266 CHILDREN'S BOOK FOR SABBATH HOURS.

tape, boys," said the Squire, laughing. plums in their baskets, to make it seem
"That's mine. You're welcome to ran- more real.
sack the whole orchard, letting alone Suddenly Dick Ryder sung out,
those few choice trees." "There's three of them big yaller
 How they ate, and ran, and played! peaches in Tom Harris's basket,-sure
and played, and ran, and ate talking and as you're alive."
laughing all the while; stopping, now Dick never thought of his grammar,
and then, to look at the "forbidden fruit except when the book was in his hand.
-mostly enormous green pears and rare There was a rush to the big stone
varieties of plums, but one tree of large where Tom Harris was sitting, and a
yellow peaches, that made the boys' dozen hands had hold of the basket,
mouths water, even while their hands before he had time to turn around.
were full of soft, mellow, rosy-cheeked There was no mistaking the big yaller
ones, smaller, to be sure, but sweet and peaches." Tom had certainly meddled
juicy as it is possible for peaches to be. with the "red tape."
 "One couldn't help looking, Will Sneak Thief! Mean fellow!"
Terry said, but nobody'd be so mean "Contemptible!" Piggish !" and simi-
as to touch, after all the Squire'd done." lar epithets pelted down upon poor Tom,
 The sun, meanwhile, rolled steadily who sat speechless.
over toward the west; the boys declared Where d'you get 'em ? Come, own
he had never traveled so fast, an after- up," said Will Terry.
noon before, in all his life; and as if he "I-I-what's three, when he had a
heard the insinuation, and thought it whole tree full ?" stammered Tom.
more than half true, his great, round face What's a fellow's honor and honesty,
laughed out into the brightest, yellowest when he's been filled jam full of goodies-
sunset ever seen, and then dropped out running over-and a basketful besides ?"
of sight with a sudden rush, that left the cried two or three voices at once.
world in a stillness of surprise, through "Shame on him Let's empty his bas-
which the crickets chirped and the frogs ket; he don't deserve to have any fruit,"
peeped, and the boys quieted down to said Will, who was always the one to
bid their kind friends good-by, and march lead off.
wearily back to the school-house grounds, They made quick work of it, and dis-
where they were to disband, covered at the bottom, three pieces of
 They were not in a hurry to separate sponge-cake. How they hissed !
after the tutor left them ; it was so pleas- He ate six pieces I saw him," said
ant out there in the twilight, with the Dick.
moon coming up; so they ran and frol- "There -there -was plenty of it,"
icked, or sat still and talked everything whined Tom, rubbing both fists into his
over, handling the luscious pears and eyes.