The lad fled on the instant, scrambled up the high board-fence, and disappeared over it.
His aunt Polly stood surprised a moment, and then broke into a gentle laugh.
"Hang the boy, can't I never learn anything?
Ain't he played me tricks enough like that for me to be looking out for him by this time?
But old fools is the biggest fools there is.

Can't learn an old dog new tricks, as the saying is.

But my goodness, he never plays them alike, two days, and how is a body to know what's coming?
He 'pears to know just how long he can torment me before I get my dander up, and he knows if he can make out to put me off for a minute or make me laugh, it's all down again and I can't hit him a lick.

I ain't doing my duty by that boy, and that's the Lord's truth, goodness knows.

Spare the rod and spile the child, as the Good Book says.