The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1891-04-29

near at hand.
"Good day, sir, said Mr.. Watts ap-
preaching the spot. care you travelling,
sirl"
eyes, sir, " returned the stranger.
al suppose little good fruit must be
cheering such a day as this, especially
when one is weary. Just step this way,
sir. Here are some apples much better
than those" And as he spoke, Watts
picked up his two hands full and ex-
tended them to the traveller.
"You are too generous, sir" ex-
claimed the man, as he thankfully took
the proffered fruit.
80 no, sir, l can never see a person
want for little fruit while have an
abundance. That is one of the greatest
sources of enjoyment my abundance
gives me--to minister to the wants of
others.n
"Then yours must be happy heart"
"I is, sir"
The traveller soon resumed his jour-
ney, and the farmer again turned to his
work.
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 large brook running
by it.
"Watts," said Green, "haven't them
scamps troubled your orchard this sea-
son2"
"What scamps9" quietly asked Watts.
"Why, them fellows that bother me
so."
"No one has troubled me-"
"Well, that's curious. They're romp-
ing around my orchard most every
night. Last night they just about
spoiled one of the best gratis I've got.
l wouldn't have taken 500 for it. o,
just let me catch 'em at it, that's all.
"What would you dol"
"Pd fog 'em within an inch of their
livesl"
"Then don't wonder that they rob
you of your frui;."
"Don't wonder What do you meant"
'T mean simply this: that you are TAX
ing just the course to bring down the re.
venge of these boys upon you"
"And so l suppose you would have
me buy them off-that is, pay them for
not stealing"
go, 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 lying
about on the ground, and it does not ap-
pear like real theft to jump over the
wall and pick few of them up. They
see them lying there exposed to the bugs
and grasshoppers, and l cannot say that
blame person for occasionally picking
up few. 1t is certainly no palpable
loss to us, aud affords great satisfaction
to them. Now, if you are asked for a
few apples and refuse them, or if you
find someone in your orchard merely
picking up few windfalls, and roughly
drive them 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 orchard is a kind of glass
house, and the more roughness you use
TO keep people away from 1t, 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 no
means wickedly inclined, do some very
dangerous things. Now, no one troub-
les me. If any one wants few of my
apples to eat, give them some; for l
have plenty to spare while they are grow
ing and dropping from the trees. take
a great deal of real pleasure, too, in do
ing so, for love to see people happy on
my bounty"
''But some of them pizened my dog"
'I can't say that l wonder at that,
either"
"Well, must say you have some
strange notions of right and wrong"
said Green, in bitter tone.
~ didn't say that l thought it was
right. On the contrary, 1 think it was
very wrong. But then you must Iemem-
Der for what purpose you purchased the
dog, and in what manner you trained
him. l don't wonder that he was killed,
for he has bitten a number of people
since you had him."
Mr.. Green would have made some
further remark, but at that moment his
attention was arrested by the sound of
voices from the path that ran along by
the brook, and thinking that he heard
his own name mentioned, he listened.
"Did you know that some of the boys
broke one of old Green's trees last
nightl" asked one of the unseen takers.
s'No. did theV2n
''Yesj and they walked off with more
than bushel of his best apples, be-
sides"
"Egad, Pm glad of 1.-THE stingy old
curmudgeon. He wouldn't give anybody
an apple to save their life"
"That's George Grey's voice., " NUT
tered Green.
"Ill tell you a circumstance" con
tinued Grey to his companion, both of
whom had stopped upon a little bridge
that spanned the brook back of the sheep
shed. "You remember my brother
Frank2"
ayes"
Sand don't you remember ten years
ago, when he was boy, how he saved
Green's hfe2 Green had got into the
mud-pond, and had already sunk up to
his chin, and every movement he made
to free himself, only sank him deeper
He had oona out unon a loo IN oet a