orked for an interval.

"Yes, I have."

"You show it," was the brief observation.

They moved on in silence up the field.

"Where'd you learn to handle that fork, sonny?" another voice shouted,
as they neared the farther wall.

"In Vermont," laughed Ted.

"I judged as much," grunted the speaker. "They don't train up farmers
of your size in this part of the world."

Ted flushed with pleasure and for the first time he stopped work and
mopped the perspiration from his forehead. He was hot and thirsty but
he found himself strangely exhilarated by the exercise and the sweet
morning air and sunshine. Again he took up his fork and tossed the
newly cut grass up into the light, spreading it on the ground with a
methodical sweep of his young arm. The sun had risen higher now and its
dazzling brilliance poured all about him. Up and down the meadow he
went and presently he was surprised to find himself alone near the
point from which he had started. His fellow-laborers were no longer in
sight. The field was very still and because it was, Ted began to
whistle softly to himself.

He was startled to hear a quiet laugh at his elbow.

"Don't you ever eat anything, kid?"

Mr. Wharton was standing beside him, a flicker of amusement in his gray
eyes.

"I didn't know it was noon," gasped Ted.

"We'll have to tie an alarm clock on you," chuckled the manager. "The
gang stopped work a quarter of an hour ago."

"I didn't notice they had."

The boy flushed. He felt very foolish to have been discovered working
there all by himself in this ridiculous fashion.

"I wanted to finish this side of the field and I forgot about the
time," he stammered apologetically.

"Have you done it to your satisfaction?"

"Yes, I'm just through."

For the life of him Ted could not tell whether the manager was laughing
at him or not. He kicked the turf sheepishly.

"Aren't you tired?" inquired Mr. Wharton at length.

"No--at least--well, I haven't thought about it. Perhaps I am a
little."

"And well you may be. You've put in a stiff morning's work. You'd
better go and wash up now and eat your lunch. Take your full hour of
rest. No matter if the others do get back here before you. Stevens says
you are worth any two of them, anyway."

"It's just that I'm used to it," was the modest reply.

"We'll let it go at that," Mr. Wharton returned ambiguously. "And one
thing more before you go. You needn't worry about staying on. We can
use you one