Year: 1878

1t made no little stir in Cranston
when il was rumored about that Farmer
Waters had been heard to say, in the
presence of some twenty or more per
sons, that whoever he had the good luck
to find meddling with his early fruit,
he would treat in manner not over aud
above palatable No little stir, say.
1T occasioned, because the good people
OF the thriving, populous village all
wanted to learn (as all such good people
do) who the trcspasser upon the grounds
of the richest farmer in the village might
be.


But in vain each man looked into his
neighbor's face for some trace of guilt,
and eyed askance every rollicking
youngster that walked along the street
nothing could be learned of the un-
ruly marauders; till at last the villagers
limited that the wealthy bachelor was
more frightened thar hurt, and that he
only raised the outcry to frighten thieves
away from his premises; that no one
would dare 10 venture through the
plantations, or get within the shadow of
the old, solemn, ghostly looking grange,
for the sake of few early apples.


But there was little mystery about
the affair that the people Of Cranston
could not see through; not that it was
so very deep and profound that it was
proof against all solution on the con-
trary, 1T was the simplest matter in the
world-or would have been, mean, if
they had only known how to solve it. For
that part it was just like any other puzzle.
They could easily conceive the possibility
and probability of n wild set of mis-
chievous urchins, or frolicsome young
men, and even a company of unprin-
cipled vagabonds, disturbing the ouiet
IF the farmers orchard, but further than
that their ideas could not find a gay.
Had they been told in confidence that
on the morning after the depreciation
there were innumerable tracks of tiny.
dainty shoes upon the green turf and
soft, brown soil Of the shrubbery, that
in one place was found a small kid glove.
and in another quite bit of cambric
handkerchief, with the name of the
owner delicately traced upon the corner
had they been told this, ] say, they
would have better understood the quiet
way in which the owner treated
the robbery, and the profound
silence which he kept when the
subject was discussed in his presence.
But they did not know, and 80 they
secuted at the whole affair, or at least as
much as they dare, when the richest and
most honored man in the village was
concerned


But, one day, when the little wonder
had quite died out Of the village.
To those who kIew "the signs
of the times" there seemed an
event of some importance brewing. All
day, in the old brick house opposite, the
laughing mischievOus schoolgirls were
knotted together in various places, chat
ting in low, confidential tones. School
over, the merriest of the lot sat down
upon the green turf and bent their bright
heads together and said 80 many funny
things, and made such a number Of
comical suggestions upon the matter
which they were dicussing, that The
whole air rang with their laughter.
Just over the way from the young ladies
academy the stately house Of Mr.. Waters
cleaned out from the plantations and
shrubbery that surrounded it-looking
80 royal and grand, so like some old
ancient castle, with its arching porticos
and snowy turrets, and above all 30
formidable and threatening in its aspect.
that none but n set Of madcap schooI-
girls would have dared plan against It's
peace and quiet


But, from the many roguish glances
and bright suggestive smiles that were
directed toward il during the day. IL
was quite evident that the old mansion
and its grounds were the subject Of their
thoughts and plans. At night the ques-
tion was proved beyond doubt for
when the village was still and quiet, and
the moon sailed clearly up the blue
steep OF the sky, pouring her rain of
sllyery light upon the old grange, a
strange procession Of reckless, merry
lassies stole into the wide, old gate, that
led throUgh the principal avenue of
the. formal old garden to the coveted
orchard.