“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Roy said, turning his head away. “Hand me that bag, will you, Teddy?” “Sure,” Teddy answered, grinning. “Methinks your sins are finding you out, young man!” “But what _is_ all this about?” Ethel demanded. “Roy, have you been up to tricks?” “No, I haven’t! I told you Belle is only getting even! All right, go ahead, have your fun. Some day you’ll--” he was walking rapidly up the steps with the bag and the rest of the sentence was lost. “I guess we’re square now,” said Belle, chuckling gleefully. “Poor Roy! He gets excited so easily! Teddy, you go and console him. He’ll set fire to the house with that face of his.” A hail from across the path caused Teddy to abandon his intention of following Roy into the house. Bug Eye, grinning from ear to ear, stood waving at him. Bug Eye had always been a character and was getting more and more so every day. Ordinarily he was a cow puncher; but he drove Mr. Ball’s auto and spent all of his odd hours in inventing things or in improving his mind--so he said. “Go see what he wants,” Nell suggested. “He’s been pestering us for two days wanting to know just when you were coming over. I think he has something he wants to show you.” Teddy answered the call, and walked over to the young puncher just as Roy came down the steps. “Howdy, Bug Eye!” Roy shouted, as he saw his friend. “What’s the news?” “Nothing much,” Bug Eye answered, and, stepping forward, he grasped a hand of each of the boys. “Long time since you visited us, ain’t it?” “Been kind of busy. Near round-up time, you know,” Teddy replied. “But what happened to you? Every day I expected to see that old flivver of yours come rolling in. Where have you been?” “Workin’,” Bug Eye said mysteriously. “On a new invention.” Teddy looked significantly at Roy. “What sort of an invention, Bug Eye--perpetual motion?” “Nope--tain’t that. Though some day I’m gonna work on that. This here is a machine for cuttin’ grass all by itself!” “Cutting grass!” Roy exploded. “But where under the sun is any grass you can cut around here? Not counting on--” “It ain’t fer use here,” Bug Eye interrupted pompously. “This is for importation. You wait here. I’ll show you.” While Teddy and Roy stood in mute expectation, Bug Eye disappeared within the bunkhouse, to reappear in a moment dragging something heavy behind him. “Give us a hand,” he panted. “I had it hid behind the door. Golly, she’s some heavy! Pull, now! Here she comes! Look out!” In obedience to a strong tug, a strange and fearsome contraption rolled out of the doorway, rumbling as it came. Four wheels were mounted on what had once been the square top of a table. Set in the center of the table top was a gasoline motor from a flivver. This motor had two flywheels, each with a belt, one to drive the machine along the ground by turning the rear wheels, and one to cause a series of long knives beneath the table top to revolve.