The boys followed the boat down to the end of the wharf, where they waited to see her reach the ship. George made up a sorry face to cry, when suddenly a thought occurred to him.
“Mose!” he called out at the top of his voice, “don’t forget the monkey!” Mose laughed outright—“Don’t forget your promise!” he shouted in reply, and then the boat shot out beyond hearing.
CHAPTER XIV.
AUNT BETSEY UNDER DIFFICULTIES.
Uncle Nathan’s orchard was a long distance from his house, and adjoined aunt Nyna’s garden. When the apples were ripe enough to gather and put up for sale, uncle Nathan employed both the Greysons and Grimsbys, and aunt Betsey came down, of her own accord, to see that the boys did not carry away any, and also to take particular care that they put a good proportion of the small ones into the barrels intended for market. There was quite a high stone wall between the orchard and aunt Nyna’s garden, and close beside this wall, in the garden, grew a famous peach tree. It was a source of great profit to aunt Nyna, for the peaches were very large and luscious, and always commanded a very high price.
One day, during the apple gathering, aunt Betsey stood by the wall and regarded the peach tree with a longing gaze. She glanced down at the wall and then up to the tree, and measured with her eye, as though she was revolving a subject of great importance in her mind.
“Nathan,” said she to her husband, “doesn’t that branch of the tree hang over the wall?”