Part 50 (1/2)

There was no tiue further with hi he could not tell; but his heart throbbed as he felt that he had awakened just in the nick of ti position, he crept forward foot by foot without e of the hich extended to right and left; beyond it there was about six feet of border, and then the ith the tree, and alure,upon the ground for fallen pears

One stride--a stride taken quick as thought, with the stout hazel stick well raised in the air, just as the figure was stooping lowest Then--

_Whoosh!+ Thwack_!

A stinging blow, given with all the boy's nervous force, as with a bound he threw all his strength into the cut

”Yah!”

A treet more than one other stroke to tell, the pear-seeker was running along the soft border, evidently arden, where the fence took the place of the wall

The chord is shorter than the arc; and this applies to walks in gardens as well as geoenerally call that which amounts to the chord the short cut

Tom took the short cut, so as to meet Pete, but in the darkness he did not pause to think For a moment all was silent, and the enemy had evidently stopped to hide

”But he ht Tom, as he reached the end of the cross walk, past which he felt that the boywhere he was Tom made a sudden rush

That rush was made too quickly; for he felt hi, whack! whack! carowled in his ear; and then came loudly, ”Master Tom! here! sharp!”

”I a? Don't”

”Master Tom!”

”David! But never mind; look sharp! He's close to us soot one cut at hiely ”I know yer did That was me!”

”Halloo there! Torowled David ”Got it, you mean Hi! Yes, sir Here we are”

Uncle Richard was on the way down the path

”What was theof that yell I heard?” he said, as he drew near

Neither replied

”Do you hear, Tom? What was that noise?”

”It was a

”Mistake? I said that yell Oh, here you are”

”Yes, uncle; it was a mistake I hit David in the dark, and he holloaed out”

”And enough to make any one, warn't it, sir? Scythes and scithers, it was a sharp 'un!”