n that house. Had it been daylight, when
they could have been at work, the hours would not have seemed nearly as
long; but, in the evening, the time passed so slowly that it almost
seemed as if there was a conspiracy of the clocks, and that their hands
were only moving about half as fast as they should have done.

Then came the night, when every one went to bed and tried to sleep; but
three in that household succeeded very badly, and who those three were
may be very easily imagined.

Next morning, every one was up so early that the hens were frightened
from their roosts half an hour before their regular time, and the
breakfast had been eaten fully an hour before it was customary to begin
to prepare it.

George showed the effects of his anxiety very plainly, and had his
mother not feared the suspense would be worse for him than the fatigue,
she would have tried to induce him to remain in the house instead of
going to the well as had been agreed upon.

Bob, who had visited the scene of operations before breakfast, again
announced that "everything was all right," and that one more load of
tubing would give them sufficient.

Under the pretext that there were a great many things which it was
necessary for him to attend to, while everyone knew he was simply
inventing work for the purpose of hiding his anxiety, he insisted that
Ralph, Jim and Dick should help George out to the well when he was ready
to come, and then he hurried away.

The charge would not be exploded until nearly noon, and on the night
before it had been agreed that George should not venture out until a
short time before the decisive moment; but now that the time was so near
at hand, he could not remain in the house, and the result was that his
mother and Ralph agreed he should go at once.

An easy chair was carried out in the grove, and placed at a safe
distance from the well, but where he could have a good view of what was
going on. Then, with Ralph at one side, Dick at the other, Mrs. Simpson
ahead, carrying a foot-stool and a fan, and his mother in the rear, with
a bottle of salts and an umbrella, the cortege started, its general
dignity sadly marred when the party were obliged to climb the fence.

Bob was nowhere to be seen when the invalid and his attendants arrived
at the reserved seat, but before he was comfortably seated the
superintendent came up with another announcement that "everything was
all right," and aided them in disposing of George