Part 14 (1/2)

”Tell me where you are hurt, my poor child.”

”I don't know; but it seems as if somethin' tough must have happened, for I'm bleedin' terribly.”

The little woman knelt by his side, and held the lantern up until its rays illumined the boy's face.

”I can't see any blood, Jack dear; but you seem to be literally covered with something yellow.”

The boy pa.s.sed his hand over his face, sc.r.a.ping off the supposed sanguinary fluid, and examined it carefully by aid of the light.

Then he leaped to his feet very quickly, looking both ashamed and angry.

”It's some kind of a trick Bill Dean's gang have been playing!” he cried, and at that instant from behind the barn came a shout of derision, followed by hearty laughter.

”Oh, I wish I was strong enough to flog those wicked wretches!” Aunt Nancy said, her eyes filling with tears of vexation.

Jack made no reply.

He had taken the lantern from her hand, and was searching carefully in the immediate vicinity.

It was not long before he and Aunt Nancy decided that the yellow substance was the seeds and pulp of a pumpkin, and Jack said, as he picked up several pieces of red paper,--

”Now I know what it means. Those fellers have dug the inside out of a pumpkin, and put into it a big firecracker. They waited until I came near the shed before lighting it, an', of course, when the thing exploded it sent the stuff flyin'.”

”Thank goodness it was no worse!” the little woman added, and Jack burst into a hearty laugh.

Despite the suffering caused by fear, the idea that he had been scared almost into dying by an exploded pumpkin was comical in the extreme, and his mirth was not checked until Aunt Nancy asked quite sharply,--

”What on earth are you laughing at?”

”To think how frightened we got about nothing.”

”I'm sure it was a good deal. Here we've been forced out of our beds at this hour of the night, believing burglars were around, and then scared nearly to death because it appeared as if you were wounded, all on account of those terrible boys who wanted to have some sport!”

”It can't be helped now, an' the sooner you get into the house the less will be the chances of your taking cold,” Jack replied, checking his mirth with difficulty as he saw how angry Aunt Nancy really was.

Although it was a practical joke which had caused a great deal of mental anxiety for a short time, he could not look upon it otherwise than as funny, except when he realized that this was the first step taken to drive him out of the town.

The little woman insisted on examining the interior of the shed to learn if the boys had done any further mischief, and they found fragments of pumpkin and paper, showing that the ”infernal machine” had been constructed there.

Nothing appeared to have been disturbed, and the two who had been so unceremoniously awakened returned to the house after the pulp was sc.r.a.ped with a chip from Jack's face, hair, and clothing.

It was a long time before the boy could induce slumber to visit his eyelids again that night, but he finally succeeded with such good effect that he did not awaken until the noise Aunt Nancy made while building the fire aroused him.

Dressing hurriedly, he went downstairs in time to do a portion of the work, and when the milk was brought into the house after old crumple horn had been driven to pasture, Aunt Nancy asked,--

”Do you think you could take care of Louis a little while this forenoon?”

”Of course I can. Are you going visitin'?”

”Yes; I intend to see if something can't be done to prevent those wretched boys from carrying on in this manner.”