Part 9 (2/2)

”Oh, no fear of that!” said Robert Skyd, who was the quietest of the three brothers; ”don't you see the foundation of our future house is at least ten feet above the highest point to which the river seems to have risen in times past?”

”Ah, just so,” responded George, with the air of a man not convinced.

”Besides,” added John Skyd, lifting the iron pot off the fire and setting it down, ”I suppose that floods are not frequent, so we don't need to trouble ourselves about 'em.--Come, Dally, you'll join us?”

”No, thank 'ee. Much obleeged all the same, but I've got to prepare breakfast for our own party.--Goin' to begin plantin' soon?”

”As soon as ever we can get the soil broken up,” replied Dobson.

”Studied farmin'?” inquired George.

”Not much, but we flatter ourselves that what we do know will be of some service to us,” said John.

Dally made no reply, but he greatly doubted in his own mind the capacity of the brothers for the line of life they had chosen.

His judgment in this respect was proved correct a week later, when he and Edwin Brook had occasion to visit the brothers, whom they found hard at work ploughing and sowing.

”Come, this looks business-like!” exclaimed Brook heartily, as he shook hands with the brothers; ”you've evidently not been idle. I have just come to ask a favour of you, gentlemen.”

”We shall grant it with pleasure, if within our powers,” said Robert Skyd, who leaned on a spade with which he had been filling in a trench of about two feet deep.

”It is, that you will do me and Mrs Brook the pleasure of coming over to our location this afternoon to dinner. It is our Gertie's birthday.

She is thirteen to-day. In a rash moment we promised her a treat or surprise of some sort, but really the only surprise I can think of in such an out-of-the-way place is to have a dinner-party in her honour.

Will you come?”

The brothers at once agreed to do so, remarking, however, that they must complete the sowing of their carrot-seed before dinner if possible.

”What did you say you were sowing?” asked Brook, with a peculiar smile.

”Carrot-seed,” answered Robert Skyd.

”If your carrot-seed is sown _there_,” said George Dally, pointing with a broad grin to the trench, ”it's very likely to come up in England about the time it does here,--by sendin' its roots right through the world!”

”How? what do you mean?”

”The truth is, my dear sir,” said Brook good-humouredly, ”that you've made a slight mistake in this matter. Carrot-seed is usually sown in trenches less than an inch deep. You'd better leave off work just now and come over to my place at once. I'll give you some useful hints as we walk along.”

The knights of the quill laughed at their mistake, and at once threw down their implements of husbandry. But on going over their farm, Brook found it necessary to correct a few more mistakes, for he discovered that the active brothers had already planted a large quant.i.ty of Indian corn, or ”mealies,” entire, without knocking it off the cobs, and, in another spot of ground, a lot of young onions were planted with the roots upwards!

”You see, Miss Gertie,” said John Skyd, when commenting modestly on these mistakes at dinnertime, ”my brothers and I have all our lives had more to do with the planting of `houses' and the growth of commercial enterprise than with agricultural products, but we are sanguine that, with experience and perseverance, we shall overcome all our difficulties. Have _you_ found many difficulties to overcome!”

Gertie was not sure; she thought she had found a few, but none worth mentioning. Being somewhat put out by the question, she picked up a pebble--for the dinner was a species of picnic, served on the turf in front of Mr Brook's tent--and examined it with almost geological care.

”My daughter does not like to admit the existence of difficulties,” said Mrs Brook, coming to the rescue, ”and to say truth is seldom overcome by anything.”

”Oh, ma, how can you?” said Gertie, blus.h.i.+ng deeply.

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