down by
the lake on Tom's drag; he will be at work there by that time."

"Oh, thank you, papa!"

He looked in his father's eyes, and what do you think he saw there? It
was a look which made him feel very glad he had tried to do right, and
it also made him resolve to ask God's help to be a good boy all the
time.

When Tom came back with a load, he pitched the stones down into the
cellar a little way beyond the place where Jim had put his.

"I guess, Squire," the man said, "a few loads more'll be all the mason
can use to-day."

"I should think so, Jim. I'll talk with him about it, and let you know
exactly what he wants. Are there many more stones in the old wall?"

"There's enough for this and your barn cellar, and all the stuff you'll
want in your road, or I'll lose my guess, Squire," the man answered,
laughing. "It does hold out wonderful. I s'pose you'll want us to make
clean work as far as we go."

"Yes, everything must be made smooth; I'm going to throw those two
mowing lots into one. There's a great deal of time lost every year in
mowing up close to the walls, and they seldom look neat even then. The
fewer boundaries the better, was my father's motto."

"Did you ever live in the country, Squire?"

"Yes, I was born and brought up on a farm."

"'Cause it's been a wonder to all the Oxford people," continued Jim,
"where you picked up such a heap of farming knowledge. Folks say you
could keep a school and larn farmers a sight more'n they know now."

"I'm much obliged to Oxford for its good opinion," answered Mr. Curtis,
with a merry laugh.

CHAPTER XI.

THE KIND BOY.

It does workmen good to hear a genuine, hearty laugh from their master.
Even the stone-masons, who were straining every nerve to lift a large
stone into its place, looked up with a smile, as Mr. Curtis' "ha! ha!
ha!" echoed from the hill.

The gentleman walked along the edge of the bank leading Winnie, while
Bertie, more cautious, kept at a respectful distance from the precipice.
They came at last to the bulkhead where the road had been made to the
cellar, and the gentleman, after a glance at Winnie's thin slippers
laced so nicely over the ankles, lifted the child again and walked down
where the masons were at work.

"May I go too, papa?" asked Bertie.

"Certainly. Come, and I'll ask the workmen to show you how to make a
stone wall."

"And will you please tell me what a bulkhead is?"

"Do you remember the door where Mr. Ta