“Well, you are the flower-scout, Norma, and grass is a decorative feature of the farm, so it comes under your work,” said Natalie, laughingly.
“All right, if I have charge of the grass, I’ll ask Janet the rent for the cow who is feeding on my grass. I ought to collect enought that way to pay for a new lawn mower.”
“If you do that, I’ll charge you for Sue’s services in keeping part of the lawn down since Saturday,” retorted Janet.
“Stop bandying words, girls, and come down to the cellar to help us carry the old mower out. It has to be tried out to see if the knives work all right,” ordered Natalie.
So the old lawn mower left by the last tenant, was dragged up the cellar steps and overhauled by Sam. He examined the wheels and pronounced them able to turn. Then he examined the blades and said they seemed all right, but needed grinding, maybe. He examined the rest of the mower and his final verdict was that the mower was as good as any new one from the shops. So it was decided that Norma should try it out on the lawn.
Norma was about to pull the lawn mower across the grass to the front plot, when Sam said: “Jus’ wait a minute and I’ll fetch some ile and ile the machinery to make it run easier.”
Rachel ran indoors to the pantry and found the oil bottle and brought it to her nephew who then oiled the mower quite liberally. The mower ran splendidly as long as it was being drawn over the grass in the reverse order for cutting, but once Norma started to push it the proper way to cut, its blades balked. They would not move the least.
Sam was watching, and when Norma called that the mower wouldn’t go, he crossed the grass and had another look at it.
“It went all right back by the kitchen door,” said he.
“But it didn’t have anything to cut when you had it on a box and began spinning the blades in the air,” argued Norma.