Them roots ai n't to be cut off , remember ; they 'll have to be dug out . And I 'll expect you to finish the job if you undertake it too , and not drop it halfway through if you get a chance for a better one . '' `` I 'll finish with your elderberries before I leave them , '' promised Ellis . * * * * * Ellis went to work the next day . His first move was to chop down all the brush and cart it into heaps for burning . This took two days and was comparatively easy work . The third day Ellis tackled the roots . By the end of the forenoon he had discovered just what cleaning out an elderberry pasture meant , but he set his teeth and resolutely persevered . During the afternoon Timothy Robinson , whose farm adjoined the Fillmore place , wandered by and halted with a look of astonishment at the sight of Ellis , busily engaged in digging and tearing out huge , tough , stubborn elder roots . The boy did not see his uncle , but worked away with a vim and vigour that were not lost on the latter . `` He never got that muscle from Sam , '' reflected Timothy . `` Sam would have fainted at the mere thought of stumping elders . Perhaps I 've been mistaken in the boy . Well , well , we 'll see if he holds out . '' Ellis did hold out . The elderberries tried to hold out too , but they were no match for the lad 's perseverance . It was a hard piece of work , however , and Ellis never forgot it . Week after week he toiled in the hot summer sun , digging , cutting , and dragging out roots . The job seemed endless , and his progress each day was discouragingly slow . He had expected to get through in a month , but he soon found it would take two .
Frequently Timothy Robinson wandered by and looked at the increasing pile of roots and the slowly extending stretch XXXXX cleared land .
By During after at for in of on to with