rther inquired into. Here Dick put in a word,
and begged and prayed his father not to force them to carry the
apples to Price's. But all he got by his begging was such a knock as
had nearly laid him on the earth. "What, you cowardly rascal," said
Giles, "you will go and _'peach_, I suppose, and get your father
sent to jail."

Poor Widow Brown, though her trouble had made her still weaker than
she was, went to church again in the afternoon; indeed she rightly
thought that her being in trouble was a new reason why she ought to
go. During the service she tried with all her might not to think of
her red-streaks, and whenever they would come into her head, she
took up her prayer-book directly, and so she forgot them a little;
and, indeed, she found herself much easier when she came out of the
church than when she went in; an effect so commonly produced by
prayer, that methinks it is a pity people do not try it oftener. Now
it happened, oddly enough, that on that Sunday, of all the Sundays
in the year, the widow should call in to rest a little at Samuel
Price's, to tell over again the lamentable story of the apples, and
to consult with him how the thief might be brought to justice. But
oh, reader! guess, if you can, for I am sure I can not tell you,
what was her surprise, when, on going into Samuel Price's kitchen,
she saw her own red-streaks lying on the window! The apples were of
a sort too remarkable, for color, shape, and size, to be mistaken.
There was not such another tree in the parish. Widow Brown
immediately screamed out, "Alas-a-day! as sure as can be, here are
my red-streaks; I could swear to them in any court." Samuel Price,
who believed his sons to be as honest as himself, was shocked and
troubled at the sight. He knew he had no red-streaks of his own, he
knew there were no apples in the window when he went to church; he
did verily believe these apples to be the widow's. But how came they
there he could not possibly guess. He called for Tom, the only one
of his sons who now lived at home. Tom was at the Sunday School,
which he had never once missed since Mr. Wilson, the minister, had
set up one in the parish. Was such a boy likely to do such a deed?

A crowd was by this time got about Price's door, among which were
Giles and his boys, who had already taken care to spread the news
that Tom Price was the thief. Most people were unwilling to believe
it. His character was very good, but appearances were strongly
a