cart rubbish to, and hauling trees to set out as they get it leveled
down. If 'twa'n't perfectly ridiculous I'd say 'twas to be a park--just
imagine a _park_!"

Both laughed gruffly, while a loiterer or two, just passing in or out
the swing doors, who had stopped to listen, joined in.

"The thing 't really is so," observed one of these with his hand on the
door, "is that they're a-goin' to have a church. It's so, Bill! Ground
was broke for it to-day, and I've seen the plan, and who do you think's
goin' to boss the job?"

"Who? Oh, some big architec' from town, of course," sneered Hapgood.

"Now, that's where you're off the track. It's Gus Peters."

"What? Gus Peters!"

Both men looked up, startled into real interest.

"How did it happen?" asked Nate.

"Don't know. It seems he's been studyin' the business, evenings and all.
He's allays mooning over plans and drawings; and so they've give the job
to him."

"Well, I never!" cried Hapgood. "That awk'ard--why, he can't finish off
a glass rod without break-in' it, or burning himself!"

"No, he's no blower!" laughed the other. "Nary kind, I reckon. But they
do say he's great on drawing plans. I'm glad there's something he can
do, and I guess it was a lucky day for him when he burnt his arms so
bad. We thought he'd have to go on the county, sure, with his hands so
helpless, but he seems to 've got along first-rate."

"Did he have an accident policy?"

"Don't know. Never heard of none. They say some relation or other's been
keepin' him in cash. Have a drink, Bill?"

"Well, don't care if I do. It's gettin' thirsty weather these warm
days."

Nate Tierney, the dark man, looked after him and chuckled again.

"It most generally is thirsty weather for Bill," he ruminated alone as
the men crowded within. "Guess I'll go along and take a look at Lucy and
the babies. Kinder seems to me if I had a lot o' nice little gals like
that I wouldn't git thirsty quite so often--but I don't know. The
stuff's powerful comfortin' when you git tired of rememberin'--I've
noticed that."

He strolled slowly down the lane-like street between the rows of houses,
like peas in a pod for sameness, and stopped, with a smile on his honest
face, as a little girl burst suddenly from the door of one and, closely
pursued by another, just a step higher, ran shrieking with laughing
fright right into his outstretched arms.

"There! I've caught you now," he cried, then called to the pursuer.
"What