MORE FORBIDDEN FRUIT IN THE BUCKET

 Or WHY I LOVE THE TALES OF ROBIN HOOD AND JESSE JAMES

With both of us  dragging our feet and  crying loudly, the woman  pulled Janie and me  along the street  towards our house.  My mother  must have heard the  ruckus because she was standing outside on the sidewalk.  As soon as  she spotted Janie, she called out--Let her  go. And the lady dropped Janie's wrist and  I yelled - Run home to Ma.  We both knew the game was  up. 

 The woman brought  me along and  told my  mother what had  happened in her halting English.  My mother was  rubbing the  angry red marks on Janie's wrist and upper arms and  Janie showed her the marks on the backs of her legs. My mother saw what a mess I was in too, and she took my hand,  "All for some pears?" she asked laughing. And that broke the spell.

They are very good pears-- I explained-- and then the lady laughed too. "You can keep these" she said --offering Janie's bag filled with the evidence.  My mother accepted them but first she made us both say that we were sorry and to promise that we  would never  go into her yard  to steal pears again. AND WE NEVER DID.

NOT THAT YARD