But _something_ must be done, that
he vowed, and done at once, or his strawberries were going to be mighty
scarce. He didn't want to do any real harm to even such a troublesome
pair of birds as the imps, but he was determined to give them a lesson
that might teach them some respect, not only for strawberry patches,
but even for scarecrows.
"On the crown of the scarecrow's old hat, which he had observed to be a
favorite perch of the imps, he arranged a noose of light cord. From
the noose he ran the cord down the scarecrow's single leg (scarecrows,
you know, have usually only one leg), across to the hedge, along the
hedge to the house, and up and into his room. He fixed it so it ran
without a hitch. He was very proud of it altogether. Much pleased
with himself, he got a book and a couple of apples, and seated himself
at his window to wait for his chance.
"As it happened, however, the imps were just then away in the meadow,
hunting mice. For a whole hour the Boy saw no sign of them. Then,
being called away to go on an errand into the village, he tied the end
of the cord to his bedpost, and left it with a word of advice to do
what it could in his absence.
"Well, it did! For a mere bit of string, all by itself, it didn't do
badly.
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