“Evidently, it hasn’t occurred to him—or anybody,” said Ben.
“No; he’s too high to be a gleaner; wants real mines with drifts and tunnels and mills to make his money melt. Now’f I was goin’ to do this job, I’d put in a rough ’rastra—just a round bed of bricks, with a two-foot wall ’round it.”
Ben did not reply, but he tried to look wise.
“That’s about your plan, I reckon?”
“Yes,” the boy said, “I’ve been thinking that an arastra, such as you describe, would be the best thing.”
“Then you know all about one, of course?”
“No, I don’t; not by a long sight. I’ve seen one at work, but I didn’t pay much attention to it—I was so young at the time.”
“O, in that case p’raps you’d like to have me describe one to you?”
“I would, indeed,” Ben fervently replied.