ion at the old pound.
When I reached the place Jim and Asa--with Addison looking on--had tied
the rogues together, and were haling them up through the orchard.

"Take 'em to the barn, Squire!" Jim shouted. "Shut the big doors, so the
neighbors can't hear 'em holler, and then give it to 'em good!"

"Yes, give it to 'em, Squire!" Asa exclaimed. "They need it."

The old Squire was following after them, cracking his whip, for I
suppose he thought it well to frighten the scamps thoroughly. It was too
dark for me to see Alfred's face or Harvey's, but they had little to
say. The procession moved on to the barn; I rolled the doors open, while
Addison ran to get a lantern. Grandmother and the girls had retired
hastily to the ell piazza, where they stood listening apprehensively.

"Now I am going to give you your choice," the old Squire said. "Shall I
send for the sheriff, or will you take a whipping and promise to stop
stealing fruit?"

Neither Alfred nor Harvey would reply; and the old Squire told Addison
to hitch up Old Sol and fetch Hawkes, the sheriff. The prospect of jail
frightened the boys so much that they said they would take the whipping,
and promise not to steal any more fruit.

"I am sorry to say, Alfred, that I don't wholly trust your word," the
old Squire said. "You have told me falsehoods before. We must have your
promise in writing."

He sent me into the house for paper and pencil, and then set Addison to
write a pledge for the boys to sign. As nearly as I remember, it ran
like this:

"We, the undersigned, Harvey Yeatton and Alfred Batchelder, confess that
we have been robbing gardens and stealing our neighbors' fruit for four
years. We have been caught to-night stealing pears at the old pound. We
have been given our choice of going to jail or taking a whipping and
promising to steal no more in the future. We choose the whipping and the
promise, and we engage to make no complaint and no further trouble about
this for any one."

The old Squire read it over to them and bade them to take notice of what
they were signing. "For if I hear of your stealing fruit again," said
he, "I shall get a warrant and have you arrested for what you have done
to-night. Here are four witnesses ready to testify against you."

Alfred and Harvey put their names to the paper while I held the lantern.

"Now give it to 'em, Squire!" said Jim, when the boys had signed.

From the first Addison and I had had little idea that the o