fed the
horses, then returned. As he went back through the wood-house, he
stopped on the walk beside the high tier of wood on which Addison lay.
After listening and looking about him, he removed the block of wood,
took out a fine pippin from his hoard, and carefully replaced the
block.

This amused Ad so greatly that he nearly shook the tier of wood down in
his efforts to repress laughter, and after the old gentleman had gone
into the house, he came tiptoeing out into the stable to tell me, with
much elation, what he had seen.

During the forenoon we examined the hoard and told the girls about it.
We arranged to rob both the old folks' hoards late that evening, and
fill our own with the plunder. To emphasize the exploit, we agreed to
take some of the largest apples to the breakfast-table next morning. We
fancied that when the old folks saw those apples, and found out where we
got them, they would think there were young people living nearly as
bright as those of fifty years ago.

Theodora did not really promise that she would assist in the scheme, but
she laughed a good deal over it, and seemed to concur with the rest of
us.

That evening as soon as the old folks had retired and the house had
become quiet, Addison and I cleared out the Old Squire's preserve; and,
meantime, Ellen and Theodora had slipped down-stairs into the
sitting-room and emptied Gram's hoard in the yarn cupboard. We met out
in the garden and divided the spoils; then not liking to trust each
other to go directly to our respective hoards, we deposited our shares
of the plunder in three different boxes in the wagon-house, and looked
forward with no little zest to the fun next morning at the
breakfast-table.

But on visiting the boxes next morning, they were all empty! Some one
had made a clean sweep. Not an apple was left in them! Addison and I
were astounded when we compared notes a few minutes before breakfast.
"Who on earth could have done it?" he whispered, after he found out that
I was not the traitor.

We hurried to the wood-house and peeped into the Old Squire's
hoarding-place. It was brimful of apples! A light began to dawn upon us.
Had the old gentleman watched our performance on the previous evening
and outwitted us all? It looked so, for on going in to breakfast, there
beside the plates of each of the old folks stood a great nappy dish,
heaped full of choice Pippins and Sweets! Addison stole a look around
and then dropped his eyes; I