The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-10-18
THE MEAN NAN OF new J0PPA.
BY Joseph Edgar ChamberlIn.


said to him. Mean! Why, a man
that will do that is too mean 10 be
hanged"
Barstow hotly charged Smell with
the crime at the postonice.
You girdled my trees last fall
just as the snow came!" Barstow de-
clared. You mean sneak, you,
Probably you suppose cant prose
cute you because / have no proof
against you; but you'll get come up
with You'll get come up with"
When Smell heard this charge, he
looked dumfounded, and then he
grew pale. He was about TO speak
Then he looked long and steadily at
Barstow, and shaking his head. went
away silently.
you scared him, Sias,' said the
postmaster. "IIe didn't have a word
to answer TO you. ! guess he did it. A"
No one supposed that any one
else did it,. The public detestation Of
David Smell was increased hundred
fold.
one day, within a week, as Bars
tow and his family were at breakfast,
they heard the dog Prince barking
furiously outside. Silas went out to
see what was the matter, and Walter
followed close behind him. They
were both astonished to see David
Smell inside their front gate, holding
a great double armful OF thick,
straight withes before him.
Smell was confronting the dog and
eyeing him sharply. The animal,
crouching and barking, did not dare
to leap upon him.
Barstow flew into a rage in an in
stant.
What are you doing here, you
scoundrel?" he shouted at Smell.
Maybe / am scoundrel," Smell
land have come here for
two purposes. One is to prove that
did not girdle your apple trees, and
the other is to save them"
At this last Barstow had a certain
change of feeling. Save girdled
trees" he said incredulously.
Eyes"
"It can't be done"
81 can do it. Meanwhile come
with me. | will show you who
girdled your trees.
Barstow hesitated. lie was angry,
and did not believe word that Smell
had said. But the man had already
started toward the girdled orchard,
and Barstow, Walter and the growl-
ing dog followed, eyeing suspiciously
every move that Smell made.
On the edge of the orchard Smell
threw down his bundle of withes.
Bending over girdled tree, he said
Look closely at this. Don't YOU
see little fine crisscrossing lines
where this girdling is done? What
sort of an AK do you suppose | did
that with? Perhaps YOU don't see
what should YOU say this is?"
lie picked up from the dry grass
round the foot of the tree some wads
and tufts of finer grass.
What do these look like?" he
asked. What do they smell like?"
"A good deal-like-mice nests,
said Walter, slowly.
SO they do" said Smell. Lets
look at some more trees.
lie led the way. The girdled spaces
on all the trees showed the fine mark
ings OF the teeth of mice.
One would not be likely to see
them unless he bent down closely.
Round all the trees were evidences
that the mice. during the very severe
winter that had passed, had nested
there in large numbers, attracted by
the shelter Of the trees and the thick
tufts of grass that had been left
about them.
IF YOU had studied and practised
horticulture as much as have"
Smell went on, you would have kept
your young orchard titled, and would
have hilled up round your trees for
the winter with little hills OF earth,
packed down with the Nat OF hoe.
That would have protected them
from the mice"
Barstow said nothing.
And now," said Smell. "well save
them.
He brought his bundle OF sticks.
In the midst of it he had wrapped up
a pot of grating wax; and out of his
pockets he drew chisel, hammer
and a pruning knife.
Approaching one of the girdled
trees, he took n stick from the bunch
of withes, which were really scious
from his own apple trees, each one
about as thick as his finger, and cut il
into three pieces. Each piece was a
little longer than the width OF the
strip on the tree which the teeth OF
the mice had barred.
81 know what your trees are" said
Smell. There's hardly fruit tree
planted hereabout that don't get
acquainted with sooner or later. The
trees seem rather more friendly with
me than the people, somehow"
Walter WINGED noticeably. His
father said nothing.
And I've cut these strong young
scions from my own trees, which are
good ones" Smell went on. Now you