Budd Boyd's Triumph

as fairly organized. The partners still use this day of the week for their special home dut

is circulating through the rooms with its life-giving and purifying powers. This suggests that the lads cannot be far away, though we do n

cture. We notice that the carpetless floor is still damp, where it has been scrubbed to snowy whiteness; the stove shines with it

rpet on the floor--the only one Judd's mother possessed. A small table stands in the center of the room, and on it rests a lamp, a paper or

a mere collection of blankets, thrown together and never disturbed. On the contrary, it would rival the thriftiest housewife's for its plump feather-bed, its white sheets and pillow-cases, and

and north of this, between the house and well, a small garden-patch, already green with its vegetables. Judd had begu

suring him it is really necessary for the better understanding of the

upon the grass just back of the dock. The hole is a large one, for a ten-foot shark went through the pound the morning before, letting out no one knows how many fish, and compelling the lads to take up the

at while he finishes, and jumping into the yawl, sculls it rapidly to the shore. As he passes the outer end of the dock he pauses a mom

d. I meant before this time to have taken it across to 'The Humm

was, "and I'll go with you. You'll need help, and a lantern also. Go to t

needle flew swiftly in and out, and when his chum arrived with t

t had been partly filled with sand by the tides, and was covered with a green slime; but the boys were dressed for dirty work, and soon got the unwieldy b

astened it to the yawl and started for "The Hummocks." It was a long pull and a hard one, but at length their tas

ish I could find the under-gear, and then I could re

he looked off toward the island. "There," he said, with a wave of his hand--"a straight line from here touches the open end of the dock. Along that line somewhere you were

yet it may not have been. If we only had a water-glass we might row over to th

lass?" asked his c

s deep, with a glass set in at one end. You then put your face at the other and put the glass en

. "If it works well, we can use it for a good many purposes. There is

next moment the yawl was on its way back to the island

then the glass was carefully dropped down until it rested upon them. Another row of tacks driven just outside of the glass completed the arrangement for holding it in place, and the instrument was finished. It now only remained to try it, and Budd ran

ept off into the bay, to begin our search. Doubtless the

and for the second time that morn

wly toward the wharf on the island, while Budd sat in the stern of t

d suddenly removed his head from the

lid with scallops, and the bed seems to ext

ing in his oars and joining his c

amined the sea-bottom f

et us see if we can find the size of the bed.

in the direction indicated. He had gone abo

ned, removing his head from th

n or twelve rods; then Judd

f the bed," he expla

direction, and for a long

rra

" asked Budd

two hundred feet in width and four or five hundred in length, and that means b

that they must keep a sharp lookout for the beds of these valuable bivalves, and here wa

s construction already," he commen

o the right of the place where Judd had given his hurrah, and was almost directly in line of

at the very north-east corner of the scallop-bed. The sea-bottom goes off suddenl

ddenly he added: "That explains, too, chum, how the cart-bed was thrown

but how are we going to

a look at i

dd examined the sea-bottom carefully. He finally arose from t

that rope

had been used to drag the ca

ng Budd to hold the yawl steady. Again and again he seemed to get his rope in the position

of the iron clevis, and no power can pull it a

led with all their strength; but the wheels did not move. After several fruitless attempts to start the po

could run our rope in there and hitch a pair of oxen

do our sloop can," sa

that?" as

re with the sloop, make fast, and take our first tack to the northeast; that will haul the wheels out from the sand in which they are imbedded. Th

to the rope, and then the lads returned to the island, to wait until the

pe was fastened to that which had already been attached to the cart-tongue, and this, after its other end had been made secure

led with a swiftness that made the lads brace themselves for the shock they knew would immediately come. But it was not so much of a shock as they had anticipated. Th

aneously; and then Judd, who was at the helm,

opposite the smaller hummock. Then she was anchored, and with the yawl the lads completed the work of landing th

to the next farm and get a yoke of oxen, and surprise Mr. Benton by bringing

to the island and return in the yawl," said Judd. "I w

the time he had been swept away was gone, and he was obliged to make a wooden one before he could

ly dried its exterior, and it scarcely looked the worse for its hard usage. Over and over the man examined the vehicle, b

that was in there wh

answered Budd. "You didn't expec

, "but I should 'a' though

ne cost?" asked

quarter," repl

ing that amount to him, "and

ly--"unless ye've a mind to pay

it! I haven't used your cart!" re

y thanked them for restoring his cart, nor seemed to ap

with themselves for having neglected some of their own work to render a favor to an ungrateful man, they embarked and rowed rapidly for the isl

ight is

he lads to distinguish, even in the darkness, a boat containing three men, one of whom was in the bow, an

ction. We'll find a good shelter for the night, and may perha

into the shadow of an ad

they are before me

e; then they crossed their garden-patch and concealed themselves behind the huge wood-pile, wai