Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1883-11-01

".Met the constable shocking fol-
'em as 1 come along the road from
York, said Dicks 1Oh! dear, what
shah we dol says I. 4 haven't got !
cent, and don t believe the other fell
lows have either. If we had we might
pay him for EN-; but we spent all our
money last Saturday, cause we ex-
pected to GO back TO school so soon.'
Z" Guess you won t go back to school
for week or two,' says Dick, getting
solemner and solemner every minute;
''fraid you'll spend that much time in
the lookup. a80yEge urs Ho9ss
"'Is there no way of getting out of the
scrape without telling my mother about
it, says I. Il dor want to tell her.
She'd feel 50 awful. bad-though she d
get me out of it somehow, know. Boys
mothers always do. You ought 70 help
u.s. says |, ''cause you were the first
one to speak about taking the melons
! Speaking and taking's two different
things, says he. But if you want my
advice, I'm willing to give it to you.
P'rhaps the old man isn't such a bear
as he looks, Most folks amt 'zactly
what they looks, and if l was you boys
I'd 90 TO him and make handsome
apology, and L shouldn't wonder if he
let yot of.
well, l didn't stop for any more adj
vice, but hurried as fast as l could to
the house on the hill. where l knew the
other fellows were at dinner, and gave
one signal shout and pretty soon they
came out with their mouthsfull. Hobo
Berry, he had his pie in his hand, and
he offered me bite. but l didn't feel
like pie just then neither did he, MOI
any of the rest of 'em when told about
the constable and the lookup. They
all looked as serious as Serious Dick
then, and some of 'em were for saying
right up and down that we hadn't been
near the watermelon patch for weeks.
But says l, 4 for one amt going
to tell any lies about it. We stole the
watermelons, and that's bad enough
without living about it, and | propose
that we own up and make an apology
to old mean to Mr.. Bartholomew
81 second the notion Ted Higgins
chips in. But who's going to do the
talking? We can't speak all together.
like the chaps in the primary. i,
".Ill do it, says 1. for knowing
Uncle John SO long perhaps he'll take
it better from me. And it better be
done at once. | saw the cd man in
the patch rs came along. So, fall in
right about face-march!'
And off we marched brave enough
until we came in sight of Old Bear and
his men loading a big truck with melons
for market Then our knees began to
wobble, and Hobe Berry he whispered:
Lets cut and run. But kept right
on and the rest followed until we stood
in front of the old man, and began:
Mr.. Bartholomew
"'Heyn he shouted so loud and
fierce that l fell back on Ted Higgins
sore foot and he yelled fit to be heard
mile, and | felt sorry hadp't cut and
run when Hobe Berry wanted me to,
but it was too late then, and So went
on, I'VE boys. are very sorry 'Te took
those watermelons last night, and we've
come to ask you to forgive us, and to
let us pay for 'em as soon as we can
Stole some of my watermelOns,
says he, when was through
That's the first l knowed about Il.
But you We come just in time with your
'pology. Off with your Jackets and help
load up. That's the kind of pay I'll
take.
"And we did help load up until Our
arms and backs achel oh. how they
did ache-and don't believe there was
a tirederlot of -fel lows anywhere When
Old Bear let us put our jackets on again.
And after we'd got EN- on and was
wiping the Precipitation from our heated
brows-that's like they say in printed
stories-'long comes Serious Dick.
''' thought it would be all right
says he, and so j ate the watermelon
you kindly left for me, and 1 found it
VERY cool and refreshing. "-Mayga,'e1
Eytinge, in Detroit Free Press.