As soon as he entered the house, Aunt Hannah exclaimed,

"Master Frank, you were altogether too good to Lee Powell, the other
night."

"What makes you think so?" he inquired.

At this moment Julia, hearing his voice, burst in from the
dining-room, exclaiming,

"Frank, the Hillers have robbed your strawberry-patch!"

"Not robbed it, exactly," said his mother, who had followed close
after Julia, "but they have completely ruined it. There are not a
dozen plants left in the ground."

Frank was so surprised that he could scarcely utter a word; and,
hardly waiting to hear what his mother said, he hurried from the house
toward the strawberry-patch. It did, indeed, present a strange and
desolate appearance. The bed had covered nearly half an acre; and, so
well had the Rangers performed their work, that but few plants were
left standing. The sight was enough to upset even Frank's
well-established patience, and he exclaimed,

"If I had the rascals that did this mischief, I could pay them for it,
without troubling my conscience much."

"You must tell Lee Powell, the next time you see him," said Julia, who
had followed him, "that he ought not to--"