Carter, in a voice of mingled gratification and doubt.
"O, muz!" answered Will, putting his arm around her, "what do we want
of it? The whole farm is ours, in that it's yours. That's all we want
the new marsh for--just to clear off the mortgage. And we're going
to do it, too! We begin work on the running dike to-morrow."
"You are two dear, good boys!" exclaimed their mother, tenderly. "If only
your poor father could have lived! How proud he would have been of both
of you!" And her eyes filled with tears. Next day Will and Ted armed
themselves with diking spades, and set to work determinedly. They had
the old horse, Jerry, on the spot, harnessed to a light cart, ready
to haul material as wanted. They began at the lower end of the cove,
building upward from the corner of the old dike. Their purpose in this
was to keep the scouring in check. By this method of procedure they
would have the final outlet (usually so difficult to close) located
at the shallowest part of the cove. There would thus, as soon as the
dike extended a little distance, be some water left behind after every
flood tide, and there would be so much less to make violent escape
with the ebb. If there should be left, finally, more imprisoned water
than the sun could well evaporate that autumn, Will explained to Ted
that it would be a simple matter to drain it off and close up the
outlet between tides.
At the end of the first day's work Mrs. Carter came down to note
progress, and was shown several feet of sound, shapely dike, with
planks and large stones laid on the exposed end as a protection against
the tide.
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