Walter looked rather eagerly into his father’s face when Mr. Borden came out of the barn, but as his father smiled and did not refer to what he had seen inside the building he did not voice the question he was eager to ask.
As the two drew near the place where Dan and his brother were hoeing, the young farmers did not stop their labors as they pleasantly greeted their visitors.
“We are on our way back home and just stopped a moment to look at your potato-field,” Mr. Borden explained. “You certainly have a promising crop, boys.”
“Yes, sir,” replied Dan glancing with pride at the long and well-cultivated rows. “We have had an unusually good summer.”
“Is this the last hoeing?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’ll still have to fight the bugs, won’t you?”
“Oh yes,” said Dan smiling as he spoke. “They keep us from getting lazy. I don’t know what they were made for anyway.”
“When you do find out you must not forget to let the rest of us know. You might investigate mosquitoes and a few other creatures while you are at it.”