26 EARLY LIFE 



plain sailing. The rope was secured, dropped in- 

 side, and a run made for the melon patch. Four 

 were broken, there was a hurried retreat to the 

 tree, in the branches of which one of us always 

 kept watch, and was also ready to help in hand- 

 ing the melons over. We had been very success- 

 ful and escaped detection the first two nights, 

 but in the interval the gardener had discovered 

 where we had entered, and so he and the doctor 

 lay in wait for us. It was my time to lead that 

 third time, together with Alexander L. (two 

 Alexanders). We got in as usual and were just 

 breaking off the melons when a sharp whistle was 

 heard, and looking up we saw two men coming 

 along the western wall. Our line of retreat was 

 thus cut off. The east side, however, was appar- 

 ently clear, so taking to our heels we fairly flew 

 over the ground, when suddenly, my goodness! 

 what was that ? We had both been tripped and 

 come down head foremost. We were up and off 

 in a second, only to come down again. By this 

 time the gardener was upon us and the game was 

 up. All the alleys of the east side had been staked 

 over with clothes' lines about a foot high. The 

 old Doctor had been a boy at one time, and had 

 guessed exactly how we would act. 



"What are you boys doing in my garden?" 

 was his first greeting. "Young folks like you 

 should be in bed at this hour." (It was about 10 

 p.m.) "What do you want? Who are you?" 



