blistered!"

"What of that?" said Tom, shovelling steadily; "the honest hand of
toil, you know." But Gem didn't know, and betook herself to the shade
of the bushes for a rest. "There's Dick Nelson coming up through the
pasture, Tom," she said, after a few moments.

"Is it? oh, how jolly! Now we'll have a shanty that will beat the
town. I'll get Dick to bring all the B. B.'s to help."

So saying, Tom ran down to meet his friend, and the two, after some
conversation, darted away to the right and the left, returning in
about fifteen minutes with the "Band of Brothers," as they called
themselves, a number of boys who lived in the vicinity, and hunted in
a herd, as the neighbors said, for they were seldom seen apart.

"The B. B.'s have come, Gem! the B. B's have come!" cried Tom, as they
approached; "now you'll see a shanty fit for a king! Just run in and
get all the shovels you can find, will you?"

Gem obeyed, and having confiscated those in use in the kitchen, she
went up to the garret to find the fire utensils belonging to the other
rooms, stored away there for the summer. Collecting a number, she
started to return, but, loaded as she was, this was no easy matter.
First one shovel fell, then another, and finally to save the whole
load from going, she sat down on the stairs and considered the
situation.

Hugh and Bessie were still in the studio; for, her troubles over,
Bessie's good spirits had returned, and she had persuaded Hugh to give