ety or a hundred feet
farther down the bed of the brook. The pipe rested on heaps of stones
placed eight or ten feet apart and was thus elevated a foot and a half
from the ground; and directly beneath it a fire was kindled and kept
burning briskly all the time the washing was going on. The pipe was thus
exposed to the fire along its whole length; and it was found that the
water running through it was rendered very comfortably warm where it ran
out into the first tub. A short spout connected the first tub with the
other, set a little lower down, so that the warm water ran on into that
one. The sheep were first put into the lower tub and there soaped and
scrubbed, then taken to the upper tub and rinsed thoroughly.

"Now get out the wrench and pipe-tongs," said Addison. "The first thing
to do is to screw the pipe together."

This proved a task requiring some little muscular strength; and even
when we had done our best, several of the couplings leaked a little. We
put it together after awhile, however, and set the water running through
it to the two half-hogshead tubs, which had also to be lifted from the
cart and placed on a good foundation. Next, the sheep-yard, close beside
the tubs, had to be repaired, for the brush fence had sunk low during
the previous winter. Fresh bushes needed to be brought and a little
green spruce shrub with which to block up the hole that served as a
gate.

An hour or more elapsed while we were thus employed; and then, as we
were about ready to attend to the fire, we heard the voices of the
girls; and lo, besides Theodora and Ellen there was Gram herself, coming
down the pasture side.

"Good," said Addison. "They will help us drag brush and dry stuff from
the woods. It takes a lot of it to keep a good fire going. But the girls
like that. Nothing suits girls half so well as a fire out of doors. You
will see Gram herself fetching brush pretty soon.

"Just in time!" Addison shouted to them. "We were wishing for some help.
Now for a brush-bee!"--and he led the way to the edge of the woods, at a
little distance. "Gather up anything that will burn and carry it to the
pipe."

Soon we were all running to and fro with armfuls of it, and collected a
large heap, alongside the pipe, which was presently set blazing at one
end. From that point, the fire ran along beneath the whole line of pipe,
and very soon the water came out steaming into the half-hogsheads.

Erelong the bleating of the sheep and la