le tinkering in the barn camp, especially in strengthening
the stays of the shower-bath tank, when, as he was on his knees
fastening a brace to a post, in some inexplicable manner the string was
pulled and the contents of the entire barrel of cold well-water were
released, the first sprinkle so astonishing and bewildering poor Amos
that he remained where he was, and so received a complete drenching.

Bart and Larry were up in the woods getting the day's load of hemlocks,
and I, hearing the spluttering and groans, went to Amos's rescue as well
as I could, and together with Maria Maxwell got him to the kitchen,
where hot tea and dry clothes should have completely revived him in
spite of age. As, however, to-day, it seems, is the anniversary of a
famous illness he acquired back in '64, on his return from the Civil
War, the peculiarities of which he has not yet ceased proclaiming, he is
evidently determined to celebrate it forthwith, so he has taken to his
bed, groaning with a stitch in his side. The doctor has been telephoned,
and Maria Maxwell, as usual bursting with energy, which on this occasion
takes a form between that of a dutiful daughter and a genuine country
neighbour, has gone over to Opal Farm to tidy up a bit until the doctor
gives his decision and some native woman, agreeable to Amos's taste, can
be found to look after the interesting yet aggravating crank.

But this is not all. Amos declines to allow Larry to lodge in the house
for another night, attributing the ducking to him, in spite of the fact
that he was at least six miles away. In this both Bart and I think Amos
right, for Larry's eye had a most inquiring expression on his return,
and I detected him slipping into the old barn at the first opportunity
to see if the tank was empty, while Bart says that he has been talking
to himself in a gleeful mood all the morning, and so he has decided
that, as Larry has worked long enough to justify it, he will buy him a
prepaid passage home to his daughter and see him off personally by
to-morrow's steamer. As Amos will have none of Larry, to send the man
into village lodgings would probably hasten his downfall. I did hope to
keep him until autumn, for he has taught me not a little gardening in a
genial and irresponsible sort of way, and the rose garden is laid out in
a manner that would do credit to a trained man, Larry having the rare
combination of seeing a straight line and yet being able to turn a
graceful curve