But no one heard her wail so she got up after a time and limped back to the lawn mower. She looked it over and in spite of her annoyance, she admitted that the machine looked very smart and capable in its crimson paint and gold trimmings. Then she took hold of the handle and tried to push it over to the grass.
Rachel heard the click of the knives and came to an upper window to look out. When she saw Norma pushing the mower through the grass without having any effect on the long blades, she called out.
“Dat hay is so long by dis time, dat it’ll take Ames’s scythe and a day’s cuttin’ to chop it down fairly well for dat mower to go in and cut.”
Norma now glanced up at the head stuck out of the window and said: “Did you leave that mower right where any one could fall over it?”
“Now, Honey, I ain’t Gen’l Washerton who neber tol’ a lie—but I kin say dis much—if it’ll help dat toe enny, I diden shove the mower in your way, but I knows who did do it!”
“Who! I’m going to tell them what I think of them!” said Norma, with a flushed face.
“I ain’t goin’ to tell—see!” and Rachel quickly drew her laughing face out of sight, and Norma stood fuming for nothing.
About this time, Janet ran along the lane and called to Norma. Being only too glad to leave the mower in the uncut grass and find an excuse to go with Janet to help her in some work, Norma met her half way.
“Say! I just had a fine idea about the pigs’ bathing pool. If I make a concrete bath in the present pen, I will have to keep filling it with water every day. But if I move the pen over to the little brook, they can swim about and bathe as much as they like, and the water will always be clean, because it will run off continually, you see. Don’t you think it would be a simpler matter to move the pig pen than to carry water every day?”
“Of course, but what will you do with the pigs while you are moving the pen and house?” asked Norma.