pe and directed them to Mr. Lyons, at Hetertown, indorsing them,
"In haste. To be transmitted to destination immediately."

"Now then," thought he, "nobody need know how these came over in the
first place, until we choose to tell them, and we won't do that until
we've sent over some messages in the regular way, and have proved that
our line is really of some use. And we won't charge the Mica Company
anything for these despatches. But yet, I don't know about that. I
certainly brought them over, and trouble enough I had to do it. I'll see
about charging, after I've talked it over with somebody. I reckon I'll
ask father about that. And I haven't delayed the messages, either; for
I've been waiting for Jim. I wonder where that boy can be!" And again
Harry went out of doors to listen.

Had he known that Jim was at that moment fast asleep in his bed at home,
Harry need not have gone to the door so often.

At last our operator began to be very sleepy, and having made up his
mind that if Jim arrived he would certainly wake him up, he aroused Aunt
Judy, who was now too sleepy to scold, and having succeeded in getting
her to lend him a blanket (it was her very best blanket, which she kept
for high days and holidays, and if she had been thoroughly awake she
would not have lent it for the purpose), and having spread it on the
floor, he lay down on it and was soon asleep.

Aunt Judy blew out one of the candles and set the other on the hearth.
Then she stumbled drowsily into the next room and shut the door after
her. In a few minutes every living creature in and about the place was
fast asleep, excepting some tree-frogs and katydids outside, who seemed
to have made up their minds to stay up all night.

CHAPTER XXV.

PROFITS AND PROJECTS.

The next morning, Harry was up quite early, and after having eaten a
very plain breakfast, which Aunt Judy prepared for him, he ran down to
the creek to see what chance there was for business.

There seemed to be a very good chance, for the creek had not fallen,
that was certain. If there was any change at all, the water seemed a
little higher than it was before.

Before long, Harvey arrived on the other side, accompanied by Tom Selden
and Wilson Ogden, who were very anxious to see how matters would
progress, now that there was some real work to do.

The boys sent messages and greetings backward and forward to each other
for about an hour, and then old Miles arrived with his mailba