s enough fer a poor woman loike me. It's
Mrs. Bangs' wash, so it is. Nothin' suits that lady, an' she always
wants to pay less than she agreed."

"You mean Bob Bangs' mother?"

"Th' same, Randy. Oh, they are a hard-hearted family, so they are!"

"I believe you. And yet Mr. Bangs is rich."

"It's little enough I see of his money," sighed Mrs. Gilligan.
"Although I do me besht wid the washin' an' ironin', so I do!"

"It's a wonder Mrs. Bangs don't make the servant do the washing and
ironing."

"She did make the other wan do that same. But the new one can't iron
an' won't try, so I have the work, an' the girrul gits less wages,"
answered the Irishwoman.

When Randy returned home he found supper almost ready. The appetizing
odor of frying fish filled the air. A few minutes later Mr. Thompson
came in.

Louis Thompson was a man a little past middle age, tall and thin and
not unlike Randy in the general appearance of his face. He was not a
strong man, and the winter before had been laid up with a severe attack
of rheumatism.

"That smells good," he said, with a smile, as he kissed his wife. "I
like fish."

"Randy just caught them."

"Good enough."

"You look tired, Louis," went on Mrs. Thompson. "Was the work extra
hard?"

"Not much harder than usual, Lucy, but I was working on a cellar
partition and it was very damp. It brought back a bit of the
rheumatism."

"That is too bad."

"Can't the boss give you something else to do--something where it isn't
damp?" questioned Randy.

"I have asked him about it," answered his father. "But just at present
there is nothing else in sight."

"You must take care, Louis," said Mrs. Thompson. "It will not do to
risk having the rheumatism come back."

"I wish I could get something to do," said Randy, while the evening
meal was in progress. "I might earn some money and it would help. But
there doesn't seem to be any kind of an opening in Riverport."

"Times are rather dull," answered Mr. Thompson. "And I am afraid they
will be worse before they are better."

On the following day Randy went out after blackberries. Jack went with
him and the boys went up the stream in the latter's boat.

"If I can get a good mess mother is going to preserve some," said
Randy.

"I like blackberry jam," answered his friend.

The two boys had brought their lunch with them, intending to remain out
all day. By noon they had picked twelve quarts of berries and then sat
down by the rive