“Most sensible thing you could have done,” commented Andy, in such a matter-of-fact tone that the girls’ embarrassment vanished, and in a few minutes they were walking along the contour with him, watching the water spread over the fields, as unconcernedly as though they were in their regular skirts.
So evenly that it amazed the young homesteaders did the water flow onto the prepared ground, the borders holding it with very little seepage.
“It’s two and a half inches deep,” Ted announced, after thrusting a foot rule into the pond which covered one of the fields.
“Better give it another inch, it won’t do any harm,” advised Andy, and when the desired depth had been obtained, Phil hastened back to close the head gate.
When this had been shut, the others closed the first lateral, and arranged the canvas dams to turn the water into the second field, repeating the operation with the two remaining fields.
“Isn’t Andy a perfect dear?” exclaimed Sallie, when she and Margie were back at the cabin, changing into the ordinary clothes. “There are not many men who would have been as nice about seeing us in those overalls.”
“He’s got plenty of sense,” commented her sister. “But he isn’t a bit nicer than Chester would have been.”
“So that’s the way the wind is blowing, eh?” laughed the elder girl. Then chancing to look out the window, she said: “Speaking of angels, here your lookout is.”
Rapidly they dressed and joined the boys and their two friends.
“I’m the answer book,” smiled Chester, as he greeted the girls. “I’ve found out a lot of things which will clear up several points. Mr. Jackson and I have been questioning Petersen again. He laid the setting of the fire to two of his men who, he declared, in order to vent their spite on him, had set fire to the sawdust pile and then disappeared. Of course, we didn’t believe him. Something he said, however, gave me an idea, and I located the men he accused, fellows known as Shorty and Tot. By pretending to know more than I did, and telling them that Petersen had laid the blame for the fire at their door, they told me he had hired them to set the pile afire and when they had done it, refused to pay them, declaring that he would have them arrested for arson. He promised them a hundred dollars.”