“Well, that’s settled, then. Some of you scouts will see to it that the rocks are delivered on the shores of the lake,” said Mrs. James. Then she went on: “Some will have to dig up the bushes and young trees in the woodland stretch, over on the other side, and carefully transplant them in suitable pits dug to receive them on the shores of the pool.”
A group of scouts was told off for this work and Janet with a number of friends were ordered to bring well-rotted cow manure from Ames’s farm and mix it with the soft muck which would be cleared out of the hollow. Small heaps of this mixture would be left at intervals all around the lake, so it could be readily shovelled back and spread out to form a rich soil under the water where water lilies, Egyptian lotus and iris could be planted.
“Another task that must be attended to is the carting of nice white sand to the fence line in front; so it can be used when the lake bottom is all finished. The sand must be spread out about an inch in depth, all over the compost soil, to keep the water clear. I’m going to hire Ames’s cart and farm horse to do this work. The sand from a pit half a mile down the road is just the kind we will need, so a few of you scouts can drive there and attend to this branch of work,” said Mrs. James.
But the majority of the scouts were chosen to help work on the clearing of the land. Not only were they willing to drag away the tough roots of old nettles and reeds, but they offered to help dig out the bog and carry the muck up from the hollow to heap it where Mrs. James would designate.
When Hester Tompkins went home that night and told her parents of the plan to turn the wild briar patch into a water garden, they thought it was splendid, and offered to assist in the work in any way Mrs. James needed them. So the next morning found Mrs. Tompkins ready to go with Hester to walk to the farm and begin to work for the future lake.
Mr. Tompkins had no trouble in borrowing the heavy truck from the baggage office at the station, and when Frances started for Green Hill, pulling the truck behind the automobile, several of the natives stood laughing. But the store keeper suggested a better way to help than by standing there laughing at nothing.
“I say! we husky men pitch in and help them gals root up the rocks they want for their garden. We all own crow bars, and we know how to handle a rock, so let’s pitch in, says I, eh?”
Most of the men had heard of the scouts’ farming and other work at Green Hill and every one wanted to inspect the place and see what these girls could do, so they agreed to join Si Tompkins and help collect the rocks for the garden. Had it not been for the strength and experience these men had to pry the rocks out of their resting places and remove them to the water garden which they were meant to beautify, it is doubtful if the girls could have finished that work quite so speedily.
When Mrs. Tompkins reached the house at Green Hill, she was welcomed by the girls because they knew she could advise them in many ways that would help the work along faster and better.
As Mrs. James led the way to the briar patch, Mrs. Tompkins said: “Have you planned to have a Japanese garden, or just a pool?”