E-text prepared by La Monte H. P. Yarroll, Karen Smith-Cox of Lovington Jr.-Sr. High School, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 23560-h.htm or 23560-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/3/5/6/23560/23560-h/23560-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/3/5/6/23560/23560-h.zip) Transcriber's note: Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. The Frontispiece is not available for this ebook. The Invention Series CARL AND THE COTTON GIN by SARA WARE BASSETT With Illustrations by William F. Stecher Boston Little, Brown, and Company 1924 Copyright, 1924, by Little, Brown, and Company. All rights reserved Published September, 1924 Printed in the United States of America CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I THE MCGREGORS 1 II CARL TELLS A STORY 17 III A TRAGEDY 31 IV PROBLEMS 45 V A TANGLE OF SURPRISES 60 VI THE WEB WIDENS 71 VII THE COMING OF THE FAIRY GODMOTHER 79 VIII THE ROMANCE OF COTTON 97 IX NORTH AND SOUTH 112 X A LESSON IN THRIFT 124 XI A FAMILY CONGRESS 140 XII A CLUE 160 XIII HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT 180 XIV SPINNING YARNS 193 XV TIDINGS 219 XVI A RELUCTANT ALTRUIST 228 XVII AN ORDEAL 237 XVIII THE SOLUTION OF MANY MYSTERIES 250 XIX UNRAVELING THE SNARLS 259 ILLUSTRATIONS "MR. CARL MCGREGOR," ANNOUNCED HE IN A STENTORIAN TONE _Frontispiece_ _Page_ "THE COTTON IS SENT TO FACTORIES TO BE GINNED" " 129 "BUT THAT ISN'T OUR BASKET, MOTHER," CARL SAID. "THIS IS MUCH BIGGER" 155 "I'VE HUNTED FOR YOU AND YOUR RED CAR EVER SINCE" 253 CARL AND THE COTTON GIN CHAPTER I THE McGREGORS "Carl!" "Coming, Ma!" Mrs. McGregor waited a moment. "But you aren't coming," protested she fretfully. "You never seem to come when you're wanted. Drat the child! Where is he? Carl!" "Yes, Ma."