“Thet’s right, thet’s right!” he exclaimed. “Now I’ll go order the lumber, an’ bring yer the estimate termorrer.”
“Seems to me the usual proceeding would be the other way around!” I gasped.
“Well, yer want me ter do the job, don’t yer? Or don’t yer?” he said brusquely.
“Of course, of course!” I amended hastily. “Go ahead!”
Hard climbed into a broken-down wagon, and disappeared. “Don’t you worry,” said Bert. “I’ll see he treats yer right.”
“It isn’t that,” I said sadly. “It’s that I’ve just remembered I forgot to include any painters’ bills in my own estimate.”
Bert looked at me in a kind of speechless pity for a moment. Then he said slowly: “Wal, I’ll be swizzled! Wait till I tell maw! An’ her always stickin’ up fer a college education!”
“Just for that, I’ll show you!” cried I. “I never trimmed an apple tree in my life, but I’m going to work on this orchard, and I’m going to save it, all myself. It will be better than yours in three years.”
“Go to it,” laughed Bert. “Come back fer dinner, though. Neow I’ll drive over ter the depot an’ git yer freight. They telephoned this mornin’ it had come.”
“Good!” I cried. “You might bring me a bag of cement, too, and a gallon of carbolic acid.”