“Don’t remind me of a barn yard where cattle are starving for lack of attention!” laughed Janet, starting away to do the chores required of a stock grower.
Norma alone remained after every one else had gone to their individual tasks, and after sweeping the log steps clean with an old broom that had been used about the lake, she walked slowly away from the fascinating scene, going backwards to be able to watch the trickling water from the spring just as long as she could.
Mr. Ames was hitching Ben to the cart when Norma reached the lawn. She stumbled in the rank growth of grass and said: “Mr. Ames, can’t you spare me a few more hours this afternoon, to mow down this hay? I can’t make the mower run through it, and it really is a shame to leave it this way for Sunday, when all the folks are expected from the city.”
“If I only had the scythe here I could stop and cut it, but it takes Ben so long to go home and back again.”
“I’ll send Frances over with the car—just wait until I ask Jimmy if it will be all right.” So saying Norma raced away.
Frances had already brought the car out of the barn in order to drive to the post office and bring Mrs. Tompkins back with the extra plants she had promised Norma and Mrs. James. So she willingly drove Norma to Ames’ farm to get the scythe. When the farm hand went to get it, he asked Norma:
“Do you want the single or double-handed blade?”
“I’m sure I don’t know, Jim, so I’ll take them both,” was Norma’s answer.
On the way back to Green Hill, Norma explained to Frances: “I’m glad I took both, because now Sam can use one while Ames uses the other scythe.”
Frances laughed and replied: “We ought to have a dozen at work in order to get that lawn down to a decent growth again.”