Mr. Allen's early apples were almost ripe. They were uncommonly pretty
apples--yellow, streaked with red. How tempting they looked! Ripe
apples in August are always tempting.
Mr. Allen knew that, so he had put up a sign to warn the boys off. For
boys were very apt to help themselves to ripe apples. Somehow they
think that taking a few apples is not stealing.
So, as I said, Mr. Allen put up a board with these words on
it--"Trespassers prosecuted." That meant, if he caught any boy near
his apple-tree, he would carry him off to a justice of the peace, for
stealing.
Early one morning Tommy Tilden was walking through the lane. He had
just driven the cows to pasture and was coming home. He stopped and
looked at the apples. How good they did look, to be sure!
He searched on the ground to see if any had dropped into the lane.
But he could not find one. Then he looked at the tree again. "I wish I
had one," he thought.
Ah, Tommy, Tommy, the best thing for you to do is to run away as fast
as you can!
But Tommy didn't do any such thing. He kept looking at the apples and
wishing he had one. Then he thought, "I'll just climb up and look at
them."
And now, of course, you can guess what happened. Tommy climbed up, and
tried the apples with his thumb to see if they were ripe. Then he
reached out to get a fine big one, and the branch broke, and over he
went, with the branch, and the sign, and a shower of apples, into Mr.
Allen's garden.
The dog ran out barking furiously, and Mr. Allen, who was just eating
his breakfast, came out too, and little May Allen, to see what was the
matter.
How ashamed Tommy felt! "Trying to steal some of my apples, were you,
eh?" said Mr. Allen, and Tommy could not answer a word.
Little May Allen felt very sorry for him. "Can't you give him some
apples, papa?" she said.
"No," said Mr. Allen; "if he had come and asked me I would have given
him some gladly. But he ought to be ashamed to try to get them in this
way. But he can go. I sha'n't punish him."
So Tommy picked up his hat and went home. He told his mother all about
it.
"Tommy," she said, "you shouldn't have stood and looked at those
apples, and wished for them, when they were not yours. It is always
best to run away from temptation."