thieves! I want you to keep away from here."

He had suffered a great deal, some cadets, including Slugger Brown and
Nappy Martell, having at various times robbed him of his cherries, his
strawberries, and some melons. Of these depredations, however, the
Rovers knew nothing.

"Maybe Lacy isn't around," remarked Jack. "He may have gone to town."

They knew that the old man was a bachelor. He had two young men working
for him, and also a woman who came in during the day to do the
housework, but all of these went home at night.

"I see somebody moving around the house now," answered Randy. "It's
Lacy, too!"

"Let's knock on the door and pretend we are young ladies in distress,"
cried Randy. "Come on! I wonder what he'll do?"

"Don't ask him for any money. He won't give you a cent," chuckled Fred.

"Let's tell him some tramps stopped us and that we want him to go out
and fight the fellows," suggested one cadet. "That will show how brave
a man Lacy is. We can take off our masks."

So it was arranged, and in a minute more the boys were all on the front
piazza of the farmhouse ringing the old doorbell. There was a sound
within, and in a moment more Elias Lacy came to the door with a lamp in
one hand.

"What do you want?" he asked in astonishment, when he saw what looked
to be a number of well-dressed girls confronting him.

"Oh, Mr. Lacy, won't you please protect us?" pleaded Randy, in his best
feminine voice.

"Three murderous tramps are after us!" gasped Andy. "Oh, dear! I know I
shall faint!"

"The tramps wanted to rob us!" cried Jack.

"They are just outside your fence," put in Fred. "Please go out and
chase them away."

Elias Lacy was staggered. He placed his lamp on a little table near by,
and looked in wonder at the crowd before him.

"Three tramps, eh? An' goin' to rob you? Why, I never heard of sech a
thing!" he shrilled. "Mebbe I'd better git my gun."

"Oh, yes! yes! Get your gun, by all means! Get your gun! And maybe
you'd better get a sword, too!" cried Randy.

"Yes! Or a knife or a--a--razor," put in Andy.

"Now, now! don't git so excited!" cried the old man, for the boys
insisted upon clinging to his arms and to his shoulders. "Them tramps
ain't goin' to eat you up."

He was short-sighted, and, as the lamplight was poor, he had not
noticed the boys' somewhat crude make-up. He hurried into a room and
came forth presently carrying a shotgun. Then he walked back into his
kitchen.

"Great