he failed to note the approach
of a man from the road. And when, all at once, a big hand closed upon
his coat collar, he was so surprised and gave such a jump that he would
have lost his balance and gone into the stream, if the hand had not held
him fast. Squirming about, in the firm grasp of the person who held him,
Tim turned and faced Colonel Witham.

"Well, I reckon I've got yer," was Colonel Witham's comment. "No use in
your trying to wriggle away."

The fact was quite evident, and Tim's face clouded.

"I haven't done anything to hurt," he said. "Lemme go."

"Who said you had," replied Colonel Witham, grimly. "I didn't say you
had--and I didn't say you hadn't. I wouldn't take chances on saying that
you hadn't done a whole lot of things you oughtn't to. You've got to
come along with me, though. I'm not going to hurt yer. You needn't be
scared."

He changed his grip on the boy, from the latter's collar to one wrist,
which he held firmly.

"Pick up your stuff," he said, "and come along with me. No use jumping
that way. I've got you, all right."

Little Tim, thinking over his sins, reached down and picked up the can
of bait.

"I haven't done anything to hurt," he repeated.

"Hm!" exclaimed the colonel. "Reckon you've done a lot of things to
hurt, if people only knew it. Here, I'll take that can. You carry your
pole. Now come along."

"What for?" asked Tim, obeying the colonel's command to "come along"
with him.

"I'll show you what I want," replied Colonel Witham. "You know well
enough, I guess, without any of my telling. Oh, I know you'll say you
don't; but I don't care anything about that. Just come along."

They proceeded out to the road, whence they turned and went in the
direction of the inn. Tim thought of the pumpkin, and his heart sank. He
was going to "catch it" for that, he thought.

They came up to the flag-staff presently, and Tim repressed a chuckle
with difficulty; for there, as on the night they had sent it aloft, hung
the big pumpkin, grinning down on them both.

"There," said Colonel Witham, "you didn't have any hand in that--oh, no!
You wouldn't do it, of course. You never did nothing to hurt. I know
you. But see here, youngster"--and he gave a twist to Tim's
wrist--"you've got to get it down, do you understand?"

Tim gave a sigh of relief. It wasn't a "whaling," after all.

"Now," continued Colonel Witham, eying him sharply, "perhaps you had a
hand in that, and perhaps you didn'