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“Lina Maynard, hey! Then you must be the gal that’s down on Amy Steele and would n’t ask her to the party to-morrow. Say, ain’t yer the one?”

Lina was too much bewildered by the sudden change of tack to do more than stammer inarticulately. I am afraid that in her terror she would have been capable of denying it, if she had thought that would help her. Her captor reflected more deeply, scratched his head, and finally, assuming a diplomatic attitude by thrusting his hands in his pocket, remarked:–

“I s’pose ye ‘d like it dummed well ef I was to let yer go and say nothin’ more about it. I reelly don’t s’pose I ‘d orter do it; but it riles me to see Amy comin’ home cryin’ every day, and I ‘ll tell ye what I ‘ll do. Ef you ‘ll ask her to yer fandango to-morrer, and be friends with her arterward so she ‘ll come home happy and cheerful like, I ‘ll let ye go, and if ye don’t, I ‘ll put ye in jug overnight, sure’s taxes. Say Yes or No now, quick!”

“Yes, yes!” Lina cried, with frantic eagerness.

There was scarcely any possible ransom he could have asked that she would not have instantly given. She dared not credit her ears, and stood gazing at him in intense, appealing suspense, as if he might be about to revoke his offer. But instead of that, he turned down the huge collar of the old overcoat, took it off, threw it on the ground, and, turning up the slouch of his hat, stood before her a very good-looking and well-dressed young gentleman, whom she at once recognized and at length identified in her mind as the one walking with Amy that afternoon, which now seemed weeks ago. He bowed very low, and said earnestly enough, though smiling:–

“I humbly beg your pardon.”

Lina stared at him with dumb amazement, and he went on:–

“I am Arthur Steele. I came home on a vacation to-day, and was sitting up to watch father’s melon-patch for the pure fun of it, expecting to catch some small boys, and when I caught you, I couldn’t resist the temptation of a little farce. As for Amy, that only occurred to me at the last; and if you think it unfair, you may have your promise back.”

Lina had now measurably recovered her equannimity, and, ignoring his explanation, demanded, as she looked around:–

“How am I to get out of this dreadful place?” mentally contemplating meanwhile the impossibility of clambering through that fence with a young gentleman looking on.

“I will let down the bars,” he said, and they turned toward the fence.

“Let’s see, this is your melon, is it not?” he observed, stooping to pick up the booty Lina had dropped in her first panic. “You must keep that anyhow. You ‘ve earned it.”

Since the tables turned so unexpectedly in her favor, Lina had recovered her dignity in some degree, and had become very freezing toward this young man, by whom she began to feel she had been very badly treated. In this reaction of indignation she had really almost forgotten how she came in the garden at all. But this reference to the melon quite upset her new equanimity, and as Arthur grinned broadly she blushed and stood there in awful confusion. Finally she blurted out:–

“I didn’t want your stupid melon. I only wanted some fun. I can’t explain, and I don’t care whether you understand it or not.”

Tears of vexation glittered in her eyes. He sobered instantly, and said, with an air of the utmost deference:–

“Pardon me for laughing, and do me the justice to believe that I ‘m in no sort of danger of misunderstanding you. I hooked too many melons myself as a boy not to sympathize perfectly. But you must really let me carry the melon home for you. What would the girls say, if you returned empty-handed?”