the room into which her father retired to have his evening smoke, to take a friend, or to do a little private business.

When seated, Mr. Gregg called Fred to his desk, and talked over some home affairs before he said: "Now, my boy, since I have secured the property behind us, as you children desired, I shall expect you and George to help by your labour, and by the knowledge you obtained at the training school, in making the improvements on the land and the water front we have talked of so often. I am sure, with my advice and assistance, you will be able to do most of the work, or at least to superintend it in such a way that the labour and expenditure will not be wasted. You know, Fred, I am not a rich man, so cannot afford to waste money on experiments."

"Indeed, father," said Fred, "I will do all I can. You may count on my giving my best attention to whatever work and improvements you entrust me with."

"That is well said, my boy, and what I expected from you. We will begin operations by putting down a cement pathway from the walk now leading to the house from the street, and continue it to the river, where you must build a small boat house and workshop, as I intend either to purchase a small gasoline launch for our own use, or have you build one, if you feel equal to that."

"Oh! father, you are so good," said Fred. "There is nothing I'd like better than to do this work, and particularly to build a boat. I'm sure I can do that with your help and advice. As to putting down the pathway, that I can do very well, after my good training in cement works."

"All right, my son. We'll see in the morning what old material we have on the two places which can be used. There must be quite a quantity of lumber, timber, bricks, hard mortar, and plaster in and about the old barn and the smaller buildings."

The next morning George evidently had something on his mind, and seemed to be on the point of explosion. Mrs. Gregg noticed this and said to him, "Why are you so restless this morning? Why don't you finish your breakfast?"

"Oh! mother," he exclaimed, "I am too glad. I am so full of the good things Fred told me last night and this morning I haven't any room for breakfast."

"What did Fred say to you?" asked the mother.

"Oh! he told me he was going to build a cement walk right from the door here to the river, and do lots of other things; and best of all, mother, he is going to build a boat, a real boat, that will be driven by a gasoline engine, just like Walter Scott's. That will be glorious! I can take you and Jessie up the river to Belville to see aunty, whenever you want to go."

"Very well, George; we will see about that after the boat is ready to take on passengers."

Breakfast over, the whole family walked out to see the newly acquired property. They had all seen and walked over the grounds often, but never before with that feeling of pride in ownership which possession creates.

As there could be no objection to the removal of the line fence between the newly acquired property and the homestead, Fred got a handsaw, and cut down a part of it, making an opening some nine or ten feet wide, so that all could pass into the new place without climbing or stumbling.

The old barn was the first thing examined, and it was found to be in a state of good preservation, and quite large. It had been built—perhaps in Colonial times—of heavy timber, oak, chestnut, and pine, and it contained enough timber and lumber to build two or three small cottages. There was a big pile of broken bricks and mortar lying against one side of the barn; and another large pile of bowlders, or field stones, near the fence. "These," Fred said, "will be fine to build a little landing place or pier for the boat. The broken bricks and hard mortar will make grand stuff for the foundation of the cement pathway."

There were also two or three small buildings on the place. One had been used for a poultry house, another for a tool house, and a third seemed to have been a sort of cattle shed. Mr. Gregg suggested their removal, of which all approved.

There were quite a number of good-sized trees on the grounds, and these rendered it a little difficult to set out a straight line to the river for the cement walk, without cutting down several, which could not be considered. There was one direction, however, that would admit of a walk, about four feet wide, but there were some big rocks or bowlders in the way, that would have to be removed before a straight path could be made. Still it was decided to put it there.

"The rocks," said the father, "can be removed by blasting, by lifting them out of their beds and rolling them aside, or moving them down to the river, where they will form a good protection against both current and ice."

"I think they can be moved," said Fred, "if I can get levers and rollers; and they will make fine breakwater stones."

Jessie found two suitable trees, upon which Fred promised to put up a strong rope swing, as soon as the place could be cleaned up and made tidy.

"Now, Fred," said the father, "this cement walk should be commenced at once, so that it will be dry and hard before you go on with other work. I will employ a labouring man to help you, one who will do the heavy work, as I do not want you to over-exert yourself. You have a number of tools now in the shed, and, when I come home from the office this evening, we will make out a list of the other tools and materials you will require to finish the intended work. In the meantime you and George can be making a number of wooden stakes, about eighteen inches long and two inches square. Point them sharply at one end so that they may be driven into the ground their whole length. You will require thirty or forty of these. After getting them, take a clothes line, old halyard, or any rope or heavy string your mother can find for you, and stretch it from the house down to the river, at the point we decided upon. Drive in a stake near the river, tie one end of the rope to it, pull tightly, and stretch the rope from the river to the house. It will then show you where one edge of the walk is to be. After that is done, get another rope or string and, starting from the house end of the walk, measure off four feet for the proposed width. Drive in a stake at that point, and tie one end of the second rope to it; then go toward the river with the other end, making the rope extend the whole length of the path and drive in another stake which must be four feet from the first rope. To this stake tie the end of the rope and make it tight. Be sure to have the two ropes exactly four feet apart at each end, as well as along the whole length. You will find it to your advantage to get a straight strip of wood, say, one or two inches thick both ways, and cut it exactly four feet long. It can then be used as a measuring stick or gauge, for the distance between the ropes, which is to be the width of the walk, and by using it you will have a parallel and uniform path from start to finish."

Mr. Gregg had passed an examination in the Massachusetts School of Technology, and had won a position as civil engineer in New York which later he abandoned for the profession of law; hence his knowledge of practical mechanics and engineering.

After Jessie and George had gone to school, Fred started on his new undertaking with enthusiasm. He found quite a number of pieces of wood, out of which he made over forty stakes, and pointed them nicely with the large hatchet he always kept sharp and in good order. By tying several pieces together, it did not take him long to find cord enough to set out the whole walk. An old halyard that had been taken from the flag pole and replaced by a