"That hit something," he declared, as he set off on a run, much to the surprise of Roger. "Hurrah! I thought so," shouted Adrian a second later, as he stooped over where he had seen the stone fall. He held up to view a battered old wash-boiler. "What good is that?" asked Roger. "Good? Why, can't you see it has a copper bottom. Copper brings fifteen cents a pound from the junk man, and there's three pounds here." He caught up a heavy sharp rock and soon had cut and hammered the bottom off the boiler, the upper part of which was of tin. The copper he beat up into a compact mass and placed it in the bag with the bones. Then having a pretty good load, the boys started home. On the way Adrian came across a large bottle, which he picked up. "I wish I knew where there were a lot of these," he remarked. "Why?" asked Roger. "'Cause George Bennett gives three cents apiece for large ones like this. We must keep our eyes peeled for 'em as we go along." And they did, but they found no more that day. "Let's see," said Adrian, as they were washing up for dinner. "A hundred pounds of bones is fifty cents, and we'll reckon forty cents for the copper. With three cents for the bottle, that makes ninety-three cents for the morning. My half is forty-six and a half cents; not bad for a starter, eh?" "Well, I guess you're a little wrong in the figuring," said Roger. "How so?" "Why, it's all yours. I won't take half. I'm only helping you in this. I don't want any share." "But you've got to take it." "Well, I won't. It's all going into a general fund to help pay that mortgage," said Roger, stoutly. "Probably we'll not get an awful lot, but every little helps, and your father is going to have all my share." "Well--well," began Adrian, somewhat affected by his cousin's offer, but what he would have said was never known, for the dinner horn blew just then, and the boys were so hungry they forgot everything else save their appetites. In the afternoon they picked more grapes, and neither of them suggested stopping to rest or play. The fascination of business was on them, and they seemed to have taken the responsibility of wanting to do all they could. "Might as well get a lot picked," suggested Adrian, as he and Roger snipped away at the big bunches, "then dad can hurry to the city with them while the price is high;" and they gathered the fruit as long as they could see.