Ames jumped out of the wagon and crossed the grass. He looked it over critically, smiled at the way Sam had adjusted the parts in the wrong places and then took apart the mower again. He felt of the blades and looked, to report, to Natalie.
“Fust thing, them blades is so dull they won’t cut soft butter. And next thing, there’s a nut missing from inside.”
Everyone went down upon her knees to hunt for the nut and after a diligent search in the grass, found it. Mr. Ames fastened it in place and then shoved the mower a few feet across the grass. It ran nicely, now, but the knives did not cut anything.
“I’ll get behind and push it good and hard and see if it cuts,” offered Norma, jumping up to do as she had said.
The mower ran noisily across the grass, the blades clicking loud enough to chop down forest trees. But not a wisp of grass was cut when Norma finished the length of the lawn.
“It won’t cut!” declared Mr. Ames.
“But the knives revolve all right. They wouldn’t do even that before you fixed them,” replied Natalie.
“Maybe the grass is too long and needs a top-cutting,” suggested Janet.
“I says it ain’t no good, whatever. Quickest way to cut that grass is to buy a new mower at Four Corners,” said Mr. Ames.
Norma had stood still while this talk was going on but she now called out: “I’ll try it once more. I’ll run it through the middle of the lawn where the cow grazed off some of the longest grass. Maybe it will cut there.”