STUDY. Picture clearly the scene which the poet brings before the eye. Is the main interest in what is seen or in what is heard? What feeling does the song seem to express? (Line 6.) Why does the poet say line 4? What comparisons are made in stanza 2? What possible subjects of the song are suggested in stanza 3? Would it make any difference in its effect if you could determine the exact words? Explain lines 7 and 8; lines 19 and 20; lines 31 and 32.

AN APPLE STORY

CAPTAIN FREDERICK MARRYAT

[Mr. Nicodemus Easy, Esquire, a well-to-do and eccentric country gentleman, had as his hobby certain extravagant notions about the "rights of man, which he preached on all occasions and which he tried to instill into the mind of his son Jack. The following adventure shows how Jack understood the matter.]

I. UP A TREE

Jack discovered, one fine morning, on the other side of a hedge, a summer apple tree bearing tempting fruit, and he immediately

broke through the hedge, and climbing the tree, as our first mother did before him, he culled the fairest and did eat.

"I say, you sir, what are you doing there?" cried a rough voice. Jack looked down, and perceived a stout, thickset personage in gray coat and red waistcoat, standing underneath him.

"Don't you see what I'm about?" replied Jack. "I'm eating apples; shall I throw you down a few?"

"Thank you kindly - the fewer that are pulled the better; 10 perhaps as you are so free to give them to others as well as to help yourself, you may think that they are your own property!" "Not a bit more my property than they are yours, my good man."

"I guess that's something like the truth; but you are not 15 quite at the truth yet, my lad; those apples are mine, and I'll trouble you to come down as fast as you please; when you're down we can then settle our accounts; and," continued the man, shaking his cudgel, "depend upon it you shall have your receipt in full."

Jack did not much like the appearance of things.

20

"My good man," said he, "it is quite a prejudice on your part to imagine that apples were not given, as well as all other fruit, for the benefit of us all-they are common property, believe me." "That's a matter of opinion, my lad, and I may be allowed 25 to have my own."

"You'll find it in the Bible," says Jack.

"I never did yet, and I've read it through and through all, bating the 'Pocryfar."

"Then," said Jack, "go home and fetch the Bible, and I'll 30 prove it to you.”

"I suspect you'll not wait till I come back again. No, no; I have lost plenty of apples, and I have long wanted to find the robbers out; now I've caught one I'll take care that he don't 'scape without apple sauce, at all events so come down, 35 you young thief, come down directly-or it will be all the worse for you."

40

"Thank you," said Jack, "but I am very well here. I will, if you please, argue the point from where I am."

"I've no time to argue the point, my lad. I've plenty to do, but do not think I'll let you off. If you don't choose to come down, why then you may stay there, and I'll answer for it, as soon as work is done I shall find you safe enough.”

"What can be done," thought Jack, "with a man who will 45 not listen to argument? What a world is this!-however, he'll not find me here when he comes back, I've a notion."

But in this Jack was mistaken. The farmer walked to the hedge, and called to a boy, who took his orders and ran to the farmhouse. In a minute or two a large bulldog was seen bounding 50 along the orchard to his master. "Mark him, Cæsar," said the farmer to the dog, "mark him." The dog crouched down on the grass, with his head up, and eyes glaring at Jack, showing a range of teeth that drove all our hero's philosophy out of his head.

"I can't wait here, but Cæsar can, and I will tell you as a friend, 55 that if he gets hold of you, he'll not leave a limb of you together,when work's done I'll come back"; so saying, the farmer walked off, leaving Jack and the dog to argue the point, if so inclined. What a sad jade must philosophy be, to put her votaries in such predicaments!

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65

After a while the dog laid his head down and closed his eyes, as if asleep, but Jack observed that at the least movement on his part one eye was seen to partially unclose, so Jack, like a prudent man, resolved to remain where he was. He picked a few more apples, for it was his dinner time, and as he chewed he ruminated.

Jack had been but a few minutes ruminating before he was interrupted by another ruminating animal, no less a personage than a bull, who had been turned out with full possession of the orchard, and who now advanced, bellowing occasionally, and tossing his head at the sight of Cæsar, whom he considered as much 70 a trespasser as his master had our hero. Cæsar started on his legs and faced the bull, who advanced pawing, with his tail up in the air. When within a few yards the bull made a rush at the

dog, who evaded him and attacked him in return, and thus did the warfare continue until the opponents were already at some distance from the apple tree. Jack prepared for immediate flight, 75 but unfortunately the combat was carried on by the side of the hedge at which Jack had gained admission. "Never mind," thought Jack, "there are two sides to every field," and although the other hedge joined on to the garden near to the farmhouse, there was no option.

80

"At all events," said Jack, "I'll try it." Jack was slipping down the trunk, when he heard a tremendous roar; the bulldog had been tossed by the bull; he was then high in the air, and Jack saw him fall on the other side of the hedge; and the bull was thus celebrating his victory with a flourish of trumpets. 85 Upon which Jack, perceiving that he was relieved from his sentry, slipped down the rest of the tree and took to his heels.

Unfortunately for Jack, the bull saw him, and, flushed with victory, he immediately set up another roar, and 90 bounded after Jack. Jack perceived his danger, and fear gave him wings;

95

he not only flew over the orchard, but he flew over the hedge, which was about five feet high, just as the bull drove his head into it. Look before you leap is an old proverb. Had Jack done so, he would have done better; but as there were cogent reasons to be offered in extenuation of our philosopher, we shall say no more, but merely state that Jack, when he got on the other side of the hedge, found that he had pitched into a small apiary, and had 100 upset two hives of bees, who resented the intrusion; and Jack had hardly time to get upon his legs before he found them very busy stinging him in all quarters. All that Jack could do was to run for it, but the bees flew faster than he could run, and Jack was mad with pain, when he stumbled, half blinded, over the 105 brickwork of a well. Jack could not stop his pitching into the well, but he seized the iron chain as it struck him across the face. Down went Jack, and round went the windlass, and after a rapid descent of forty feet our hero found himself under water, and no longer troubled with the bees, who, whether they had lost scent 110 of their prey from his rapid descent, or being notoriously clever insects, acknowledged the truth of the adage, "leave well alone," had certainly left Jack with no other companion than Truth. Jack rose from his immersion, and seized the rope to which the chain of the bucket was made fast-it had all of it been unwound 115 from the windlass, and therefore it enabled Jack to keep his head above water. After a few seconds Jack felt something against his legs; it was the bucket, about two feet under the water; Jack put his feet into it and found himself pretty comfortable, for the water, after the sting of the bees and the heat he had been put 120 into by the race with the bull, was quite cool and refreshing.

"At all events," thought Jack, "if it had not been for the bull, I should have been watched by the dog, and then thrashed by the farmer; but then again, if it had not been for the bull, I should not have tumbled among the bees; and if it had not been for the 125 bees, I should not have tumbled into the well; and if it had not been for the chain, I should have been drowned. Such has been the chain of events, all because I wanted to eat an apple.