"Oh! he told me he was going to build a cement walk right from the door here to the river, and do lots of other things; and best of all, mother, he is going to build a boat, a real boat, that will be driven by a gasoline engine, just like Walter Scott's. That will be glorious! I can take you and Jessie up the river to Belville to see aunty, whenever you want to go."
"Very well, George; we will see about that after the boat is ready to take on passengers."
Breakfast over, the whole family walked out to see the newly acquired property. They had all seen and walked over the grounds often, but never before with that feeling of pride in ownership which possession creates.
As there could be no objection to the removal of the line fence between the newly acquired property and the homestead, Fred got a handsaw, and cut down a part of it, making an opening some nine or ten feet wide, so that all could pass into the new place without climbing or stumbling.
The old barn was the first thing examined, and it was found to be in a state of good preservation, and quite large. It had been built—perhaps in Colonial times—of heavy timber, oak, chestnut, and pine, and it contained enough timber and lumber to build two or three small cottages. There was a big pile of broken bricks and mortar lying against one side of the barn; and another large pile of bowlders, or field stones, near the fence. "These," Fred said, "will be fine to build a little landing place or pier for the boat. The broken bricks and hard mortar will make grand stuff for the foundation of the cement pathway."
There were also two or three small buildings on the place. One had been used for a poultry house, another for a tool house, and a third seemed to have been a sort of cattle shed. Mr. Gregg suggested their removal, of which all approved.
There were quite a number of good-sized trees on the grounds, and these rendered it a little difficult to set out a straight line to the river for the cement walk, without cutting down several, which could not be considered. There was one direction, however, that would admit of a walk, about four feet wide, but there were some big rocks or bowlders in the way, that would have to be removed before a straight path could be made. Still it was decided to put it there.
"The rocks," said the father, "can be removed by blasting, by lifting them out of their beds and rolling them aside, or moving them down to the river, where they will form a good protection against both current and ice."
"I think they can be moved," said Fred, "if I can get levers and rollers; and they will make fine breakwater stones."
Jessie found two suitable trees, upon which Fred promised to put up a strong rope swing, as soon as the place could be cleaned up and made tidy.