148 FARM SPIES 



Frank continued, "He said if it belonged to him 

 it would not be lying there as it is. It is nearly 

 Christmas time. What do you suppose Ed would 

 do to that field this time of the year?" 



"I suppose he meant that he would plow it and 

 plant something in it," Mr. Sellars continued, "but 

 he talked as if the field lying there the way it does, 

 made it a breeding-cage ; that is what I do not 

 understand." 



They arrived at the home of Frank's uncle about 

 noon. After dinner Frank told his uncle what Ed 

 had said about the old corn stubble-field across the 

 road from his house, but his uncle did not seem to 

 know what he could have meant. "In this section 

 we consider it bad practice to leave the corn-stubble 

 on the field over winter in fact we do not allow 

 our_ fields to lie bare over winter ; we always put 

 cover-crops on. We are satisfied that such fields 

 as the one Ed was talking about make vermin for 

 the following season, but I don't know about wind- 

 falls. It is worth while to think about it, because 

 you know Ed is a smart fellow and a ' crack' farmer/' 

 Frank's uncle explained. 



Frank's father then spoke up, saying, "I bet old 

 George Whitney knows if anybody around here 

 does." 



"He very likely does, but whether he would tell 

 us or not is another question," said Frank's uncle 



