Frank appeared with a hatchet and chopped a clear space in the
hedge between his own house and the cottage; next, a clothes line was
passed through this aperture and fastened somewhere on the other side;
lastly, a small covered basket, slung on this rope, was seen hitching
along, drawn either way by a set of strings; then, as if satisfied with
his job, Frank retired, whistling "Hail Columbia."

"It's those children at their pranks again. I thought broken bones
wouldn't keep them out of mischief long," said the old lady, watching
with great interest the mysterious basket travelling up and down the
rope from the big house to the cottage.

If she had seen what came and went over the wires of the "Great
International Telegraph," she would have laughed till her spectacles
flew off her Roman nose. A letter from Jack, with a large orange, went
first, explaining the new enterprise:--

"Dear Jill,--It's too bad you can't come over to see me. I am pretty
well, but awful tired of keeping still. I want to see you ever so much.
Frank has fixed us a telegraph, so we can write and send things. Won't
it be jolly! I can't look out to see him do it; but, when you pull your
string, my little bell rings, and I know a message is coming. I send you
an orange. Do you like _gorver_ jelly? People send in lots of goodies,
and we will go halves. Good-by.

"Jack"

Away went the basket, and in fifteen minutes it came back from the
cottage with nothing in it but the orange.

"Hullo! Is she mad?" asked Jack, as Frank brought the despatch for him
to examine.

But, at the first touch, the hollow peel opened, and out fell a letter,
two gum-drops, and an owl made of a peanut, with round eyes drawn at the
end where the stem formed a funny beak. Two bits of straw were the legs,
and the face looked so like Dr. Whiting that both boys laughed at the
sight.

"That's so like Jill; she'd make fun if she was half dead. Let's see
what she says;" and Jack read the little note, which showed a sad
neglect of the spelling-book:--

"Dear Jacky,--I can't stir and it's horrid. The telly graf is very nice
and we will have fun with it. I never ate any _gorver_ jelly. The orange
was first rate. Send me a book to read. All about bears and ships
and crockydiles. The doctor was coming to see you, so I sent him the
quickest way. Molly Loo says it is dreadful lonesome at school without
us. Yours truly,

"Jill"

Jack immediately despatched the book and a sample of