" Walking round and
round in ever larger circles, he constantly varied his praises and his
jokes. But the melons were their own best advertisement. All who bought
them pronounced them delicious; and frequently they bought one or two
more to prove to their friends how good they were.
At ten o'clock we still had a good many melons; but toward noon business
became very brisk, and at one o'clock only six melons were left.
In honor of this crop we rechristened the old haymaker the "cantaloupe
coaxer."
CHAPTER XVI
THE STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE OF GRANDPA EDWARDS
There was so much to do at the old farm that we rarely found time to
play games. But we had a croquet set that Theodora, Ellen and their girl
neighbor, Catherine Edwards, occasionally carried out to a little
wicketed court just east of the apple house in the rear of the farm
buildings.
Halstead rather disdained the game as too tame for boys and Addison so
easily outplayed the rest of us that there was not much fun in it for
him, unless, as Theodora used to say, he played with one hand in his
pocket. But as we were knocking the balls about one evening while we
decided which of us should play, we saw Catherine crossing the west
field.
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