Letter From A neighbour

Wall Cottage,

Waterfield.

Tuesday

Dear Mr. Jones,

I expect you may be slightly surprised to receive a letter from someone living as near as your next-door neighbour; but I have to* raise a subject that it

will be easier for me to discuss in writing.

You may have noticed that I have a line of apple trees running alongside the fence that separates our two gardens, You may also have taken pleasure in the frequent sight of your two children sitting on your lawn directly by the fence. And you may also have remarked that my apple trees, so to speak, *bend over the fence and seem to look down at your children with interest.

It is only natural that your children should sometimes seem to return that interest. And it is not only natural, but I acknowledge, quite legal, for them occasionally to show that interest by picking all the apples that hang over on your side of the fence. But--- to be plain with you, *Mr. Jones --- I am tired of seeing your children, day after day, tear the branches off the side of every one of my apple trees, and leave my trees looking as though a battle had been fought on one side of them. I am, if anything, * even more tired of waking these fine autumn morning, to find even the apples on my side of the fence much diminished in number. I know this too to be the work of your children, since last night I was woken at midnight by the noise they were making climbing one of my trees, and (as they may have told you) chased them home.

While I am on the subject, * I am at least* grateful to you for keeping your bonfires on the far side of your garden this year. Last year neither I nor your children had any apples, because the smoke from your bonfires destroyed all the flowers before the apples had time to form. I very much hope that next year ---- for the first time since I have been in this village ---- I shall have my apples, your children will have their apples, and that the sight of the line of apple trees will be a pride to us both.

Otherwise I shall not express my annoyance simply in writing to you, but shall have to refer the matter to those capable of taking stronger action.

Yours sincerely,

J.GARDENER