ck-and
before he has his breakfast, too."

"All right," said Hiram, knowing full well that there was nothing to
be made by quarreling with Sam Dickerson. "His returning the turkeys,
however, will not keep me from speaking to the constable the very next
time Pete plays any of his tricks around our place.

"It may be 'fun' for him; but it won't look so funny from the inside of
the town jail."

He walked off after this threat. And he was sorry he had said it. For he
had no real intention of having Pete arrested, and an empty threat is of
no use to anybody.

The turkeys came back; Sister did not even know that they had been
stolen, for when she went down to feed them about the middle of the
forenoon, all ten came running to her call.

But Pete Dickerson ceased from troubling for a time, much to Hiram's
satisfaction.

Meanwhile the crops were coming on finely. Hiram's tomatoes were
bringing good prices in Scoville, and as he had such a quantity and was
so much earlier than the other farmers around about, he did, as he told
Henry he would do, "skim the cream off the market."

He bought some crates and baskets in town, too, and shipped some of
the tomatoes to a produce man he knew in Crawberry--a man whom he could
trust to treat him fairly. During the season that man's checks to Mrs.
Atterson amounted to fifty-four dollars.

Three times a week the spring wagon went to town with vegetables for the
school, the hotels, and their retail customers. The whole family worked
long hours, and worked hard; but nobody complained.

No rain fell of any consequence until the latter part of July; and then
there was no danger of the river overflowing and drowning out the corn.

And that corn! By the last of July it was waist high, growing rank and
strong, and of that black-green color which delights the farmer's eye.

Mr. Bronson walked down to the river especially to see it. Like Hiram's
upland corn, there was scarcely a hill missing, save where the muskrats
had dug in from the river bank and disturbed the corn hills.

"That's the finest-looking corn in this county, bar none, Hiram,"
declared Bronson. "I have seldom seen better looking in the rich
bottom-lands of the West. And you certainly do keep it clean, boy."

"No use in putting in a crop if you don't 'tend it," said the young
farmer, sententiously.

"And what's this along here?" asked the gentleman, pointing to a row or
two of small stuff along the inner edge of the fie