ink Adolph has been keeping it muddy--throwing in
soft dirt--and he made a good and plenty lot out of pulling out
tourists. Bill and I are going down right now and fill it up with stone.
Milt Daggett come through here--he's got a nerve, that fellow, but I
did have to laugh--he says to me, 'Barney----' This was just now. He
hasn't more than just drove out of town. He said to me, 'Barney,' he
says, 'you're the richest man in this township, and the banker, and you
got a big car y'self, and you think you're one whale of a political
boss,' he says, 'and yet you let that Zolzac maintain a private ocean,
against the peace and damn horrible inconvenience of the Commonwealth of
Minnesota----' He's got a great line of talk, that fellow. He told me
how you got stuck--made me so ashamed--I been to New York myself--and
right away I got Bill, and we're going down and hold a donation and
surprise party on Adolph and fill that hole."

"But won't Adolph dig it out again?"

The banker was puffy, but his eyes were of stone. From the truck he took
a shotgun. He drawled, "In that case, the surprise party will include an
elegant wake."

"But how did---- Who is this extraordinary Milt Daggett?"

"Him? Oh, nobody 'specially. He's just a fellow down here at
Schoenstrom. But we all know him. Goes to all the dances, thirty miles
around. Thing about him is: if he sees something wrong, he picks out
some poor fellow like me, and says what he thinks."

Claire drove on. She was aware that she was looking for Milt's bug. It
was not in sight.

"Father," she exclaimed, "do you realize that this lad didn't tell us he
was going to have the hole filled? Just did it. He frightens me. I'm
afraid that when we reach Gopher Prairie for the night, we'll find he
has engaged for us the suite that Prince Collars and Cuffs once slept
in."

"Hhhhmm," yawned her father.

"Curious young man. He said, 'Pleased to meet you.'"

"Huuuuhhm! Fresh air makes me so sleepy."

"And---- Fooled you! Got through that mudhole, anyway! And he said----
Look! Fields stretch out so here, and not a tree except the
willow-groves round those farmhouses. And he said 'Gee' so many times,
and 'dinner' for the noon meal. And his nails---- No, I suppose he
really is just a farm youngster."

Mr. Boltwood did not answer. His machine-finish smile indicated an
enormous lack of interest in young men in Teal bugs.

CHAPTER IV

A ROOM WITHOUT

Gopher Prairie has all of five t