ich, as it stood very near the dwelling-house of the owner of
the orchard, these boys had been afraid to climb. Now having Frank
Lawless in their power, they thought of making him, in the dusk of the
evening, commit the theft and run all the hazard, while they stayed in
safety by the hedge, ready to receive the stolen fruit. Frank, dreading
what might happen to him in the daring attempt, begged and prayed them
not to force him there; but he had made himself a slave to hard
task-masters, and they cuffed and kicked him, till, to escape from their
hands, he climbed the tree.

Scarcely had Frank pulled half-a-dozen pears, when his false friends
heard the farmer who owned the orchard come singing up the lane: and, to
save themselves from being thought to have any concern with it, they
began to pelt Frank with stones, and cry aloud--'_See, see, there is a
boy robbing Farmer Wright's pear-tree._' Frank got down as quickly as he
could, but not soon enough to escape the angry farmer, who gave him a
most severe horse-whipping, while those who had brought him into this
sad scrape stood laughing, hooting, and clapping their hands. It was
useless to try to excuse himself; he had been seen in the tree, the
pears were found in his pocket, and the farmer, after whipping him
without mercy, pushed him out of the orchard and bade him be gone.

Smarting now with pain, and almost blinded by his tears, he ran to get
away from the false and cruel boys who were making sport of what they
had caused him to suffer, when one, still more wicked than the rest,
threw a great stone after him, which, hitting his ankle-bone, gave him
such extreme torture that he sank on the ground not able to proceed a
step farther. The boys made off in alarm at what they had done, and
Frank, in terror and pain, sat sobbing on a stone till he was found by
his father, who had been searching for him in the greatest distress.

His father took him home, warmed and fed him and healed his bruises,
though after such extreme bad conduct, he could not esteem and caress
him like a good child. It was happy for Frank Lawless that he took the
warning of that day. He had gained nothing but shame, pain, and sorrow
by his choice of wicked friends, and from that time he chose with more
wisdom. Good conduct brought him back to his father's favour, and now at
ten o'clock at night, when the moon and stars were shining in the sky,
and the air was cold and frosty, Frank Lawless was always s