"I'll tell my dad--that's what I'll do," ejaculated the bully,
at length, and he started immediately across the field, his long
legs working like a pair of tongs in his haste to get over the
ground.

But Hiram completed the setting of the posts at the water-hole
without hearing further from any member of the Dickerson family.



CHAPTER XIII

THE UPROOTING

These early Spring days were busy ones for Hiram Strong. The
mornings were frosty and he could not get to his fencing work
until midforenoon. But there were plenty of other tasks ready to
his hand.

There were two south windows in the farmhouse kitchen. He tried
to keep some fire in the stove there day and night, sleeping as
he did in Uncle Jeptha's old bedroom nearby.

Before these two windows he erected wide shelves and on these he
set shallow boxes of rich earth which he had prepared under the
cart shed. There was no frost under there, the earth was dry and
the hens had scratched in it during the winter, so Hiram got all
the well-sifted earth he needed for his seed boxes.