IV

DRAINING THE POND


It was quite evident to Bob the next morning that his uncle was
worrying about something; he was not only absent-minded, but he was
short and crusty and found fault with everything that Bob did.

It was Sunday, and after the chores were finished, Bob walked down
back of the barn and stood looking at the pond for quite a while,
pondering over what the banker and insurance man had said. Then he
walked over to the west slope which ran along the side of the small
hill where the house and barn stood and examined the contour of the
ground carefully.

"What are you trying to discover in the hog lot, Bob?" asked his
uncle, suddenly coming up behind him.

Bob's face was very serious, and he looked up at his uncle a moment
before replying.

"I was just wondering how much it would cost to hire a man to grade a
road up the side of this slope and get rid of the steep hill in front
of the barn."

"What an idea!" exclaimed his uncle. "Hire a man, indeed! You must be
crazy. We don't hire any men to work on this farm."