The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-08-26
,rew. he laughed and said darkiy. "oh.

III
| That was the beginning OF the Ion!
search for willis Murch's good tree.
! First and last we spent hours. days
and, altogether, weeks securing tb'
pastures, fields and clearings. W.
watched Willis constantly In the hope
Of tracking him.
One OF our boy neighbOrs-not one
of the best-named Alfred Bachelder
lay in wait for days together on a hill
overlooking the Murch farm. expecting
TO see Willis set out for the tree. AZ
one time Alfred and another boy.
named Charles Cross. had thoughts OF
| waylaying willis and extorting the
secret from him by threats Of torture.
Willis steered clear OF them, how.
| ever. and remained close mOuthed. He
had grown very crafty. and went TO the
tree by night only. or sometimes early
on Sunday mornings before other peO.
| pie were astir.
| During the August moon OF the sec
| ond season after discovering the tree
| he brought home bushel OF the ap-
| pies on three different occasions by
| night; and he now began canvassing
among the farmers who had orchards
10 sell scions, 10 be delivered I'm May
Of the following spring. After eating
the apples, not a few signed for them
at fifty cents graft
II required fair share Of courage
the tree by night, for the distance
from Wills home was fully two miles;
and at that times bears and lynxes fire.
quentcd the great pasture"
Willis afterward told the other boys
that a bear came out In the path di-
rectly ahead OF him one night, as he
was hurrying home with bushel Of
Wild Rose Sweetings on his shoulder.
The creature shifted. and Wills shout
cd TO frighten IT, He was on the point
Of throwing down his apples, to climb
a tree in haste, when the bear sham
bled away.
Willis seems now to have had great
designs Of selling scions to orchardlsts
and nurserymcn over the whole coun-
try. Only a tiny twig three inches
long is requisite for n scion for graft.
ing into other trees. The Wild Rose
Swccting should produce thousands Of
such sciOns. Wills, who was n Yam
kce lad by ancestry, resolved to pre-
serve the secret Of the tree at all haz-
ards. lie appears 10 have had dreams
Of making a fortune from II.
Thus far no one had been able TO find
the tree, as much from natures own
prccaution in hiding it as from Wills
craft. by the middle OF September
that autumn he had gathered most Of
the apples. when the same chance
which had first led his steps to the
tree revealed IL to the eyes of his enc
mics.
For about that time Alfred Bachcl-
der and Charles CrOss's brother New
man. went fishing up the brook. and in
due course arrived Mt the trout hole
where Willis had sat when he saw the
squirrel. They crcpt up to the hole,
batcd and east In together.
There were no bites Immediately;
squirrel chirr! up among the thick
hemloCks and presently caught the
sound OF low thud on the ground.
soon followed by another and another.
Hes gnawing Off apples" said Al
fred. There's an apple tree i'm there
somewhere"
Then the two cronies glanced at each
other. and the same thought occurred
10 both "WhO knowsr' exclaimed
Newman. "Who knows but what that
may be the tree?"
They stopped fishing and began
searching. They could still hear the
squirrel in the apple tree, and the
sounds guided them to the little dell
among the rocks. There were a few
apples remaining on the tree; and they
no sooner saw them than they knew
that Willis Murch's famous tree was
found at last.
They were so greatly pleased that
they hurrahed and whooped for Joy.
Then they secured what apples were
left. ate all they wanted, and filled
their pockets with the rest. No more
fishing for them that day. They had
intent on thinking how they could most
humliate Willis.
Neither of them knew Of his scheme
to sell scions; hut IL had long provoked
their envy TO see him pcddling Wild
Rose Sweetings at the fair for fou1
cents APIECE. They would find hin'
now and thrust pink checked apple
under his nose.
But that would not be half satisfac-
ton enough. They wanted to cut him
of from his tree forever, to put it out
! of his power ever to get another apple
from IL. Nothing less would appcase
the grudge they bore him.
And what those two malicious
youths did was to take their jackknives
aud girdle that Wild Rose Swccting
tree close to the ground. They went
clear round the tree. cutting away the
| bark into the sapwood; and not con-
tent with girdling il once. they went
around II three fines in different
places.
That done. they went home in great
glee, thrust the apples in Willis face
and bade him look to his good tree
I'VE have found your tree. old Cuff
fy!' they cried TO him. you never
will get any more apples Oft that trcel'
Beyond doubt Willis was chagrined.
He did not know that they had girdled
the tree, hut hc thought it not worth
| while to go up there again that fall,