The Holt County sentinel. (Oregon, Mo.) 1883-1980, 1912-01-12
Caught mills
DUN Trap

MT. Luxe Eugprtey WIS nOdCt
| farmer Everything about his estab.
lishmcu' was neat rs waSwork tina,
Is. II WaxwOrk is neat. as We have al.
ways been led to suppose
lie prided himself particularly on
his trim fences and his smooth lawns
and fields with not weed to be seen
| anywhere. l,ui especially he prided
himself on his cantaloupe garden. lie
had laid out the ground with great
care. MANFRED II highly. worked II
deep and mellow. imported the seeds
himself. and planted them with great
care. After the vines were up h.,
had watched them faithfully. killing
the bugs one by one. which Ia the
only way, and getting up an hour
earlier than usual every morning with
this especial purpose In view
Nv and by the melons began to
riprn and Luke was In high spirits.
He had, indeed. a fine lot of then and
1t VAS perhaps quite excusablc in him
10 feel proud Of them. Already ne
had selected one for the minister. one
for Deacon Smallhcad. aud one for
| to u. presented when they were fully
| ripe. and Luke was continually expa.
uating upon the gratitude and delight
with which they would lie received.
Judge Of Luke's dismay when he
| found on going out to inspect his
treasures as usual one morning that
the very identical melons he had So
/ I'D Inr "a
have mentioned we're missing!
With mad haste he searched the
whole grounds. but the best melons
were nowhere to- lie found. lie com.
| pclled his wife and the Two hired men
| and his sons. Jack and George. to Join
In he search. but " was oil az no
| avail.-th" cantaloupes had disappear
ed aud refused to he discovered.
| Luke decided that ~ would M
| thugs ior the thieves ln the first
pllco he set couple OF steel traps IN
The melon patch. and In the next
| place he would II" awake that uipht
| ana II lie heard IN" least sound any
| Vl"r" he would jump out Ol he'd. scil,
hi old musk"t. and pursue the ras
| 'ais
llut. being n rather sleepy man. he
got into such profound nan tina, he
AID not awake uutil day dawn. and
| then when T.. Went Ia his melons he
| ,ulnd thor. were thr,, NOR, gone
| Md the trans were not sprung. either,
| Mr. E,lr,rl,y wus In "A Dir, ud,ul
| state ~! mind all day. hut when night
| ranp he refused ,n 20 10 he'd lie
| was going 10 sit up and watch his mol
| nns So a., cronchcd IN corner nj
| The Ia, behind some curran, bushes
| lrd waited
Nhout ten o'clork A, heard "A
| .,culihy roo,st,p Ru,s,uv himself on
| his elbow he looked around. There
| vna no moan and the stars were faint
Il IN n bozy sky hut sii, there was
l,rht enough 10 show him tail, raun,
figure clad I'm white, doomed M before
! him In IN, dim liphr the iiyur. look
| cd sCpcrnaturally tall, and Luke wns
n do,ouI believer IN ghosts TN. sigh,
of this spccier struck terror to his
| soul
The whit. figure advanced nearer,
| with slow. deliberate stems. MS n II
knew there we're trans set. By and
by II stooped down. pickrd on "A melon.
| mud came straight toward Luke Ter
ror got the better Of our hero Fling
inc away his muskct. he struck "A bcc
| Tin. for the house. right across the
melon vines. an unmindlnl of thc
trans IA an insian, he was last nv
ore foot. and. not realizing what had
nnrprncd and thinking he was in IN.
,'r,rh al the ghost, h. gave ire
| uendous icap forward. and was
| ,nurht Nv ia. other 100, An IN, other
/ iran
10 increase his dismay the succtcr
wns bearing down upon him. with u
| huu, melon under each arm
Luke uttered an uncarthly veil.
which rcnchcd the ears of every
SIrcper in the house and caused ih,
uhnsl to drop the piuuder with a via
| scream of affrighr
1