hurry, sir," I called out. "I can't hold this dog very
long." And, indeed, Lord Edward had made a run toward the agent, which
jerked me very forcibly in his direction. But a movement by the tramp
had quickly brought the dog back to his more desired victim.

"If you will just tie up that dog, sir," said the agent, "and come this
way, I would like to show you the Meltinagua pear,--dissolves in the
mouth like snow, sir; trees will bear next year."

"Oh, come look at the Royal Sparkling Ruby grape!" cried Euphemia. "It
glows in the sun like a gem."

"Yes," said the agent, "and fills the air with fragrance during the
whole month of September--"

"I tell you," I shouted, "I can't hold this dog another minute! The
chain is cutting the skin off my hands. Run, sir, run! I'm going to let
go!"

"Run! run!" cried Pomona. "Fly for your life!"

The agent now began to be frightened, and shut up his book.

"If you only could see the plates, sir, I'm sure--"

"Are you ready?" I cried, as the dog, excited by Pomona's wild shouts,
made a bolt in his direction.

"Good-day, if I must--" said the agent, as he hurried to the gate. But
there he stopped.

"There is nothing, sir," he said, "that would so improve your place as
a row of the Spitzenberg Sweet-scented Balsam fir along this fence. I'll
sell you three-year-old trees--"

"He's loose!" I shouted, as I dropped the chain.

In a second the agent was on the other side of the gate. Lord Edward
made a dash toward him; but, stopping suddenly, flew back to the tree of
the tramp.

"If you should conclude, sir," said the tree-agent, looking over the
fence, "to have a row of those firs along here--"

"My good sir," said I, "there is no row of firs there now, and the fence
is not very high. My dog, as you see, is very much excited and I cannot
answer for the consequences if he takes it into his head to jump over."

The tree-agent turned and walked slowly away.

"Now, look-a-here," cried the tramp from the tree, in the voice of a
very ill-used person, "ain't you goin' to fasten up that dog, and let me
git down?"

I walked up close to the tree and addressed him.

"No," said I, "I am not. When a man comes to my place, bullies a young
girl who was about to relieve his hunger, and then boldly determines
to enter my house and help himself to my property, I don't propose to
fasten up any dog that may happen to be after him. If I had another dog,
I'd let him loose, and give this fait