After our departure he began a vigilant patrol of the place, feeling much like a sentinel left on guard.  About sun-down, he told me, as he was passing through the raspberry field, he thought he caught a glimpse of an old straw hat dodging down behind the bushes.  He bounded toward the spot, a moment later confronting three children with tin pails.  The two younger proved to be Winnie’s objectionable acquaintances that I had told to keep off the place.  The eldest was a boy, not far from Merton’s age, and had justly won the name of being the worst boy in the region.  All were the children of the dangerous neighbor against whom Mr. Jones had warned me.

The boy at first regarded Merton with a sullen, defiant look, while his brother and sister coolly continued to steal the fruit.

“Clear out,” cried Merton.  “We’ll have you put in jail if you come here again.”

“You shut up and clear out yerself,” said the boy, threateningly, “or I’ll break yer head.  Yer pap’s away, and we ain’t afraid of you.  What’s more, we’re goin’ ter have some cherries before—­”

Now Merton had a quick temper, and at this moment sprang at the fellow who was adding insult to injury, so quickly that he got in a blow that blackened one of the thief’s eyes.

Then they clinched, and, although his antagonist was the heavier, Merton thinks he could have whipped him had not the two younger marauders attacked him, tooth and nail, like cats.  Finding himself getting the worst of it, he instinctively sent out a cry for his stanch friend Junior.

Fortunately, this ally was coming along the road toward our house, and he gave an answering halloo.

The vagrants, apparently, had a wholesome fear of John Jones, junior, for, on hearing his voice, they beat a hurried retreat; but knowing that no one was at the house, and in the spirit of revengeful mischief, they took their flight in that direction.  Seeing Mousie’s flower-bed, they ran and jumped upon that, breaking down half the plants, then dashed off through the coops, releasing the hens, and scattering the broods of chickens.  Merton and Junior, who for a few moments had lost sight of the invaders in the thick raspberry bushes, were now in hot pursuit, and would have caught them again, had they not seen a man coming up the lane, accompanied by a big dog.  Junior laid a hand on headlong Merton, whose blood was now at boiling heat, and said, “Stop.”

CHAPTER XXXIII

GIVEN HIS CHOICE

Junior had good reason for bringing Merton to a sudden halt in his impetuous and hostile advance.  The man coming up the lane, with a savage dog, was the father of the ill-nurtured children.  He had felt a little uneasy as to the results of their raid upon our fruit, and had walked across the fields to give them the encouragement of his presence, or to cover their retreat, which he now did effectually.