fore the cat would realize that
she was being made a fool of. Then she would bounce down from the
fence and race off to the kitchen in a towering rage, and the impudent
youngsters would fly up into the nearest tree top and _ca_ about it
delightedly.

"Then there was the scarecrow, in the middle of the big strawberry
patch down at the foot of the huge garden. It did not scare these two
young rascals, not in the least. It was an excellently made scarecrow,
and did strike terror to the heart of many of the smaller birds. But
its hat was packed with straw, and the imps found it was a pleasant
game pulling the straws out through a couple of holes in the crown, and
strewing them over the strawberry bed. Incidentally, they liked
strawberries, and ate a good many of them as sauce to their ordinary
diet of grubs and mice and chicken feed. And it was this weakness of
theirs for strawberries that led to their misunderstanding with the
Boy, and then with the big rat that lived under the tool shed.

"That strawberry patch was one of the things that the Boy took a
particular interest in. When he saw that the imps also took such an
interest in it, eating the berries instead of the grubs, he began to
get annoyed. From his window, which overlooked the garden, he had seen
what liberties the imps took with the scarecrow, so he realized there
was no help for him in scarecrows. But _something_ must be done, that
he vowed, and done at once, or his strawberries were going to be mighty
scarce. He didn't want to do any real harm to even such a troublesome
pair of birds as the imps, but he was determined to give them a lesson
that might teach them some respect, not only for strawberry patches,
but even for scarecrows.

"On the crown of the scarecrow's old hat, which he had observed to be a
favorite perch of the imps, he arranged a noose of light cord. From
the noose he ran the cord down the scarecrow's single leg (scarecrows,
you know, have usually only one leg), across to the hedge, along the
hedge to the house, and up and into his room. He fixed it so it ran
without a hitch. He was very proud of it altogether. Much pleased
with himself, he got a book and a couple of apples, and seated himself
at his window to wait for his chance.

"As it happened, however, the imps were just then away in the meadow,
hunting mice. For a whole hour the Boy saw no sign of them. Then,
being called away to go on an errand into the village, he ti