s, and said the
tree was much further from any house than the wild cherries that any
person gets down by the river, and therefore the cherries must be common
property. We thought he was right, when he told us this, and so we went
up into the tree."

"But why did you run when you saw me coming, if you did not mean to
steal them?" he asked.

"I run, sir, because I did not stop to think. I told Frank, as soon as
we stopped running, that we were very foolish, because we did not mean
to steal, and I was sorry that we did run. But we were so surprised when
we saw you coming that we ran before we thought. I don't think we did
right, sir, though we did not mean to steal. It would have been better
for us to have come and asked you for the cherries as I told John. Now
we would like our caps, but we want you to be convinced first that we
are not thieves."

"I _am_ convinced," replied the man. "I guess you mean to be honest
boys, and you shall have your caps."

The fact was, the man was much impressed with the sincerity and honesty
of Nat before he got half through his explanation. He admired his
frankness, and his manly, straight-forward way of telling his story. He
went into the house and brought out the caps, just as he took them from
the ground, full of cherries, and gave them caps, cherries, and all.

"You don't mean we shall have the cherries, do you?" inquired Nat.

"Certainly, you have worked hard enough for them," he replied. "And I
like to see boys willing to own up when they do wrong. I don't think
_you_ meant to do wrong; but I am glad to see you make a clean breast of
it, and not be so mean as to equivocate, and lie, to get out of a
scrape. Boys always fare the best when they are truthful, and try to do
right."

"We are much obliged to you," said Nat. "You will never catch us on your
cherry-tree again without permission."

Having pocketed the cherries, they put on their caps, and hastened home,
quite thoroughly convinced that all cherries which grow a half mile from
any house are not wild.

CHAPTER V.

ATHLETIC SPORTS.

"A swim to-night," shouted John to Frank, on his way home from school.
"All hands be there."

"Will you come, Nat?" inquired Frank.

"Yes; and swim three rods under water," was Nat's reply.

At this period of Nat's boyhood, there was almost a passion among the
boys for athletic sports, such as swimming, jumping, running,
ball-playing, and kindred amusements. For some time they