"There, now, if that isn't smart," exclaimed Nat; "we've left our caps under the tree, Frank."
John set to laughing to see the two capless boys; and he was more inclined to laugh because Charlie and himself had presence of mind enough to take theirs.
"If it was you, John, I shouldn't care a snap," said Frank. "You led the way, and made us believe that they were wild cherries, and I wish your cap was there."
John could only laugh, in reply, at his bareheaded companions.
"I don't see why we should run at all," said Nat, just apprehending the folly of their course. "We are not thieves,--we didn't mean to steal. We shouldn't have taken the cherries if we had known, the owner wanted them."
"What can we do without our hats?" asked Frank.
"I shall go and get mine," answered Nat, "and tell the man just as it was, and, if he is reasonable he will overlook it."
"I am beat now," exclaimed John; "the old fellow is certainly carrying off your caps."
The boys looked, and to their amazement, the man was returning to his house with the caps. Nat and Frank were more perplexed than ever.
"Never mind," said John; "you are both big enough to go bareheaded. What will you take for your caps?" and again he laughed at their predicament.
"Go to his house and get the caps, of course," said Nat. "The caps won't come to us that is certain."
"Tell him the truth," replied Nat, "and it ought to get our caps, and shield us from punishment."
"Perhaps he is a crabbed fellow who will show us no favors; and he will say that our running away is evidence of our guilt."
"We were fools to run," said Nat; "and if I had stopped to think one moment I should have stayed there, and explained it to him."
Finally, it was decided that Nat and Frank should go after their caps, on which errand they started at once, while John and Charlie proceeded homeward. In the mean time the owner of the tree had reached his house very much amused at the flight of the capless boys. He was somewhat angry when he first saw the boys in his tree, but the possession of the two caps well filled with cherries modified his wrath considerably. It would take him two hours to pick that quantity of fruit. "Surely," he thought, "the boys have beaten the bush and I have caught the birds."