tagonist on the eve of
contest. "It's a shame that this could not all have been improved at
one time."

"I'd just as lief have my part of it the way it is," said Silas. "It's
no good now, but it's as good as yours," and he climbed into his buggy
and drove away laughing, leaving Bobby strangely dissatisfied and
doubtful over that strange remark.

While he was still trying to unravel it, he noted that the water in
Silas' pond, which but a day or so previously had been down to fully
nine inches from the top, was now climbing rapidly upward again; and
there had been no rain for more than two weeks! The thing was
inexplicable. He was still puzzling over this as he drove down the
road and turned in at broad Burnit Avenue toward the club-house. The
asphalt and the pavements were bone dry and as clean as a ball-room
floor, and it seemed to him that the young grass was growing greener
and higher here than anywhere.

Suddenly he ordered his chauffeur to stop the machine. He had just
passed a lot where, amid the tufts of green, his eye had caught the
glint of water. Running back to it he saw that the center of that lot
was covered by a small pool scarcely half an inch deep, through which
the grass was growing dankly. This, too, was queer, for the hot sun
and strong breeze of the past few days should have dried up every
vestige of moisture. He walked along the sidewalk, studying each of
the lots in turn. Here and there he discovered other small pools, and
every lot bore the appearance of having just been freshly and too
liberally watered. He stepped from the pavement upon the earth, and to
his surprise his foot sank into it to the depth of an inch or more.
For a while he was deeply worried, but presently it flashed upon him
that all this soil had been dumped into the marsh, displacing the
water, and that in this process it had naturally become soaked through
and through. Of course it would take a long time to dry out and it
would be all the better for its moisture. The rate at which grass was
growing was proof enough of that.

On the next day, kept busy by the preparations for the big opening,
Bobby did not get out to the Applerod Addition until evening again. As
he neared it he met Silas Trimmer coming back in his buck-board, that
false circle around his mouth very much in evidence.

"You ought to have had your opening yesterday. I'd have been tempted
to buy a lot myself then," shouted Silas as he passed, and Bobby was
sure