90 FIVE ACRES TOO MUCH. 



of improving, it became worse and worse. At first 

 it tasted badly, but it soon smelt unendurably. There 

 was a great deal of house-cleaning and washing to 

 do, but the women finally rebelled, and flatly refused 

 to use the odoriferous stun any longer, even for such 

 base purposes, and it had been from the first utterly 

 undrinkable. 



Weeville had always boasted of the purity of the 

 water-bed that underlay this entire tract of land, and 

 in his comparisons had placed it a long way ahead 

 of the Croton. Of course he was called in. &quot;It 

 was useless to tell him any thing against the water ; 

 he was not going to believe any visionary stories 

 originated by Irish servant-girls he must taste it.&quot; 

 This he did not do, however; the smell was enough. 



&quot; Pheugh !&quot; he burst forth as it approached his 

 nose. &quot; I will tell you what is the matter the well 

 has never been cleaned out ; that infernal well-digger 

 has taken advantage of you, and left the pieces of 

 dirt and rubbish that fall in old bits of dinner, frag 

 ments of meat and cheese, perhaps and which must 

 always be removed, or they will decay, and spoil the 

 water for a long time.&quot; 



I immediately went after the well-digger in an in 

 tense state of wrath, and rated him soundly for his 

 conduct ; but he not only swore by all that was 



