The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-03-13
THE saurRE,s MELON PARTY.

4
! then; but being Of a Sangutne tempera-
ment and understanding that worrying
would not accelerate the movement of his
! somewhat stubbornly disposed steed, the
I deacon leaned back in his buggy and sur
| veyed Squire Rogers welI-tilled farm
/ " in the moonlight The corn was fine,
| so was the sorghum, and If the boil worm
/ didn't take to the cotton j. would surely
make two bales to the acre, and the
misunderstanding Squire Rogers might
well feel proud Of his bug, luscious mel
/ ons.
Deacon Pilbury was nearly past the
! farm when he thought he saw something
move in the bushes next to the fence. He
stopped and lOoked-yes, he could plainly
| discern several dusky figures moving
! stealthily in the shadows. He had heard
/ Squire Rogers complain so often that the
| boys stole all his incest melons, so Dea-
con Pilbury promptly alighted, tied Beck
10 the fence and walked over to where
the culprits skulked. with the intention Of
giving them a sound piece of his mind.
Good evening. boys, he said suddenly,
causing three future pillars Of the nation
to start and look very guilty and con-
! fused. You seem to be havin' a good
time he continued good humoredly.
You bet we are! It's bully. Set down
and help us eat the melon, answered
! Fred Simmons. with cordial wave Of his
hand.
mo; thank you
:'Its mighty fine" chimed IN Tom Wig
gins, smacking his lips.
Boys" said the deacon, hardly know
ing how to begin, do you think it's right
TO take Squire Rogers melons this way?
He's raised them for market and stealing
a melon is as dishonest as stealth feed
/ o. corn
Not from Squire Rogers" answered
eli int no inv ~
He's so stingy that If we give him his
dues we'd tote off the whole patch
That's So" agreed the other boys.
! we don't want the uelons-we just steal
EN- cause it hurts him so bad
I admit, boys, that the squire may
be a little close at timeS-I believe he IS;
but he may be, to some extent, eXcus-
able. He hasn't got no big, manly lads
to depend on in his old age, and he's
all there is to provide for his wife and
that little granddaughter. He knows he
can't last long an when he's gone they
won't have nobody to look to. It makes
any man think more about the things o
this world when helpless, innocent bein 8
1 depend on him, an boys, sometimes
wantin' so hard to see them he loves
well cared for makes a man seem little
an stingy."
1--WE never thought about it that way"
said Fred, looking sheepish.
Him an me was boys together" an
swered the deacon, "an he's got good,
honest heart in him"
We'll" said Fred, looking at the other
boys, IF he's got any good at all in him
I'm sorry we stole his melons.
I'VE won't do it no more said Tom.
"Iu tell you, Mr.. PiIbury," said Fred,
you set down an help US eat this melon,
an I'll give you my word, no matter
what Squire Rogers does, we won't never
touch another one"
IT'S a 60" assented the other boys.
Here's my hand on it, said Fred, IAN
I don't never break my word"
Il know it, Fred" reptile the deacon,
cordially shaking the three stick hands
extended to him. An now Wen seal the
compact by eatin' the melon
Wouldn't it be a joke if Squire Rogers
was to catch you stealin' his melons,
said Fred. with a laugh.
Wouldn't 1t be, thought I'd be in such
a pickle myself I'd never stop to lecture
you any more, boys" and the deacon
eyes twinkled with merriment as he
shook his sides with laughter II guess
twould remind him of old times" he
continued, when him an me stole water
melons together"
You see. the squire an me growed up
together. We lived on 'joinin' farms, an
many a time we've plowed all day on
one o. them red clay hills in Georgia
where the sides is so steep that nothin'
but a nAountain goat. steer an bare
footed boy can stick on; an then at night
we'd go coon hunun' down the creek to-
gether, an in the summer sometimes we'd
visit apple orchards and melon patches.
III never forget one frolic of ours.
You see, there was five of US boys that
always went together-Dave Saunders,
Ike Brewer, me an the squire, an his
brother i'll. None of the neighbors ever
cared for the melons we took, but one
year there was q sttngy, old coon moved
into the settlement. an he raved an tore
up all creation when he missed a melon.
an made it so interestin' that we never
ct melon out o nobody elses patch
but his.
well. next year he planted his melons
on hill in the miUdle Of the field, with
corn on one side an cotton on the other.
Then he took a dog an a shotgun an
slept under a tree in the midQle of the
patch. we didn't dare TO venture in, for
we knew he meant business.
well them melons KEEP CROWN an
a-growin' an gettin' julcier all the time.
an Old Man Radshaw was licked to
death at his scheme, an even the melons
looked like they was punchin out their
sides with laughter cause we darent
touch EN-.
"Bein' boys, you can imagine how we
suffered when we rode by that patch, OF
when we met Mr.. Radshaw an he looked
so turrible pleasant We'd just about give
it up, when one mornin' the squire come
over to where I was a-splittin rails, an
told me he'd hit on q plan. We talked
it over, an that night we ali met il the
hickory thicke UP there close TO the
melon patch. we didn have no weapons
but q big cowbeu.
1.-THE moon was shinin' bright as day
an we could see the old mans pallet
plain enough The squire an me kept
watch in the thicket while the other boys
went to attack the enemy on the other
side of the field. BY an by we heard an
old steer, round back of the corndeld. rat
tin his bell Ike he was br0wsin along
in the fence corners. He kept that up
a good while. an then. crash we heard
panel o. rails 90 down. an then another
an another. an the whole bunch o cows
was grain along through Mr. Rad
shaw's juicy corn. He'd heard the noise,
too. as we intended he should. an he
grabbed his gun an started hoilerin' sic
emr an the dog went a-roariu' an
grov+lin Ike mad. Before he got there
we heard the cows runnin' pell nell
through the corn. an then they all went
over the fence at different places. an the
old bel steer led Off IN a trot 10 the
woods.
1T took the old man a good while TO
FIX up the fence. an when he's got back
FIVE Of his biggest melons We're gone. an
we was settin' ont in the Ihtcket nearly
Dustin with laughter. while we talked in
whispers an ct the best melon I ever
tasted
fla. ha ha. Hgrrahi You're right.
Datz. that was the best melon We ever
e'tt~ exclaimed g voice from the bushes
behind them and Squire Rogers. with
gun in his hand stepped ont aHd took
seat beside the deacon He laughed till
the tears rolled down lls cheeks and then