“You scouts all complained of aching backs and cramped muscles, so I thought you would not care to work any more today,” explained Miss Mason.
“But all my aches went away when I started to dig again,” confessed Janet and the others admitted to the same sudden cure.
So they voted to find and dig up as many berry bushes or wild grape vines or other fruit-bearing plants for the birds as they could find and carry away before supper time.
Consequently, there was quite a brave showing of bushes and vines along the fence line before twilight that evening. One of the girls discovered a small mulberry tree which was taken up with all its wide-spreading roots. But it took the combined help of four scouts to carry it safely from the woodland to the field.
The scouts at the house needed no alarm clock to rouse them the next morning, as every one was eager to see how much of the marsh had been drained out by the ditch they had dug. Rachel said they would have time to run out and look around before she would have breakfast ready, so out they went—all making for one objective, the front lawn where the marsh could best be inspected.
“Well, well! Who’d have thought a little thing like that ditch would make such a difference!” exclaimed Norma, the first to reach the place.
“It certainly looks encouraging, doesn’t it?” declared Janet, as she saw the clumps of bog now sticking up without any water in sight anywhere, excepting the tiny stream that ran from the spring in the middle of the area.
“Girls, how far down shall we build the dam?” asked Mrs. James.
“We’ll have to put it where it will best back up the water, won’t we?” asked Janet.
“We can build it where we like, if we want to expand our lake any larger or longer than we had first planned for.”