They soon found out his purpose, however, when the apples came whizzing through the air with well-aimed precision.
The first one hit the biggest tramp squarely on the chin and almost stunned him.

Each boy then chose his man and the five ruffians were soon running across the orchard to the wood, the boys after them, their pockets bulging with apples.

Laughing and yelling like wild Indians, they pelted their victims until the men disappeared in the forest.
The girls, who had forgotten their fright in the excitement of the chase, were laughing, too, and urging on the attacks exactly as they would have done at one of the college football games.

Perhaps they had had a narrow escape, but it was great fun, now, especially when Reddy Brooks threw one of his famous curved balls and hit a tramp plump on the back of the head.
"Oh," cried Nora, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, "I never had such a good time in all my life! Wasn't it great ?" "Wasn't it though ?" grinned Reddy, as the boys returned from the field of victory.

"Lots more fun than throwing balls at dummies at the county fair, wasn't it, fellows ?" "You girls ought to be careful how you walk out here alone at this time of the year," said Jimmie Burke.