green's tree
Hast uight?'' asked one OF the unseel