hile it lasts."

That evening at dinner the new cider was sampled, and everybody
pronounced it very fine.

CHAPTER XXI

WHAT THE WELL CONTAINED

The next day everybody was out early.

"The men are going to clean the well," Harry told the others, "and it's
lots of fun to see all the stuff they bring up."

"Can we go?" Freddie asked.

"Nan will have to take charge of you and Flossie," said Mrs. Bobbsey,
"for wells are very dangerous, you know."

This was arranged, and the little ones promised to do exactly as Nan
told them.

The well to be cleaned was the big one at the corner of the road and
the lane. From the well a number of families got their supply of water,
and it being on the road many passersby also enjoyed from it a good
cold drink.

"There they come," called Bert, as two men dressed like divers came up
the road.

They wore complete rubber suits, hip-boots, rubber coats, and rubber
caps. Then they had some queer-looking machines, a windlass, a force
pump, grappling irons, and other tools.

The boys gathered around the men--all interested, of course, in the
work.

"Now keep back," ordered Nan to the little ones. "You can see just as
well from this big stone, and you will not be in any danger here."

So Freddie and Flossie mounted the rock while the large boys got in
closer to the well.

First the men removed the well shelter--the wooden house that covered
the well. Then they put over the big hole a platform open in the
center. Over this they set up the windlass, and then one of the men got
in a big bucket.

"Oh, he'll get drownded!" cried Freddie.

"No, he won't," said Flossie. "He's a diver like's in my picture book."

"Is he, Nan?" asked the other little one.

"Yes, he is one kind of a diver," the sister explained, "only he
doesn't have to wear that funny hat with air pipes in it like ocean
divers wear."

"But he's away down in the water now," persisted Freddie. "Maybe he's
dead."

"See, there he is up again," said Nan, as the man in the bucket stepped
out on the platform over the well.

"He just went down to see how deep the water was," Bert called over.
"Now they are going to pump it out."

The queer-looking pump, with great long pipes was now sunk into the
well, and soon a strong stream of water was flowing from the spout.

"Oh, let's sail boats!" exclaimed Freddie, and then all the bits of
clean sticks and boards around were turned into boats by Flossie and
Freddie. As