g to dinner or supper. But I never
accept money."

"Sartin!" cried the old man. "Yer, ol' woman!" (it must be remembered
that Mrs. Wiggett was forty years younger than her husband), "fly
round,--make things hum,--git up a supper as suddent as ye kin, an' ax
our friend yer. Whur's that Sal?"

Mrs. Wiggett, who had appeared all pride and sunny smiles regarding her
noon-mark (particularly after hearing it was not to be paid for), fell
suddenly into a stormy mood, and once more began to cuff the children
right and left.

Jack hastened to relieve her mind by saying that Mr. Wiggett had quite
mistaken his meaning; that he had an engagement which must deprive him
of the pleasure of taking supper with her and her interesting family.
Thereupon she brightened again. The old man shook him warmly by the
hand; and Jack, putting his compass into the buggy, drove back up the
valley road.

Vinnie had told him that the Betterson boys were cutting logs for their
aqueduct; and hearing the sound of an axe on his way back, Jack tied
Snowfoot to a sapling by the road, and went up into the woods to find
them.

"What! you coming too, Lion?" he said, after he had gone several rods.
"Didn't I tell you to watch? Well, I believe I didn't. Never mind;
Snowfoot is hitched."

He found Rufe and Wad cutting trees with great industry, having
determined to have the logs laid from the spring to the house without
delay.

"We've taken the farm of father, as you suggested," said Wad. "He is
helping us do the fall ploughing while we get out our logs. He and Link
are at it with the oxen, over beyond the house, now."

"And where's that precious cousin of yours?"

"I believe he has gone to the house to see if supper is about ready,"
said Rufe. "He's smart to work, when he does take hold, but his interest
doesn't hold out, and the first we know, he is off."

Jack stopped and talked with the boys about their water-works for about
half an hour. Then Rad came up through the woods, by way of the spring,
and announced that supper was ready, greeting Jack with a jeering laugh.

"You'll take tea with us, of course," Rufe said to Jack.

"I suppose your father will be at the house by this time; I'll stop and
see him, at any rate," was Jack's reply.

Rufe went with him down through the woods to where Snowfoot was left
hitched. As they were getting into the buggy, Rufe noticed Zeph Peakslow
coming out of some bushes farther down the road, and going towards