The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-09-09
THE DEACON'S CHERRIES.


Cherries? l should say so! There
no end to 'em-trees are loaded, and
red S burningbush. | was by there
to-day"
1t was an intensely eager voice, and
Davy Kent, the speaker. ended his lit
tile speech with an expressive smack of
the lips.
HE d never missed the few We
take, would he, boys?" That was Ned
Rogers. 1t was upon a straw pile be-
hind Mr.. Rogers barn that the boys
We're holding an earnest consultation.
''Miss 'em? No. not if we took twice
as many as we will"
"A bushel will be enough to treat the
whole crowd, won't it?'
ooh, any amount"
''Now see here, boys'-and Glenn
Goodrich lifted himself into a sitting
posture and knitted his brows thought
fully as he spoke-''I think-isn't this
doesn't it seem a little bit like steal
ing? Don't you suppose he'd give us a
few if we were to ask him? 1t looks to
me-
But right here Clem's mild voice was
drowned in roaring, boisterous
chorus.
Its not stating, me boy" said Con
O'Brien, with the faintest brogue in the
world; Its only helping ourselves to q
few cherries, that otherwise might
spoil for want o the picking, and so be
wasted intirely. And if Dea on Gam
mon don't know it, he'll be none the
wiser, for he's got piles and hapes
more II he can take care of. Ten to
one he'll be obliged to us for helping
him out a little-he isn't a bad old
gintleman at heart, you know. And
ii S for the fun Of it as well as the ating
we take EN-, that the truth"
$50 It's echoed good many of the
boys.
As for Glenn, he gazed into Con- $
serious face doubtfuIly, yet, it must be
confessed, very will ing to be convinced.
81 suppose you know best" said he
''you fellows that have lived here all
your lives"
"Of course" laughed Jerry Parker
"Why, my father says he always plants
an extra melon seed for us boys as well
as for the bugs"
SO they reasoned away their doubts
and made their plans; and somehow,
before the little party broke up, each
boy had pretty nearly succeeded in
persuading himself that he would be
dong the Deacon a favor by helping
him make away with Il small portion OF
his fruit All the same. Ned Rogers
couldn resist little feeling of guilt
not unmingled with dread, when his
father said at the lea table that evening:
II wonder what Deacon Cannon
thought OF that NOW of early-cut tim
othy? He was up to look at it this aft
ernOOn."
Nobody could tell what the Deacon
thought of the hay, for nobody had seen
him. But Ned was thinking that he
would give something to know just at
what time in the afternoon the Deacon
came to look at that haymow.
That was what he said to his friends
when they met next night all ready for
the proposed raid on the Deacon cher
ries. There were not few blank faces
in the little crowd when he told his story.
He might have heard us if he was
there when we were talking" said Ned,
beating lively tattoo on the bottom of
his basket, Il don't say he did, but he
might
"Oh, pshaw!" exclaimed Con
O'Brien. The Deacon deaf a little,
and l don't believe he could hear what
we were a-saying. Why didn't you &C
round, me boy, to the straw hape,
and see if you could hear yourself into
the bar-rn?"
A shout went up at that, which, to be
sure, was exactly what Con wanted,
since there is nothing better than q
iolly-soundng laugh to put a boy on
good terms with himself and everybody
else.
Its all right, said he. "Come on
now, and don't you be AFRAID o
nothin'."
Not boy among them was afraid; but
a good many OF them couldn' keep theil
hearts from Tutoring in a very queer
way when they came, with their baskets
and bags, to the gap in Deacon Gam.
mons orchard wall The orchard was
ncar the house, and the cherry-tree,
were scattered about among the apple.
trees in hap-hazard fashion. The
house looked dark and still
otis Just as | told you," whispered
Con OBrien, triumphantly. 1.-The
Deacon and his wife have gone tc
prayer-mating, and the coast is clear
'Rah for we! Look at 'em, me boysn'
They did more than look at the
great, delicious, clustering cherries
hanging from boughs which bent low
down with their weight. They pulled
them by handfuls,' and bags and basket,
were rapidly filled.
"But there don't look to be any less
N there was when we begun" sale
Con, with merry chuckle. Now
boys, isn't this a big help to the ole
gintlemanP He'd niver get away will
'em alone, sure"
There was no sound except the voices
of the frogs in the marsh under the hill
while the work went brskly or. 1t wa.
when the boys were nearly ready t,
leave that they heard voice in tn,
direction of the Deacon's domicile:
Il don't know, but I'll walk out ant
see."