e healthy, in
summer, than meat, puddings, and pastries, so that melons formed quite
an important part of the family dinner. The children enjoyed them
particularly, because they had raised them, in part, by their own
industry.

George asked to be excused from the table. Not long after he left,
Mrs. Dudley heard a cry, as if some child was in trouble. She looked
around. Mary, and Willie, and Eddie were there. The sounds of distress
could not come from George, for he never cried in that way. Mr. and
Mrs. Dudley immediately arose and went out upon the lawn. The children
followed. They looked here and there, and soon saw a boy near the
house. He had a small bundle in his hand, and a little tin pail. I
should think he was ten or eleven years old. He was crying, and
calling to a boy who stood at the gate. Mr. Dudley inquired of him,

"What is the matter?"

"John won't let me go home."

"How does he prevent you? What does he do to you?" asked Mrs. Dudley.

"He won't let me alone."

"Does he try to make you fight?" she again inquired,--for she had
frequently seen that large boys often love to tease and torment
smaller ones, and she thought perhaps this little fellow was abused by
a tyrannical companion. She thought of going to speak to the boy at
the gate, but Mr. Dudley made further inquiries, and the child's
answers were not very satisfactory.

Mary Dudley now came near her mother, and, speaking in a low voice,
said to her, "That is the boy who steals."

While they were talking with him a larger boy came up, and said his
teacher had sent him and the boy at the gate to take Jimmy back to
school.

"Why, what has he done?" asked one of the group which surrounded him.

"He has been stealing the children's dinners. He stole yesterday, and
he has been stealing to-day."

This was a sad account to hear. Jimmy begged to be permitted to go
home, but Mr. Dudley told him he had better return to the school. He
then very reluctantly walked down to the gate with the largest boy,
and I suppose was led back to his teacher.

Mrs. Dudley had never heard of this child before, but Mr. Dudley said
he had known him as a very bad boy. She asked Mary how she happened to
know any thing about him. Mary told her that he attended
Sunday-school, and that, a few Sundays before, one of the children
could not find his cap. A thorough search was made for it, but it
could not be found. The superintendent thought some one must have
taken it. He