Part 26 (2/2)
”You think so now,” Jake rejoined ”You haven't been here very long and there's soet hold of one Then I don't know if the tractor's picturesque, and cutting down trees and hedges lish after you had done”
Jim looked at him rather hard ”Sometimes you're pretty s it with good grass and corn, and if the thing could be done econoht to pay”
”It's possible Are you keen about the profit? Or do you want a new big job?”
”I' to philosophize; that's your proper line,” Jih ”Let's see if the creeks could be dyked”
They went down the hill and plunged into a belt of tall dry grass, crossed a broad tract of sreen turf, dotted by thrift and silver weed, and pushed on to the lower flats where the sea-lavender and saradually filled eeds as they neared dry ground, and went ho by the causeway road Jih he told hih his brain
A day or two afterwards, dick Halliday and Mordaunt ca and were shown into the hall Jim was not there, but his pipe and some books lay about and the others sat down Presently dick picked up a book and saas the old French roraph shack He opened it carelessly and then started when he saw, _Franklin Dearhae He looked across at Mordaunt and hesitated, with a vague suspicion in hiswhen he opened the book at the shack, and if he had----
”You look as if you have found so,” Mordaunt re,” said dick, and felt relieved when he heard a step in the passage He did not think Mordaunt, sitting some distance off, knew the book
Next hted a cigarette Ji
”I don't know,” said Jirigg”
”Do youthe estate?” Mordaunt asked, rather sharply
”I did think about it, but don't know if I wentis rather an expensive house to e and the farhtful voice ”Have you any money?
Perhaps I'h to help , then?”
”If I stay, I'h I e the ss so the land can be worked on the economical Canadian plan The drawback is it may cost hed ”There are other drawbacks and it may cost you more than you know In this country you can't do what you like, and we resent experiments If you hborhood against you In a sense, the trees and hedgerows you'd cut down are your neighbors”
”I believe they're mine,” Jim rejoined dryly ”However, I don't suppose I'd bother anybody if I dyked and drained the marsh”
”Drain the marsh!+” Mordaunt exclaimed ”That's frankly ridiculous!
It's a favorite haunt of the Lag geese and, in a dry autumn, I don't know a better spot for snipe”
”There you are, you see!” dick interposed, with a twinkle ”Perhaps you don't understand that it's a serious ht disturb a nuh,”
Jim replied ”Anyhow, I haven't o round”