her has seen him wandering
about there so much. His anxiety not to be seen has piqued father's
curiosity, too. To tell the truth, that is what has kept father so much
interested in getting specimens up yonder," and the young man laughed.

"He tells me that he is sure there can be no great mineral wealth on the
farm; yet Spink has found, or is trying to find, some deposit of value
here----"

"Do tell him about the bottles, Lyd!" cried 'Phemie.

"Oh, well, that may be nothing----"

"What bottles?" demanded Harris, quickly. "Come on, girls, why not take me
fully into your confidence? I might be of some use, you know."

"But they were nothing but bottles of water," objected Lyddy.

"Bottles of water?" repeated the young chemist, slowly. "Who had them?"

"Spink," replied 'Phemie.

"What was he doing with them?"

She told him how they had watched the professor with his inexplicable
water bottles.

"Foolish; isn't it?" asked Lyddy.

"Sure--until we get the clue to it. Foolish to us, but mighty important
to Professor Spink. Therefore we ought to look into it. Father doesn't
know anything about this bottle business."

"Well, it's Sunday," sighed 'Phemie. "We can't do anything about the
mystery to-day."

But her sister was fully roused, and when Lyddy determined on a thing,
something usually came of it.

After breakfast, and after she had seen Lucas and his mother and Sairy
drive past on their way to chapel, she put on her sunbonnet and started
boldly for the neighboring farm, determined to have an interview with
Cyrus Pritchett.

CHAPTER XXVIII

THE SECRET REVEALED

Lyddy did not have to go all the way to the Pritchett farm to speak with
its proprietor. The farmer was wandering up Hillcrest way, looking at
the growing corn, and she met him at the corner where the two farms came
together.

"Mr. Pritchett," she said, abruptly, "I want to ask you a serious
question."

He looked at her in his surly way--from under his heavy brows--and said
nothing.

"You knew Mr. Spink when you were both boys; didn't you?"

The old man's look sharpened, but he only nodded. Cyrus was very chary
of words.

"Mr. Spink left Hillcrest this morning. Last night my sister caught him
in the east wing, trying to break open grandfather's desk with a burglar's
jimmy. I am not at all sure that I shan't have him arrested, anyway," said
Lyddy, with rising wrath, as she thought of the false professor's actions.

"Ha!" grunted