Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-09-26
the room. They did not, however, so he
| cleared his throat and began:

cleared his throat ana began:
"Mr. Applegate," he said, plunging. a
once to the bottom of the matter, "we've
come to tell you that we stole your heifer.' ,
"Ha! so you are the thieves, be ye?" he
exclaimed, quite fiercely; and Teddy be-
gan to whimper and dig his fists into hls
"Yes, SIR" said Jack, firmly, 1--WE stole
her;" and then he told the whole story
from beginning to end.
By the time he had finished, Charley ano
I were crying little as well as Teddy
but Jacks nerves were firm.
swell, said Farmer Applegate, looking
at us sternly, 'now you're ready to 60 tt
Jail, I s'pose~ ,
Farmer Applegate scowled horribly, ano
then, after q moment, said: "Your ms
was good woman, Jack"
II know it, SIR" Jack answered, his
voice trembling little. -.
"How do yer 'spose she'd feel if she
knowed yer was goin' to jail?'
"I-I don't know, sir" sobbed Jack
"I-I don't think she'd li-like it."
IT kno,u she wouldn't" cried the far.
mer, slapping his knee emphatically, land
for her sake, boys, and because you've
been brave enough to come and tell me
about the heifer, I'll forgive yer this time
and won't send yer to jail"
We could scarcely believe what we
heard Farmer Applegate forgive US
This was an unexpected mercy. We
stopped crying, and began to feel that he
might not be so mean and hateful as we
had:always thought him.
eyer thought I was mean to break down
yer dam, did yer ?" he asked. "Wall, I'll
tell yer why I done it. Yer see, if yel
dam up that 'ere ditch the water'll cover
nigh unto most all my bayfield, and kill
the grass-roots. So, yer see, l couldn't
low that no way. Now, ef yer'll promise
me yer won't try ter make no more dams
on my land, I won't say nothin' bout thai
heifer at ALL"
We promised willingly, only too glad to
get out of the scrape so easily. We moved
toward the door, when he stopped US.
'Hold on!" he cried. II don't s'pose
you've got an idee where the critter is,
have yer? kind O. hate to lose her."
No, we told him, we didn't have the
least idea; we had hunted everywhere fol-
her, but could not find her. Again we
moved toward the door, and again ne
stopped us. ,,,xu,,
Wouldn't yer like some apples?"
We boys made it principle never to
refuse anything we could eat, and, more
over, we knew what fine apples the far
mer's trees bore, as we had frequently
sampled them when no one was in sight
so accepted his offer as gracefully as posi-
Bile under the circumstances.
Cali right" he said; "go on out to the
barn. I guess you'll find Mike there, and
he'll give 'em to yer"
Mike was not to be found; so opening
the barn-door ourselves, we went in, and
almost the first thing we saw Was-the
heifer! I think she knew us, for she gave
'Moe!" as much as to say, "HoW are
you boys? you see Pm back again."
We made sure it was really she, and
then, forgetting all about the apples, start
ed for the house.
We burst into the sitting-room like a
small tornado, all talking at once.
"She's there !'-"The heifer"-"When
did you"--"In the"--"isn't lost""barn"--
"get her"-is the way our announcement
must have sounded.
Then we stopped, and Jack asked :
"How longs she been back" ~
- Little more n alweek, answered Far-
mer Applegate, laughing heartily at our
excitement. :.
His wife and Miss Mary were laughing,
too. -.--..-.- ....E
"Why," exclaimed Jack, "we only took
her week last Friday!"
They all laughed more than ever, and
the farmer finally managed to say II
know't, I know't, and got her back a
week last Friday"
Then he went on to tell US that, on the
day we took the heifer, Mrs. Applegate
and Miss Mary were out in the woods
gathering roots and herbs, and had seen
US going away with her. They had sus.
pected that we were up to some mischief
and followed us, and after we had left the
cave took the heifer back home again.
Then Farmer Applegate had told them
not to say anything, and he would shut
the heifer up in the barn so that we might
not know what had become of her. Then
he gave Mr.. Emmons few hints that had
drawn out the sermon on stealing. So m.
suspicious of Charley were wrong after all.
After everything had been explained
we went out to the barn again, and, hay
ing secured our apples and fondled the
heifer for few moments, we started for
home.
four boys were good friends, but Jack was
plainly his favorite. We Kept our prom.
ise, and did not attempt to dam up the
brook again, and besides that, we stopped
calling him Old Pepper-Sauce, and always
felt like defending the farmer if we heard
any one else giving him that name.
Two years later Farmer Applegate died
and when his will was read, it was found
that there was codicil, by which he left
US four boys, much to everybody's surprise
as we'll as our own, the Jersey heifer, now
grown to fine cow, ''as token of my
esteem," the will said, (which they gain
ed by once bravely and manfully acknowl-
edging that they had done wrongful
Winthrop Patten, in Youths Companion.