The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-11-07
A Boys WATERMELON APOLOGY.

A BOYS WATERMELON APOLOGY.
Talking about apologies, said Will
Van Leaf, "did ever tell you about
my watermelon apologyP"
You never told me" replied Ned
Morningstar. 'You may have told some
of the other fellows"
"You never told me-" chorused the
"othcr fellows"
"Come to think, might have known
1 hadn't" said Will, "'cause I've only
been back to school three days, and in
those three days you fellows have
scarcely given me a chance to get a
word in edgeways,' as my grand
mother says; you We had so much to say
yourselves"
1t was a fine day in October. School
was Just out and the boys were linger-
ing on the school-house steps. They
had been listening attentively-witht the
exception of VIII Van Leaf, who list
ened impatiently-to something Frank
Smith was telling them, when at last
VIII found an opportunity of intro
ducing his story of the season. He had
not returned to school until a month
after the fall term began. and since his
return, though he had been fairly in
ton adventures and fun, he himself, to
quote his own quotation, had scarcely
found a chance to get in a word edge
ways" But now his chance came in
this way: Frank Smith, describing a
wonderful squirrel he had seen in the
woods one day, declared its tail was
four feet long. /" refuse to believe il, :"
said Ned, Morningstar. 81 never saw
nor invented squirrel with a tail
longer than three feet and half, and
I'll bet I've seen and invented more
squirrels than ever you have"
"Ah, ha! so you accuse me of false
hood, said Frank Smith, placing his
hat on the extrt me back of his head
and throwing himself into a fighting
attitude, land that is something my
proud spirit can not and will not stand.
So come on, or make an apology"
Then it was that VIII Van Leaf said:
''Talking about apologies, did I ever
tellyou about my watermelon apology?"
And receiving a unanimous negative,
followed by unanimous request to ego
on" he went on: Well, You know,
our folks spent most OF last summer at
Uncle Johns; he owns big farm ON
Staten Island. and there was lot of
boys boarding up on the hill at Widow
Pratt's, and OF course 1 soon got ac-
quainted with 'em. And didn't we
have jolly times, boating and swimming,
and playing ball, and acting theatricals,
all made up by yourselves; you beti
''Well. just halfway between Uncle
Johns and the boarding-house was old
Bartholomew's place. old Bear most
everybody called him behind his back,
cause he had such shaggy hair and eye
brows, and growled instead of speak
ing, and was so awfully ugly in every
way. And he had the biggest water
melon patch for miles around. And
one day three or four of the hill chaps
and me-
Sand l." corrected Ned Rowe, called
by his comrades s.Grammar Ned"
"Oh, botherr' said Will; ''let me 90
on with my story in my own way,
Grammar Ned; you can save up the
mistakes and give 'em to me when Pm
through" but he accepted the correc-
ton all the same
''Well, three or four of the hill chaps
and were standing one morning peep
ing through a crack in the fence at Old
Bears watermelons, and OH we did
feel such longing for 'em, they were
so jolly ripe and fat, when along came
Serious Dick >"
who was Serious DickP'" asked
Frank Smith.
ga fellow bout sixteen years old,
who worked for Uncle John, and ALWAYS
looked and talked as though he was
preaching" explained Win. well,
be came along and he stopped and
peeped through the crack in the fence,
too, and then he says very solemn:
.Ain't them beautiesr Don't YOU cor
rect again, Grammar Ned Dick said
'them,' I didn't .Ain't them beauties
says he, and there's dozen of 'em SO
ripe they're ready to burst and ought
TO be picked this minute They won't
be no good in day or two. And won't
1t be sin and shame to see 'em a
rotting, for Old Bear don't go to market
till day after tomorrow, and he
wouldn't give one away, no, nor sell
one to anybody round here, no matter
what happened. say, boys, says he,
4 wouldn't blame you bit if you bor-
rowed few of them melons tonight.
If you do, save me one. and I'll do as
much for you sometime or other and
then he winked and walked of, looking as
serious as ever. Well, that set the ball
a-rolling, and we boys talked it over
Nh0 oSASO0 bhhS IL WOutU Dc u SDdID6 10
let those melons rot on the vines, and
so that night we pried board off the
fence and crawled in and borrowed a
dozen of 'em. Eleven of 'em we ate on
the spot, and the twelfth we saved for
Serious Dick. / carried it homeopathy
heavy 1t was, too-and slowed it away
In the corner of the barn under the hay.
And the next afternoonI didn't see
him before cause he'd gone to New
York with load of cabbages-I saw
Serious Dick going into the barn and 1
ran out and whispered to him: Your
melons In there in one corner under
the hay But Dick started back and
rolled up his eyes, and acted as though
be was half scared to death. And, says
he. let it stay there. wouldn't touch
It for nothing Why, what's the mat
ter? says /. There's a dreadful row
bout them melons, says Dick, speak.
ing very slow and deep. "a dreadful
row. Old Bears missed 'em, and he
swears they was the choicest of the lot,
and he marked 'em himself, cause they
was to be sold this VERY day for a dol
lar apiece. And he says, in langwidge
lt would make your blood run cold to
hear, that he'll find and punish the
thieves if it costs him t-w-e-n-t-y dol |
lars.'
Good graciousi' says /, feeling my
self turn white; how do you knowP'
".Met the constable a-looking for |
EN- as L come along the road from
York said nioH aOlf daa- -.