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Ole Man Pumpkin kept bumping his way along to the cornfield where Mr. Scarecrow stood on guard, though his work for the year was done.

Now Mr. Scarecrow seemed to have a lot of friends around him, and he was making a speech. There was Ole Man Pumpkin, of course; and Jehosophat, who had just arrived; and Mr. Stuckup the Turkey, as usual looking very grand and proud; and the Hippity-hop Bunnies, wiggling their noses in their funny way; and Johnny Cottontail, their little wild cousin, making his nose go, too. And there was Reddy Fox, with one forepaw raised and his eyes as bright as beads; and a whole squad of corn-soldiers with yellow tassels and green banners and tall spears. My! but they looked bright and gay once more! And there were lots of funny little folk besides,–three bright rosy-cheeked Apples, talking and laughing and chattering away just like real people, and two Pie-pans, only they didn’t look flat and dull as when they were in the kitchen, but had shiny intelligent faces, and they were chattering away, too.

Mr. Scarecrow was making a speech to them in such a ridiculous fashion. His arms stood out stiff and straight from the shoulder, but he made queer floppy gestures with his wrists.

“I’m a Red,” he was saying, “and I call upon you to rise upon the cap’talists, who feed on your flesh and bones.”

Jehosophat shuddered, for he thought he knew what was in Mr. Scarecrow’s mind. That very day in school they had had “Currantyvents,” and Miss Prue Parsons had told them a lot about Reds, and Annarkisseds, and Revolushions they wanted to start all over the world. Horrible, shivery things they were that she had told them!

“Revolt–rebel. Rebel–revolt!” Old Mr. Scarecrow shouted, flapping his wrists and swinging in the wind.

“Hear, hear!” cried the Little Red Apples;

“Hear, hear!” cried the Shiny Pie Pans; and

“Horrible, horrible!”, Mr. Stuckup the Turkey.

Ole Man Pumpkin didn’t say anything, but just grinned and grinned with his big eyes and old yellow teeth.

“There is a cap’talist now, standing before you!” shouted Mr. Scarecrow, and his wrists flapped right at Jehosophat, “away with him!”

“Away with him!” shouted one and all–the Little Red Apples, the Shiny Pie Pans, Mr. Stuckup the Turkey, and the Tall Corn Soldiers; and all the time Ole Man Pumpkin kept grinning and grinning, as if he were enjoying himself most cruelly.

Then Mr. Scarecrow said in a solemn voice:

“Soldiers, do your duty with the prisoner!”

And all at once two Tall Corn Soldiers stood on each side of him, grabbed him by one arm, and growled:

“About face–forward march!”

And the first thing he knew, he was being hustled very swiftly over towards the Pond.

The Little Red Apples and the Shiny Pie Pans rolled on ahead, chattering gaily to each other; Mr. Stuckup marched on very pompously; Ole Man Pumpkin bumped along just in front; the two Corn Soldiers marched by his side; and a lot of others pricked him from behind with their sharp, cruel spears.

What were they going to do with him? That was the question.

He was soon to know, for they had reached the edge of the Pond.

“Duck him!” shouted the Little Red Apples in glee.

And the Tall Corn Soldiers seized Jehosophat by the hair on the top of his head, and shoved him under the water, way under, oh, way, way under.

“Give me a bite!” said the first Little Red Apple, snapping at their prisoner’s face when he came to the surface again.

“Me, too!” shouted the second.

“A big one for me!” yelled the third, and they all rolled in the water and bobbed around, bumping up against his face and trying their best to take a nip out of his cheeks.

He never had known before that apples had teeth, but, sure enough, he felt them now–there was actually a little piece gone from each side of his face.

“Great fun, Hallowe’en!” they called to one another as they bobbed about, still snapping at his cheeks.