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Produced by D Alexander and the Online Distributed | |
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was | |
produced from images generously made available by The | |
Internet Archive) | |
Stuyvesant | |
_A FRANCONIA STORY_ | |
BY JACOB ABBOTT | |
ILLUSTRATED | |
NEW YORK AND LONDON | |
HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS | |
1904 | |
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1853, by | |
HARPER & BROTHERS, | |
In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York. | |
Copyright, 1881, by BENJAMIN VAUGHAN ABBOTT, AUSTIN | |
ABBOTT, LYMAN ABBOTT, and EDWARD ABBOTT. | |
[Illustration: THE BOYS AT THE MILL.] | |
PREFACE. | |
The development of the moral sentiments in the human heart, in early | |
life,--and every thing in fact which relates to the formation of | |
character,--is determined in a far greater degree by sympathy, and by | |
the influence of example, than by formal precepts and didactic | |
instruction. If a boy hears his father speaking kindly to a robin in | |
the spring,--welcoming its coming and offering it food,--there arises | |
at once in his own mind, a feeling of kindness toward the bird, and | |
toward all the animal creation, which is produced by a sort of | |
sympathetic action, a power somewhat similar to what in physical | |
philosophy is called _induction_. On the other hand, if the father, | |
instead of feeding the bird, goes eagerly for a gun, in order that he | |
may shoot it, the boy will sympathize in that desire, and growing up | |
under such an influence, there will be gradually formed within him, | |
through the mysterious tendency of the youthful heart to vibrate in | |
unison with hearts that are near, a disposition to kill and destroy | |
all helpless beings that come within his power. There is no need of | |
any formal instruction in either case. Of a thousand children brought | |
up under the former of the above-described influences, nearly every | |
one, when he sees a bird, will wish to go and get crumbs to feed it, | |
while in the latter case, nearly every one will just as certainly look | |
for a stone. Thus the growing up in the right atmosphere, rather than | |
the receiving of the right instruction, is the condition which it is | |
most important to secure, in plans for forming the characters of | |
children. | |
It is in accordance with this philosophy that these stories, though | |
written mainly with a view to their moral influence on the hearts and | |
dispositions of the readers, contain very little formal exhortation | |
and instruction. They present quiet and peaceful pictures of happy | |
domestic life, portraying generally such conduct, and expressing such | |
sentiments and feelings, as it is desirable to exhibit and express in | |
the presence of children. | |
The books, however, will be found, perhaps, after all, to be useful | |
mainly in entertaining and amusing the youthful readers who may peruse | |
them, as the writing of them has been the amusement and recreation of | |
the author in the intervals of more serious pursuits. | |
CONTENTS. | |
CHAPTER PAGE | |
I.--THE CAVERN, 11 | |
II.--BOYISHNESS, 30 | |
III.--THE PLOWING, 47 | |
IV.--NEGOTIATIONS, 66 | |
V.--PLANS FOR THE SQUIRREL, 85 | |
VI.--DIFFICULTY, 96 | |
VII.--THE WORK SHOP, 111 | |
VIII.--A DISCOVERY, 130 | |
IX.--THE ACCIDENT, 148 | |
X.--GOOD ADVICE, 165 | |
XI.--THE JOURNEY HOME, 181 | |
ENGRAVINGS | |
PAGE | |
THE BOYS AT THE MILL--FRONTISPIECE. | |
GOING OUT THE GATE, 18 | |
THE CAVERN, 27 | |
THE TRAP, 40 | |
THE HORNET'S NEST, 57 | |
OXEN DRINKING, 60 | |
BEECHNUT'S ADVICE, 89 | |
THE APPEAL, 105 | |
FRINK ON THE BEAM, 119 | |
DOROTHY'S FIRE, 140 | |
THE DOCTOR'S VISIT, 163 | |
THE EFFIGY, 168 | |
FRINK IN THE PARLOR, 179 | |
THE DEPARTURE, 190 | |
SCENE OF THE STORY. | |
Franconia, a place among the mountains at the North. The time is | |
summer. | |
PRINCIPAL PERSONS. | |
MRS. HENRY, a lady residing at Franconia. | |
ALPHONZO, commonly called Phonny, about nine years old. | |
MALLEVILLE, Phonny's cousin from New York, seven years old. | |
WALLACE, Malleville's brother, a college student, visiting Franconia | |
at this season. | |
STUYVESANT, Wallace's brother, about nine years old. | |
ANTOINE BIANCHINETTE, commonly called Beechnut, a French boy, now | |
about fourteen years old, living at Mrs. Henry's. | |
STUYVESANT. | |
CHAPTER I. | |
THE CAVERN. | |
One pleasant summer morning Alphonzo was amusing himself by swinging | |
on a gate in front of his mother's house. His cousin Malleville, who | |
was then about eight years old, was sitting upon a stone outside of | |
the gate, by the roadside, in a sort of corner that was formed between | |
the wall and a great tree which was growing there. Malleville was | |
employed in telling her kitten a story. | |
The kitten was sitting near Malleville, upon a higher stone. | |
Malleville was leaning upon this stone, looking the kitten in the | |
face. The kitten was looking down, but she seemed to be listening very | |
attentively. | |
"Now, Kitty," said Malleville, "if you will sit still and hark, I will | |
tell you a story,--a story about a mouse. I read it in a book. Once | |
there was a mouse, and he was white, and he lived in a cage. No I | |
forgot,--there were three mice. I'll begin again. | |
"Once there was a boy, and he had three white mice, and he kept them | |
in a cage." | |
Here Malleville's story was interrupted by Phonny, who suddenly called | |
out: | |
"Here comes Beechnut, Malleville." | |
"I don't care," said Malleville, "I'm telling a story to Kitty, and | |
you must not interrupt me." | |
Here the kitten jumped down from the stone and ran away. | |
"Now Phonny!" said Malleville, "see what you have done;--you have made | |
my Kitty go away." | |
"I didn't make her go away," said Phonny. | |
"Yes you did," said Malleville, "you interrupted my story, and that | |
made her go away." | |
Phonny laughed aloud at this assertion, though Malleville continued to | |
look very serious. Phonny then repeated that he did not make the | |
kitten go away, and besides, he said, he thought that it was very | |
childish to pretend to tell a story to a kitten. | |
Malleville said that she did not think it was childish at all; for | |
_her_ kitten liked to hear stories. Phonny, at this, laughed again, | |
and then Malleville, appearing to be still more displeased, said that | |
she was not any more childish than Phonny himself was. | |
By this time Beechnut, as Phonny called him, had come up. He was | |
driving a cart. The cart was loaded with wood. The wood consisted of | |
small and dry sticks, which Beechnut had gathered together in the | |
forest. | |
"Beechnut," said Phonny, "are you going into the woods again for | |
another load?" | |
"Yes," said Beechnut. | |
"And may I go with you?" said Phonny. | |
"Yes," said Beechnut. | |
"And I?" said Malleville. | |
"Yes," said Beechnut. | |
Beechnut drove on into the yard, and at length stopped near a great | |
woodpile. Beechnut began to throw off the wood. Phonny climbed up into | |
the cart too, to help Beechnut unload. Malleville sat down upon a log | |
lying near to see. | |
While they were at work thus, throwing off the wood, Phonny, instead | |
of taking the smallest sticks that came in his way, tried always to | |
get hold of the largest. He had three motives for doing this, all | |
mingled together. The first was a pleasure in exercising his own | |
strength; the second, a desire to show Malleville that he was no | |
child; and the third, to make a display of his strength to Beechnut. | |
After a while, when the load had been about half thrown off, Phonny | |
stopped his work, straightened himself up with an air of great | |
self-satisfaction and said, | |
"Malleville says I am childish; do you think I am, Beechnut?" | |
"No," said Malleville, "I did not say so." She began to be a little | |
frightened at this appeal to Beechnut. | |
"Yes," said Phonny, "you certainly did." | |
"No," said Malleville. | |
"What did you say?" asked Phonny. | |
"I said I was not childish myself, any more than you." | |
"Well, that is the same thing," said Phonny. | |
Malleville was silent. She thought that it was a different thing, but | |
she did not know very well how to explain the difference. | |
In the mean time Beechnut went on unloading the wood. | |
"Do _you_ think I am childish at all, Beechnut," said Phonny. | |
"Why I don't know," said Beechnut, doubtfully. "I don't know how many | |
childish things it is necessary for a boy to do, in order to be | |
considered as childish in character; but I have known you to do _two_ | |
childish things within half an hour." | |
Phonny seemed a little surprised and a little confused at this, and | |
after a moment's pause he said: | |
"I know what one of them is, I guess." | |
"What?" asked Beechnut. | |
"Swinging on the gate." | |
"No," said Beechnut, "I did not mean that. You have done things a | |
great deal more childish than that." | |
"What?" said Phonny. | |
"The first was," said Beechnut, "making a dispute with Malleville, by | |
appealing to me to decide whether you were childish." | |
"Why I ought to know if I am childish," said Phonny, "so that if I am, | |
I may correct the fault." | |
"I don't think that that was your motive," said Beechnut, "in asking. | |
If you had wished to know my opinion in order to correct yourself of | |
the fault, you would have asked me some time privately. I think that | |
your motive was a wish to get a triumph over Malleville." | |
"Oh, Beechnut!" said Phonny. | |
Although Phonny said Oh Beechnut, he still had a secret conviction | |
that what Beechnut had said was true. He was silent a moment, and then | |
he asked what was the other childishness which Beechnut had seen | |
within half an hour. | |
"In unloading this wood," said Beechnut, "you tried to get hold of the | |
biggest sticks, even when they were partly buried under the little | |
ones, and thus worked to great disadvantage. _Men_ take the smaller | |
ones off first, and so clear the way to get at the larger ones. But | |
boys make a great ado in getting hold of the largest ones they can | |
see, by way of showing the by-standers how strong they are." | |
"Well," said Phonny, "I will throw off the little ones after this." | |
So Phonny went to work again, and in throwing off the remainder of the | |
load, he acted in a much more sensible and advantageous manner than he | |
had done before. The cart was soon empty. Beechnut then went into the | |
house and brought out a small chair; this he placed in the middle of | |
the cart, for Malleville. He also placed a board across the cart in | |
front, in such a manner that the ends of the board rested upon the | |
sides of the cart. The board thus formed a seat for Beechnut and | |
Phonny. Beechnut then gave the reins to Phonny, who had taken his seat | |
upon the board, while he, himself, went to help Malleville in. | |
He led Malleville up to the cart behind, and putting his hands under | |
her arms, he said "Jump!" Malleville jumped--Beechnut at the same time | |
lifting to help her. She did not however quite get up, and so Beechnut | |
let her down to the ground again. | |
"Once more," said Beechnut. | |
So Malleville tried again. She went a little higher this time than | |
before, but not quite high enough. | |
"That makes twice," said Beechnut. "The rule is, | |
"Try it once, try it twice, | |
And then once more, and that makes thrice." | |
The third time Malleville seemed to be endowed with some new and | |
supernatural strength in her jumping: for she bounded so high that her | |
feet rose almost to a level with the top of the seat, and then, as she | |
came down gently upon the floor of the cart, Beechnut released his | |
hold upon her, and she walked to her chair and sat down. Beechnut then | |
mounted to his place by the side of Phonny, and the whole party rode | |
away. | |
[Illustration: GOING OUT THE GATE.] | |
After riding along for some distance, Phonny asked Beechnut if he | |
really thought that he was childish. | |
"Why no," said Beechnut, "not particularly. You are a little boyish | |
sometimes, and I suppose that that is to be expected, since you are | |
really a boy. But you are growing older every year, and I see some | |
marks of manliness in you, now and then. How old are you now?" | |
"I am nine years and five months," said Phonny. "That is, I am about | |
half-past nine." | |
"That is pretty old," said Beechnut, "but then I suppose I must expect | |
you to be a boy some time longer." | |
"Beechnut," said Phonny, "did you know that my cousin Wallace was | |
coming here pretty soon?" | |
"Is he?" said Beechnut. "From college?" | |
"Yes," said Phonny, "it is his vacation. He is coming here to spend | |
his vacation." | |
"I am glad of that," said Beechnut. "I like to have him here." | |
"And my cousin Stuyvesant is coming too," said Phonny. | |
"Stuyvesant is my brother," said Malleville. | |
"How old is he?" asked Beechnut. | |
"He is only nine," said Phonny. | |
"Then he is not so old as you are," said Beechnut. | |
"Not quite," said Phonny. | |
"And I suppose of course, he will be more of a boy than you," said | |
Beechnut. | |
"I don't know," said Phonny. | |
"We shall see," said Beechnut. | |
Just then, Phonny heard the sound of wheels behind him. He turned | |
round and saw a wagon coming along the road. | |
"Here comes a wagon," said he. "I am going to whip up, so that they | |
shall not go by us." | |
"No," said Beechnut, "turn out to one side of the road, and walk the | |
horse, and let them go by." | |
"Why?" asked Phonny. | |
"I'll tell you presently," said Beechnut, "after the wagon has got | |
before us." | |
Phonny turned out of the road and let the wagon drive by, and then | |
Beechnut told him that the reason why he was not willing to have him | |
whip up and keep ahead was, that he wanted to use the strength of the | |
horse that day, in hauling wood, and not to waste it in galloping | |
along the road, racing with a wagon. | |
At length the party reached a place where there was a pair of bars by | |
the roadside, and a way leading in, to a sort of pasture. Phonny knew | |
that this was where Beechnut was going, and so he turned in. The road | |
was rough, and Malleville had to hold on very carefully to the side of | |
the cart as they went along. Presently the road went into a wood, and | |
after going on some way in this wood, Beechnut directed Phonny to | |
stop, and they all got out. | |
"Now, Phonny," said Beechnut, "you can have your choice either to work | |
or play." | |
"What do you think that I had better do?" said Phonny. | |
"Play, I rather think," said Beechnut. | |
"I thought you would say work," said Phonny. | |
"You had better play, in order to keep Malleville company," said | |
Beechnut. | |
"Well," said Phonny, "I will." | |
So while Beechnut went to work to get a new load of wood, Phonny and | |
Malleville went away to play. | |
There was a precipice of rocks near the place where Beechnut was | |
loading his cart, with a great many large rocks at the foot of it. The | |
top of the precipice was crowned with trees, and there were also a | |
great many bushes and trees growing among the rocks below. It was a | |
very wild and romantic place, and Phonny and Malleville liked to play | |
there very much indeed. | |
After a time Phonny called out to Beechnut to inquire whether he had | |
any matches in his pocket. He said that he and Malleville were going | |
to build a fire. | |
"Yes," said Beechnut, "I have. Come here and I will give you some." | |
So Phonny sent Malleville after the matches, while he collected dry | |
wood for a fire. When Malleville returned, she gave Phonny the | |
matches, and told him that Beechnut said that they must make the fire | |
on the _rocks_ somewhere, or in some other safe place, so that it | |
should not spread into the woods. | |
"Well," said Phonny, "I will look about and find a good place." | |
Accordingly, he began to walk along at the foot of the precipice, | |
examining every recess among the rocks, and all the nooks and corners | |
which seemed to promise well, as places of encampment. Malleville | |
could not quite keep up with him on account of the roughnesses and | |
inequalities of the way. | |
At last Malleville, who had fallen a little behind, heard Phonny | |
calling to her in tones of great delight. She hastened on. In a | |
moment she saw Phonny before her just coming out from among the bushes | |
and calling to her, | |
"Malleville! Malleville! come here quick!--I have found a cavern." | |
Malleville went on, and presently she came in view of what Phonny | |
called a cavern. It was a place where two immense fragments of rock | |
leaned over toward each other, so as to form a sort of roof, beneath | |
which was an inclosure which Phonny called a cavern. He might perhaps | |
have more properly called it a grotto. There was a great flat stone at | |
the bottom of the cavern, which made an excellent floor, and there was | |
an open place in the top behind, where Phonny thought that the smoke | |
would go out if he should make a fire. | |
"There, Malleville," said Phonny, when she came where she could see | |
the cavern, "that is what I call a discovery. We will play that we are | |
savages, and that we live in a cavern." | |
Phonny rolled two large stones into the cavern, and placed them in the | |
back part of it, where he intended to build his fire. These stones | |
were for andirons. Then he began to bring in logs, and sticks, and | |
branches of trees, such as he found lying upon the ground dead and | |
dry. These he piled up inside of the cavern in a sort of corner, where | |
there was a deep recess or crevice, which was very convenient for | |
holding the wood. | |
Malleville helped him do all this. When a sufficient supply of wood | |
was gathered, Phonny laid some of it across his stone andirons, and | |
then prepared to light the fire. | |
He rubbed one of his matches against a dry log, and the match | |
immediately kindled. Phonny looked at the blue flame a moment, and | |
then, as if some sudden thought had struck him, he blew it out again, | |
and said, | |
"On the whole, I will go and ask Beechnut. We may as well be sure." | |
So he ran down from the entrance of the cavern, and thence along by | |
the way that they had come, through the thicket, until he came in | |
sight of Beechnut. | |
"Beechnut," said he, calling out very loud, "we have found a | |
cavern;--may we build a fire in it?" | |
"Yes," said Beechnut. | |
Then Phonny went back, and telling Malleville that Beechnut had said | |
yes, he proceeded to kindle his fire. | |
It happened that there were two large stones, tolerably square in | |
form, each of them, and flat upon the upper side, which were lying in | |
the cavern in such places as to be very convenient for seats. When the | |
fire began to burn, Phonny sat down upon one of these seats, and gave | |
Malleville the other. The fire blazed up very cheerily, and the smoke | |
and sparks, winding their way up the side of the rock, which formed | |
the back of the cavern, escaped out through the opening at the top in | |
a very satisfactory manner. | |
"There," said Phonny, "this is what I call comfortable. If we only now | |
had something to eat, it is all I should want." | |
"I'll tell you what," said he again, after a moment's pause, "we will | |
send home by Beechnut, when he goes with his next load, to get us | |
something to eat." | |
"Well," said Malleville, "so we will." | |
Beechnut very readily undertook the commission of bringing Phonny and | |
Malleville something to eat. Accordingly, when his cart was loaded he | |
went away, leaving Phonny and Malleville in their cavern. While he was | |
gone the children employed themselves in bringing flat stones, and | |
making a fireplace by building walls on each side of their fire. | |
In due time Beechnut returned, bringing with him a large round box, | |
which he said that Mrs. Henry had sent to Phonny and Malleville. It | |
was too heavy for Phonny to lift easily, and so Beechnut drove his | |
cart along until it was nearly opposite the cavern. Then he took the | |
box out of the cart and carried it into the cavern, and laid it down | |
upon Malleville's seat. | |
Phonny opened it, and he found that it contained a variety of stores. | |
There were four potatoes and four apples, each rolled up in a separate | |
paper. There were also two crackers. These crackers were in a tin mug, | |
just big enough to hold them, one on the top of the other. The mug, | |
Phonny said, was for them to drink from, and as there was a spring by | |
the side of the cavern they had plenty of water. | |
"One cracker is for me," said Phonny, "and the other for you, | |
Malleville. I mean to split my cracker in two, and toast the halves." | |
At the bottom of the box there was half a pie. | |
[Illustration: THE CAVERN.] | |
Beechnut stopped to see what the box contained, and then he went away | |
to his work again. As he went away, he told the children that Mrs. | |
Henry said that they need not come home to dinner that day, unless | |
they chose to do so,--but might make their dinner, if they pleased, in | |
the cavern, from what she had sent them in the box. | |
The children were very much pleased with this plan. They remained in | |
the cavern a long time. They roasted their potatoes in the fire, and | |
their apples in front of it. They toasted their crackers and warmed | |
their pie, by placing them against a stone between the andirons; and | |
they got water, whenever they were thirsty, in the dipper from the | |
spring. | |
At length, about the middle of the afternoon, when their interest in | |
the cavern was beginning to decline, their thoughts were suddenly | |
turned away from it altogether, by the news which Beechnut announced | |
to them on his return from the house, after his eighth load, that | |
Wallace had arrived. | |
"And has my brother Stuyvesant come too?" asked Malleville. | |
"I suppose so," said Beechnut, "there was a boy with him, about as | |
large as Phonny, but I did not hear what his name was." | |
"Oh, it is he! it is he!" said Malleville, clapping her hands. | |
Phonny and Malleville mounted upon the top of the load as soon as | |
Beechnut got it ready, and rode home. They ran into the house, while | |
Beechnut went to unload his wood. Just as Beechnut was ready to go out | |
of the yard again with his empty cart, Phonny came out. | |
"Cousin Wallace has really come," said Phonny. | |
"Ah!" said Beechnut, "and what does he have to say?" | |
"Why, he says," replied Phonny, "that he is going to make a man of | |
me." | |
"Is he?" said Beechnut. "Well, I hope he will take proper time for it. | |
I have no great opinion of the plan of making men out of boys before | |
their time." | |
So saying, Beechnut drove away, and Phonny went in. | |
CHAPTER II. | |
BOYISHNESS. | |
Two or three days after Wallace arrived at Franconia, he and Phonny | |
formed a plan to go and take a ride on horseback. They invited | |
Stuyvesant to go with them, but Stuyvesant said that Beechnut was | |
going to plow that day, and had promised to teach him to drive oxen. | |
He said that he should like better to learn to drive oxen than to take | |
a ride on horseback. | |
There was another reason which influenced Stuyvesant in making this | |
decision, and that was, that he had observed that there were only two | |
horses in the stable, and although he knew that Beechnut could easily | |
obtain another from some of the neighbors, still he thought that this | |
would make some trouble, and he was always very considerate about | |
making trouble. This was rather remarkable in Stuyvesant, for he was a | |
city boy, and city boys are apt to be very inconsiderate. | |
So Wallace and Phonny concluded to go by themselves. They mounted | |
their horses and rode together out through the great gate. | |
"Now," said Phonny, when they were fairly on the way, "we will have a | |
good time. This is just what I like. I would rather have a good ride | |
on horseback than any thing else. I wish that they would let me go | |
alone sometimes." | |
"Won't they?" asked Wallace. | |
"No, not very often," said Phonny. | |
"Do you know what the reason is?" asked Wallace. | |
"I suppose because they think that I am not old enough," replied | |
Phonny, "but I am." | |
"I don't think that that is the reason," said Wallace. "Stuyvesant is | |
not quite so old as you are, and yet I shall let _him_ go and ride | |
alone whenever he pleases." | |
"What _is_ the reason then?" asked Phonny. | |
"Because you are not _man_ enough I suppose," said Wallace. "You might | |
be more manly, without being any older, and then people would put more | |
trust in you, and you would have a great many more pleasures." | |
Phonny was rather surprised to hear his cousin Wallace speak thus. He | |
had thought that he _was_ manly--very manly; but it was evident that | |
his cousin considered him boyish. | |
"I do not know," continued Wallace, "but that you are as manly as | |
other boys of your years." | |
"Except Stuyvesant," said Phonny. | |
"Yes, except Stuyvesant," said Wallace, "I think that he is rather | |
remarkable. I do not think that you are _very_ boyish,--but you are | |
growing up quite fast and you are getting to be pretty large. It is | |
time for you to begin to evince some degree of the carefulness, and | |
considerateness, and sense of responsibility, that belong to men. | |
"There are two kinds of boyishness," continued Wallace. "One kind is | |
very harmless." | |
"What kind is that?" asked Phonny. | |
"Why if a boy continues," said Wallace, "when he is quite old, to take | |
pleasure in amusements which generally please only young children, | |
that is boyishness of a harmless kind. For example, suppose we should | |
see a boy, eighteen years old, playing marbles a great deal, we should | |
say that he was boyish. So if _you_ were to have a rattle or any other | |
such little toy for a plaything, and should spend a great deal of | |
time in playing with it, we should say that it was very boyish or | |
childish. Still that kind of boyishness does little harm, and we | |
should not probably do any thing about it, but should leave you to | |
outgrow it in your own time." | |
"What kind of boyishness do you mean then, that is not harmless?" | |
asked Phonny. | |
"I mean that kind of want of consideration, by which boys when young, | |
are always getting themselves and others into difficulty and trouble, | |
for the sake of some present and momentary pleasure. They see the | |
pleasure and they grasp at it. They do not see the consequences, and | |
so they neglect them. The result is, they get into difficulty and do | |
mischief. Other people lose confidence in them, and so they have to be | |
restricted and watched, and subjected to limits and bounds, when if | |
they were a little more considerate and manly, they might enjoy a much | |
greater liberty, and many more pleasures." | |
"I don't think that I do so," said Phonny. | |
"No," rejoined Wallace, "I don't think that you do; that is I don't | |
think that you do so more than other boys of your age. But to show you | |
exactly what I mean, I will give you some cases. Perhaps they are | |
true and perhaps they are imaginary. It makes no difference which they | |
are. | |
"Once there was a boy," continued Wallace, "who came down early one | |
winter morning, and after warming himself a moment by the sitting-room | |
fire, he went out in the kitchen. It happened to be ironing day, and | |
the girl was engaged in ironing at a great table by the kitchen fire. | |
We will call the girl's name Dorothy. | |
"The boy seeing Dorothy at this work, wished to iron something, | |
himself. So Dorothy gave him a flat-iron and also something to iron." | |
"What was it that she gave him to iron?" said Phonny. | |
"A towel," said Wallace. | |
"Well," said Phonny, "go on." | |
"The boy took the flat-iron and went to work," continued Wallace. | |
"Presently, however, he thought he would go out into the shed and see | |
if the snow had blown in, during the night. He found that it had, and | |
so he stopped to play with the drift a few minutes. At last he came | |
back into the kitchen, and he found, when he came in, that Dorothy | |
had finished ironing his towel and had put it away. He began to | |
complain of her for doing this, and then, in order to punish her, as | |
he said, he took two of her flat-irons and ran off with them, and put | |
them into the snow drift." | |
"Yes," said Phonny, "that was me. But then I only did it for fun." | |
"Was the fun for yourself or for Dorothy?" asked Wallace. | |
"Why, for me," said Phonny. | |
"And it made only trouble for Dorothy," said Wallace. | |
"Yes," said Phonny, "I suppose it did." | |
"That is the kind of boyishness I mean," said Wallace, "getting fun | |
for yourself at other people's expense; and so making them dislike | |
you, and feel sorry when they see you coming, and glad when you go | |
away." | |
Phonny was silent. He saw the folly of such a course of proceeding, | |
and had nothing to say. | |
"There is another case," said Wallace. "Once I knew a boy, and his | |
name was--I'll call him Johnny." | |
"What was his other name?" asked Phonny. | |
"No matter for that, now," said Wallace. "He went out into the barn, | |
and he wanted something to do, and so the boy who lived there, gave | |
him a certain corner to take charge of, and keep in order." | |
"What was that boy's name?" asked Phonny. | |
"Why, I will call him Hazelnut," said Wallace. | |
"Ah!" exclaimed Phonny, "now I know you are going to tell some story | |
about me and Beechnut." Here Phonny threw back his head and laughed | |
aloud. He repeated the words Johnny and Hazelnut, and then laughed | |
again, until he made the woods ring with his merriment. | |
Wallace smiled, and went on with his story. | |
"Hazelnut gave him the charge of a corner of the barn where some | |
harnesses were kept, and Johnny's duty was to keep them in order | |
there. One day Hazelnut came home and found that Johnny had taken out | |
the long reins from the harness, and had fastened them to the branches | |
of two trees in the back yard, to make a swing, and then he had loaded | |
the swing with so many children, as to break it down." | |
"Yes," said Phonny, "that was me too; but I did not think that the | |
reins would break." | |
"I know it," said Wallace. "You did not think. That is the nature of | |
the kind of boyishness that I am speaking of. The boy does not | |
_think_. Men, generally, before they do any new or unusual thing, stop | |
to consider what the results and consequences of it are going to be; | |
but boys go on headlong, and find out what the consequences are when | |
they come." | |
While Wallace and Phonny had been conversing thus, they had been | |
riding through a wood which extended along a mountain glen. Just at | |
this time they came to a place where a cart path branched off from the | |
main road, toward the right. Phonny proposed to go into this path to | |
see where it would lead. Wallace had no objection to this plan, and so | |
they turned their horses and went in. | |
The cart path led them by a winding way through the woods for a short | |
distance, along a little dell, and then it descended into a ravine, at | |
the bottom of which there was a foaming torrent tumbling over a very | |
rocky bed. The path by this time became quite a road, though it was a | |
very wild and stony road. It kept near the bank of the brook, | |
continually ascending, until at last it turned suddenly away from the | |
brook, and went up diagonally upon the side of a hill. There were | |
openings in the woods on the lower side of the road, through which | |
Wallace got occasional glimpses of the distant valleys. Wallace was | |
very much interested in these prospects, but Phonny's attention was | |
wholly occupied as he went along, in looking over all the logs, and | |
rocks, and hollow trees, in search of squirrels. | |
At last, at a certain turn of the road, the riders came suddenly upon | |
a pair of bars which appeared before them,--directly across the road. | |
"Well," said Wallace, "here we are, what shall we do now?" | |
"It is nothing but a pair of bars," said Phonny. "I can jump off and | |
take them down." | |
"No," said Wallace, "I think we may as well turn about here, and go | |
back. We have come far enough on this road." | |
Just then Phonny pointed off under the trees of the forest, upon one | |
side, and said in a very eager voice, | |
"See there!" | |
"What is it?" said Wallace. | |
"A trap," said Phonny. "It is a squirrel trap! and it is sprung! | |
There's a squirrel in it, I've no doubt. Let me get off and see." | |
"Well," said Wallace, "give me the bridle of your horse." | |
So Phonny threw the bridle over his horse's head and gave it to | |
Wallace. He then dismounted--sliding down the side of the horse safely | |
to the ground. | |
As soon as he found himself safely down, he threw his riding-stick | |
upon the grass, and ran off toward the trap. | |
The trap was placed upon a small stone by the side of a larger one. It | |
was in a very snug and sheltered place, almost out of view. In fact it | |
probably would not have been observed by any ordinary passer-by. | |
Phonny ran up to the trap, and took hold of it. He lifted it up very | |
cautiously. He shook it as well as he could, and then listened. He | |
thought that he could hear or feel some slight motion within. He | |
became very much excited. | |
He put the trap down upon the high rock, and began opening up the lid | |
a little, very gently. | |
[Illustration: THE TRAP.] | |
The trap was of the kind called by the boys a box-trap. It is in the | |
form of a box, and the back part runs up high, to a point. The lid of | |
the box has a string fastened to it, which string is carried up, over | |
the high point, and thence down, and is fastened to an apparatus | |
connected with the spindle. | |
The spindle is a slender rod of wood which passes through the end of | |
the box into the interior. About half of the spindle is within the box | |
and half without. There is a small notch in the outer part of the | |
spindle, and another in the end of the box, a short distance above the | |
spindle. There is a small bar of wood, with both ends sharpened, and | |
made of such a length as just to reach from the notch in the end of | |
the box, to the notch in the spindle. This bar is the apparatus to | |
which the end of the string is fastened, as before described. | |
When the trap is to be set, the bar is fitted to the notches in such a | |
manner as to catch in them, and then the weight of the lid, being | |
sustained by the string, the lid is held up so that the squirrel can | |
go in. The front of the box is attached to the lid, and rises with it, | |
so that when the lid is raised a little the squirrel can creep | |
directly in. The bait, which is generally a part of an ear of corn, is | |
fastened to the end of the spindle, which is within the trap. The | |
squirrel sees the bait, and creeps in to get it. He begins to nibble | |
upon the corn. The ear is tied so firmly to the spindle that he can | |
not get it away. In gnawing upon it to get off the corn, he finally | |
disengages the end of the spindle from the bar, by working the lower | |
end of the bar out of its notch; this lets the string up, and of | |
course the lid comes down, and the squirrel is shut in, a captive. | |
When the lid first comes down, it makes so loud a noise as to terrify | |
the poor captive very much. He runs this way and that, around the | |
interior of the box, wondering what has happened, and why he can not | |
get out as he came in. He has no more appetite for the corn, but is in | |
great distress at his sudden and unaccountable captivity. | |
After trying in vain on all sides to escape, by forcing his way, and | |
finding that the box is too strong for him in every part, he finally | |
concludes to gnaw out. He accordingly selects the part of the box | |
where there is the widest crack, and where consequently the brightest | |
light shines through. He selects this place, partly because he | |
supposes that the box is thinnest there, and partly because he likes | |
to work in the light.[A] | |
[Footnote A: To prevent the squirrels that are caught from gnawing | |
out, the boys sometimes line the inside of their traps with tin.] | |
There was a squirrel in the trap which Phonny had found. It was a | |
large and handsome gray squirrel. He had been taken that morning. | |
About an hour after the trap sprung upon him, he had begun to gnaw | |
out, and he had got about half through the boards in the corner when | |
Phonny found him. When Phonny shook the trap the squirrel clung to the | |
bottom of it by his claws, so that Phonny did not shake him about | |
much. | |
When Phonny had put the trap upon the great stone, he thought that he | |
would lift up the lid a little way, and peep in. This is a very | |
dangerous operation, for a squirrel will squeeze out through a very | |
small aperture, and many a boy has lost a squirrel by the very means | |
that he was taking to decide whether he had got one. | |
Phonny was aware of this danger, and so he was very careful. He raised | |
the lid but very little, and looked under with the utmost caution. He | |
saw two little round and very brilliant eyes peeping out at him. | |
"Yes, Wallace," said he. "Yes, yes, here he is. I see his eyes." | |
Wallace sat very composedly upon his horse, holding Phonny's bridle, | |
while Phonny was uttering these exclamations, without appearing to | |
share the enthusiasm which Phonny felt, at all. | |
"He is here, Wallace," said Phonny. "He is, truly." | |
"I do not doubt it," said Wallace, "but what are we to do about it?" | |
"Why--why--what would you do?" asked Phonny. | |
"I suppose that the best thing that we could do," said Wallace, "is to | |
ride along." | |
"And leave the squirrel?" said Phonny, in a tone of surprise. | |
"Yes," said Wallace. "I don't see any thing else that we can do." | |
"Why, he will gnaw out," said Phonny. "He will gnaw out in half an | |
hour. He has gnawed half through the board already. Espy ought to have | |
tinned his trap." So saying, Phonny stooped down and peeped into the | |
trap again, through the crack under the lid. | |
"Who is Espy?" asked Wallace. | |
"Espy Ransom," said Phonny. "He lives down by the mill. He is always | |
setting traps for squirrels. I suppose that this road goes down to the | |
mill, and that he came up here and set his trap. But it won't do to | |
leave the squirrel here," continued Phonny, looking at Wallace in a | |
very earnest manner. "It never will do in the world." | |
"What shall we do, then?" asked Wallace. | |
"Couldn't we carry him down to Espy?" said Phonny. | |
"I don't think that we have any right to carry him away. It is not our | |
squirrel, and it may be that it is not Espy's." | |
Phonny seemed perplexed. After a moment's pause he added, "Couldn't we | |
go down and tell Espy that there is a squirrel in his trap?" | |
"Yes," said Wallace, "that we can do." | |
Phonny stooped down and peeped into the trap again. | |
"The rogue," said he. "The moment that I am gone, he will go to | |
gnawing again, I suppose, and so get out and run away. What a little | |
fool he is." | |
"Do you think he is a fool for trying to gnaw out of that trap?" asked | |
Wallace. | |
"Why no,"--said Phonny, "but I wish he wouldn't do it. We will go down | |
quick and tell Espy." | |
So Phonny came back to the place where Wallace had remained in the | |
road, holding the horses. Phonny let down the bars, and Wallace went | |
through with the horses. Phonny immediately put the bars up again, | |
took the bridle of his own horse from Wallace's hands, threw it up | |
over the horse's head, and then by the help of a large log which lay | |
by the side of the road, he mounted. He did all this in a hurried | |
manner, and ended with saying: | |
"Now, Cousin Wallace, let's push on. I don't think it's more than half | |
a mile to the mill." | |
CHAPTER III. | |
THE PLOWING. | |
While Wallace and Phonny were taking their ride, as described in the | |
last chapter, Stuyvesant and Beechnut were plowing. | |
Beechnut told Stuyvesant that he was ready to yoke up, as he called | |
it, as soon as the horses had gone. | |
"Well," said Stuyvesant, "I will come. I have got to go up to my room | |
a minute first." | |
So Stuyvesant went up to his room, feeling in his pockets as he | |
ascended the stairs, to find the keys of his trunk. When he reached | |
his room, he kneeled down before his trunk and unlocked it. | |
He raised the lid and began to take out the things. He took them out | |
very carefully, and laid them in order upon a table which was near the | |
trunk. There were clothes of various kinds, some books, and several | |
parcels, put up neatly in paper. Stuyvesant stopped at one of these | |
parcels, which seemed to be of an irregular shape, and began to feel | |
of what it contained through the paper. | |
"What is this?" said he to himself. "I wonder what it can be. Oh, I | |
remember now, it is my watch-compass." | |
What Stuyvesant called his watch-compass, was a small pocket-compass | |
made in the form of a watch. It was in a very pretty brass case, about | |
as large as a lady's watch, and it had a little handle at the side, to | |
fasten a watch-ribbon to. Stuyvesant's uncle had given him this | |
compass a great many years before. Stuyvesant had kept it very | |
carefully in his drawer at home, intending when he should go into the | |
country to take it with him, supposing that it would be useful to him | |
in the woods. His sister had given him a black ribbon to fasten to the | |
handle. The ribbon was long enough to go round Stuyvesant's neck, | |
while the compass was in his waistcoat pocket. | |
Stuyvesant untied the string, which was around the paper that | |
contained his compass, and took it off. He then wound up this | |
string into a neat sort of coil, somewhat in the manner in which | |
fishing-lines are put up when for sale in shops. He put this coil | |
of twine, together with the paper, upon the table. He looked at the | |
compass a moment to see which was north in his chamber, and then | |
putting the compass itself in his pocket, he passed the ribbon round | |
his neck, and afterward went on taking the things out of his trunk. | |
When he came pretty near to the bottom of his trunk, he said to | |
himself, | |
"Ah! here it is." | |
At the same moment he took out a garment, which seemed to be a sort of | |
frock. It was made of brown linen. He laid it aside upon a chair, and | |
then began to put the things back into his trunk again. He laid them | |
all in very carefully, each in its own place. When all were in, he | |
shut down the lid of the trunk, locked it, and put the key in his | |
pocket. Then he took the frock from the chair, and opening it, put it | |
on. | |
It was made somewhat like a cartman's frock. Stuyvesant had had it | |
made by the seamstress at his mother's house, in New York, before he | |
came away. He was a very neat and tidy boy about his dress, and always | |
felt uncomfortable if his clothes were soiled or torn. He concluded, | |
therefore, that if he had a good, strong, serviceable frock to put on | |
over his other clothes, it would be very convenient for him at | |
Franconia. | |
As soon as his frock was on, he hastened down stairs and went out to | |
the barn in search of Beechnut. He found him yoking up the cattle. | |
"Why, Stuyvesant," said Beechnut, when he saw him, "that is a capital | |
frock that you have got. How much did it cost?" | |
"I don't know," said Stuyvesant; "Mary made it for me." | |
"Who is Mary?" asked Beechnut. | |
"She is the seamstress," said Stuyvesant. "She lives at our house in | |
New York." | |
"Do you have a seamstress there all the time?" said Beechnut. | |
"Yes," said Stuyvesant. | |
"And her name is Mary," said Beechnut. | |
"Yes," said Stuyvesant. | |
"Well, I wish she would take it into her head to make me such a frock | |
as that," said Beechnut. | |
During this conversation, Beechnut had been busily employed in yoking | |
up the oxen. Stuyvesant looked on, watching the operations carefully, | |
in order to see how the work of yoking up was done. He wished to see | |
whether the process was such that he could learn to yoke up oxen | |
himself; or whether any thing that was required was beyond his | |
strength. | |
"Can _boys_ yoke up cattle?" said Stuyvesant at length. | |
"It takes a pretty stout boy," said Beechnut. | |
"Could a boy as stout as I am do it?" asked Stuyvesant. | |
"It would be rather hard work for you," said Beechnut, "the yoke is | |
pretty heavy." | |
The yoke was indeed quite heavy, and it was necessary to lift it--one | |
end at a time--over the necks of the oxen. Stuyvesant observed that | |
the oxen were fastened to the yoke, by means of bows shaped like the | |
letter U. These bows were passed up under the necks of the oxen. The | |
ends of them came up through the yokes and were fastened there by | |
little pegs, which Beechnut called keys. There was a ring in the | |
middle of the yoke on the under side to fasten the chain to, by which | |
the cattle were to draw. | |
When the oxen were yoked, Beechnut drove them to the corner of the | |
yard, where there was a drag with a plow upon it. Beechnut put an axe | |
also upon the drag. | |
"What do you want an axe for," asked Stuyvesant, "in going to plow?" | |
"We always take an axe," said Beechnut, "when we go away to work. We | |
are pretty sure to want it for something or other." | |
Beechnut then gave Stuyvesant a goad stick, and told him that he might | |
drive. Stuyvesant had observed very attentively what Beechnut had done | |
in driving, and the gestures which he had made, and the calls which he | |
had used, in speaking to the oxen, and though he had never attempted | |
to drive such a team before, he succeeded quite well. His success, | |
however, was partly owing to the sagacity of the oxen, who knew very | |
well where they were to go and what they were to do. | |
At length, after passing through one or two pairs of bars, they came | |
to the field. | |
"Which is the easiest," said Stuyvesant, "to drive the team or hold | |
the plow?" | |
"That depends," said Beechnut, "upon whether your capacity consists | |
most in your strength or your skill." | |
"Why so?" asked Stuyvesant. | |
"Because," said Beechnut, "it requires more skill to drive, than to | |
hold the plow, and more strength to hold the plow, than to drive. I | |
think, therefore, that you had better drive, for as between you and I, | |
it is I that have the most strength, and you that have the most | |
skill." | |
Stuyvesant laughed. | |
"Why you _ought_ to have the most skill," said Beechnut--"coming from | |
such a great city." | |
Beechnut took the plow off from the drag, and laid the drag on one | |
side. He then attached the cattle to the plow. They were standing, | |
when they did this, in the middle of one side of the field. | |
"Now," said Beechnut, "we are going first straight through the middle | |
of the field. Do you see that elm-tree, the other side of the fence?" | |
"I see a large tree," said Stuyvesant. | |
"It is an elm," said Beechnut. | |
"There is a great bird upon the top of it," said Stuyvesant. | |
"Yes," said Beechnut, "it is a crow. Now you must keep the oxen headed | |
directly for that tree. Go as straight as you can, and I shall try to | |
keep the plow straight behind you. The thing is to make a straight | |
furrow." | |
When all was ready, Stuyvesant gave the word to his oxen to move | |
on, and they began to draw. Stuyvesant went on, keeping his eye | |
alternately upon the oxen and upon the tree. He had some curiosity to | |
look round and see how Beechnut was getting along with the furrow, but | |
he recollected that his business was to drive, and so he gave his | |
whole attention to his driving, in order that he might go as straight | |
as possible across the field. | |
The crow flew away when he had got half across the field. He had a | |
strong desire to know where she was going to fly to, but he did not | |
look round to follow her in her flight. He went steadily on attending | |
to his driving. | |
When he was about two thirds across the field, he saw a stump at a | |
short distance before him, with a small hornet's nest upon one side of | |
it. His course would lead him, he saw, very near this nest. His first | |
impulse was to stop the oxen and tell Beechnut about the hornet's | |
nest. He did in fact hesitate a moment, but he was instantly reassured | |
by hearing Beechnut call out to him from behind, saying, | |
"Never mind the hornet's nest, Stuyvesant. Drive the oxen right on. I | |
don't think the hornets will sting them." | |
Stuyvesant perceived by this, that Beechnut thought only of the oxen, | |
when he saw a hornet's nest, and he concluded to follow his example in | |
this respect. So he drove steadily on. | |
When they got to the end of the field the oxen stopped. Beechnut and | |
Stuyvesant then looked round to see the furrow. It was very | |
respectably straight. | |
"You have done very well," said he, "and you will find it easier now, | |
for one of the oxen will walk in the furrow, and that will guide him." | |
So Stuyvesant brought the team around and then went back, one of the | |
oxen in returning walking in the furrow which had been made before. In | |
this manner they went back to the place from which they had first | |
started. | |
"There," said Beechnut, "now we have got our work well laid out. But | |
before we plow any more, we must destroy that hornet's nest, or else | |
when we come to plow by that stump, the hornets will sting the oxen. | |
I'll go and get some straw. You may stay here and watch the oxen | |
while I am gone." | |
In a short time Beechnut came back, bringing his arms full of hay. He | |
walked directly toward that part of the field where the hornet's nest | |
was, calling Stuyvesant to follow him. Stuyvesant did so. When he got | |
near to the stump, he put the hay down upon the ground. He then | |
advanced cautiously to the stump with a part of the hay in his arms | |
This hay he put down at the foot of the stump, directly under the | |
hornet's nest, extending a portion of it outward so as to form a sort | |
of train. He then went back and took up the remaining portion of the | |
hay and held it in his hands. | |
"Now, Stuyvesant," said Beechnut, "light a match and set fire to the | |
train." | |
Beechnut had previously given Stuyvesant a small paper containing a | |
number of matches. | |
"How shall I light it?" asked Stuyvesant. | |
"Rub it upon a stone," said Beechnut. "Find one that has been lying in | |
the sun," continued Beechnut, "and then the match will catch quicker, | |
because the stone will be warm and dry." | |
So Stuyvesant lighted a match by rubbing it upon a smooth stone which | |
was lying upon the ground near by. He then cautiously approached the | |
end of the train and set it on fire. | |
[Illustration: THE HORNET'S NEST.] | |
Beechnut then came up immediately with the hay that he had in his | |
hands, and placed it over and around the hornet's nest, so as to | |
envelop it entirely. He and Stuyvesant then retreated together to a | |
safe distance, and there stood to watch the result. | |
A very dense white smoke immediately began to come up through the | |
hay. Presently the flame burst out, and in a few minutes the whole | |
mass of the hay was in a bright blaze. Stuyvesant looked very | |
earnestly to see if he could see any hornets, but he could not. At | |
last, however, when the fire was burnt nearly down, he saw two. They | |
were flying about the stump, apparently in great perplexity and | |
distress. Stuyvesant pitied them, but as he did not see what he could | |
do to help them, he told them that he thought they had better go and | |
find some more hornets and build another nest somewhere. Then he and | |
Beechnut went back to the plow. | |
Stuyvesant had quite a desire to try and hold the plow, after he had | |
been driving the team about an hour, but he thought it was best not to | |
ask. In fact he knew himself that it was best for him to learn one | |
thing at a time. So he went on with his driving. | |
When it was about a quarter before twelve, Beechnut said that it was | |
time to go in. So he unhooked the chain from the yoke, and leaving the | |
plow, the drag, the axe and the chain in the field, he let the oxen | |
go. They immediately ran off into a copse of trees and bushes, which | |
bordered the road on one side. | |
"Why, Beechnut!" said Stuyvesant, "the oxen are running away." | |
"No," said Beechnut, "they are only going down to drink. There is a | |
brook down there where they go to drink when they are at work in this | |
field." | |
Oxen appear to possess mental qualifications of a certain kind in a | |
very high degree. They are especially remarkable for their sagacity | |
in finding good places to drink in the fields and pastures where | |
they feed or are employed at work, and for their good memory in | |
recollecting where they are. An ox may be kept away from a particular | |
field or pasture quite a long time, and yet know exactly where to go | |
to find water to drink when he is admitted to it again. | |
Stuyvesant looked at the oxen as they went down the path, and then | |
proposed to follow them. | |
"Let us go and see," said he. | |
[Illustration: OXEN DRINKING.] | |
So he and Beechnut walked along after the oxen. They found a narrow, | |
but very pretty road, or rather path, overhung with trees and bushes, | |
which led down to the water. The road terminated at a broad and | |
shallow place in the stream, where the sand was yellow and the water | |
very clear. The oxen went out into the water, and then put their heads | |
down to drink. Presently they stopped, first one and then the other, | |
and stood a moment considering whether they wanted any more. Finding | |
that they did not, they turned round in the water, and then came | |
slowly out to the land. They walked up the bank, and finally emerging | |
from the wood at the place where they had entered it, they went toward | |
home. | |
When they reached the house the cattle went straight through the yard, | |
toward the barn. Beechnut and Stuyvesant followed them. Beechnut was | |
going to get them some hay. Stuyvesant went in with Beechnut and stood | |
below on the barn floor, while Beechnut went up the ladder to pitch | |
the hay down. | |
During all the time that Beechnut and Stuyvesant had been coming up | |
from the field, conversation had been going on between them, about | |
various subjects connected with farming. Stuyvesant asked Beechnut if | |
Phonny could drive oxen pretty well. | |
"_Pretty_ well," said Beechnut. | |
"Does he like to drive?" asked Stuyvesant. | |
"He likes to begin to drive," said Beechnut. | |
"What do you mean by that?" asked Stuyvesant. | |
"Why, when there is any driving to be done," replied Beechnut, "he | |
thinks that he shall like it, and he wants to take a goad stick and | |
begin. But he very soon gets tired of it, and goes away. You seem to | |
have more perseverance. In fact, you seem to have a great deal of | |
perseverance, which I think is very strange, considering that you are | |
a city boy." | |
Stuyvesant laughed. | |
"City boys," continued Beechnut, "I have always heard said, are good | |
for nothing at all." | |
"But you said, a little while ago," replied Stuyvesant, "that city | |
boys had a great deal of skill." | |
"Yes," said Beechnut, "they are bright enough, but they have generally | |
no steadiness or perseverance. They go from one thing to another, | |
following the whim of the moment. The reason of that is, that living | |
in cities, they are brought up without having any thing to do." | |
"They can go of errands," said Stuyvesant. | |
"Yes," said Beechnut, "they can go of errands, but there are not many | |
errands to be done, so they are brought up in idleness. Country boys, | |
on the other hand, generally have a great deal to do. They have to go | |
for the cows, and catch the horses, and drive oxen, and a thousand | |
other things, and so they are brought up in industry." | |
"Is Phonny brought up in industry?" asked Stuyvesant. | |
"Hardly," said Beechnut. "In fact he is scarcely old enough yet to do | |
much work." | |
"He is as old as I am," said Stuyvesant. | |
"True," said Beechnut, "but he does not seem to have as much | |
discretion. Do you see that long shed out there, projecting from the | |
barn?" | |
This was said just at the time when Beechnut and Stuyvesant were | |
passing through the gate which led into the yard, and the barns and | |
sheds were just coming into view. | |
"The one with that square hole by the side of the door?" asked | |
Stuyvesant. | |
"Yes," said Beechnut, "that was Phonny's hen house. He bought some | |
hens, and was going to be a great poulterer. He was going to have I | |
don't know how many eggs and chickens,--but finally he got tired of | |
his brood, and neglected them, and at last wanted to sell them to me. | |
I bought them day before yesterday." | |
"How many hens are there?" asked Stuyvesant. | |
"About a dozen," said Beechnut. "I gave him a dollar and a half for | |
the whole stock. I looked into his hen-house when I bought him out, | |
and found it all in sad condition. I have not had time to put it in | |
order yet." | |
"I will put it in order," said Stuyvesant. | |
"Will you?" said Beechnut. | |
"Yes," said Stuyvesant, "and I should like to buy the hens of you, if | |
I were only going to stay here long enough." | |
"I don't think it is worth while for you to buy them," said Beechnut, | |
"but I should like to have you take charge of them. I would pay you by | |
giving you a share of the eggs." | |
"What could I do with the eggs?" asked Stuyvesant. | |
"Why you could sell them, or give them away, just as you pleased. You | |
might give them to Mrs. Henry, or sell them to her, or sell them to | |
me. If you will take the whole care of them while you are here, I will | |
give you one third of the eggs, after all expenses are paid." | |
"What do you mean by that?" asked Stuyvesant. | |
"Why, if we have to buy any grain, for instance, to give the hens, we | |
must sell eggs enough first to pay for the grain, and after that, you | |
shall have one third of the eggs that are left." | |
Stuyvesant was much pleased with this proposal, and was just about to | |
say that he accepted it, when his attention was suddenly turned away | |
from the subject, by hearing a loud call from Phonny, who just then | |
came running round a corner, with a box-trap under his arm, shouting | |
out, | |
"Stuyvesant! Stuyvesant! Look here! I've got a gray squirrel;--a | |
beautiful, large gray squirrel." | |
CHAPTER IV. | |
NEGOTIATIONS. | |
It is necessary in this chapter to return to Phonny and Wallace, in | |
order to explain how Phonny succeeded in getting his squirrel. | |
He was quite in haste, as he went on after leaving the squirrel, in | |
order to get down to the mill where Espy lived, before the squirrel | |
should have gnawed out. The road, he was quite confident, led to the | |
mill. | |
"I should like to buy the squirrel, if Espy will sell him," said | |
Phonny. | |
"Do you think that your mother would be willing?" asked Wallace. | |
"Why yes," said Phonny, "certainly. What objection could she have?" | |
"None, only the trouble that it would occasion her," replied Wallace. | |
"Oh, it would not make her any trouble," said Phonny. "I should take | |
care of it myself." | |
"It would not make her much trouble, I know," said Wallace, "if you | |
were only considerate and careful. As it is I think it may make her a | |
great deal." | |
"No," said Phonny, "I don't think that it will make her any trouble at | |
all." | |
"Where shall you keep your squirrel?" asked Wallace. | |
"In a cage, in the back room," said Phonny, promptly. | |
"Have you got a cage?" asked Wallace. | |
"No," said Phonny, "but I can make one." | |
"I think that in making a cage," replied Wallace, "you would have to | |
give other people a great deal of trouble. You would be inquiring all | |
about the house, for tools, and boards, and wire,--that is unless you | |
keep your tools and materials for such kind of work, in better order | |
than boys usually do." | |
Phonny was silent. His thoughts reverted to a certain room in one of | |
the out-buildings, which he called his shop, and used for that | |
purpose, and which was, as he well knew, at this time in a state of | |
great confusion. | |
"Then," continued Wallace, "you will leave the doors open, going and | |
coming, to see your squirrel, and to feed him." | |
"No," said Phonny, "I am very sure that I shall not leave the doors | |
open." | |
"And then," continued Wallace, "after a time you will get a little | |
tired of your squirrel, and will forget to feed him, and so your | |
mother or somebody in the house, must have the care of reminding you | |
of it." | |
"Oh, no," said Phonny, "I should not forget to feed him, I am sure." | |
"Did not you forget to feed your hens?" asked Wallace. | |
"Why--yes," said Phonny, hesitatingly, "but that is a different | |
thing." | |
"Then, besides," said Wallace, "you will have to go and beg some money | |
of your mother to buy the squirrel with. For I suppose you have not | |
saved any of your own, from your allowance. It is very seldom that | |
boys of your age have self-control enough to lay up any money." | |
As Wallace said these words Phonny, who had been riding along, with | |
the bridle and his little riding stick both in his right hand, now | |
shifted them into his left, and then putting his right hand into his | |
left vest pocket, he drew out a little wallet. He then extended his | |
hand with the wallet in it to Wallace saying, | |
"Look in there." | |
Wallace took the wallet, opened it as he rode along, and found that | |
there was a quarter of a dollar in one of the pockets. | |
"Is that your money?" said Wallace. | |
"Yes," said Phonny. | |
"Then you are not near as much of a boy as I thought you were. To be | |
able to save money, so as to have a stock on hand for any unexpected | |
emergency, is one of the greatest proofs of manliness. I had no idea | |
that you were so much of a man." | |
Phonny laughed. At first Wallace supposed that this laugh only | |
expressed the pleasure which Phonny felt at having deserved these | |
praises, but as he gave back the wallet into Phonny's hands, he | |
perceived a very mysterious expression upon his countenance. | |
"That's the money," said Phonny, "that my mother just gave me for my | |
next fortnight's allowance." | |
"Then you have had no opportunity to spend it at all?" | |
"No," said Phonny. | |
Phonny thought that he was sinking himself in his cousin's estimation | |
by this avowal, but he was in fact raising himself very much by | |
evincing so much honesty. | |
"He is not willing to receive commendation that he knows he does not | |
deserve," thought Wallace to himself. "That is a good sign. That is a | |
great deal better trait of character than to be able to lay up money." | |
Wallace thought this to himself as he rode along. He did not, however, | |
express the thought, but went on a minute or two in silence. At length | |
he said, | |
"So, then, you have got money enough to buy the squirrel?" | |
"Yes," said Phonny, "if a quarter is enough." | |
"It is enough," said Wallace, "I have no doubt. So that one difficulty | |
is disposed of. As to the second difficulty," he continued, "that is, | |
troubling the family about making the cage, we can dispose of that | |
very easily, too, for I can help you about that myself. What shall we | |
do about the third, leaving the doors open and making a noise when you | |
go back and forth to feed him?" | |
"Oh, I will promise not to do that," said Phonny. | |
"Promise!" repeated Wallace, in a tone of incredulity. | |
"Yes," said Phonny, "I'll promise, positively." | |
"Is it safe to rely on boys' promises about here?" said Wallace. "They | |
would not be considered very good security in Wall Street, in New | |
York." | |
"I don't know," said Phonny; "I always keep _my_ promises." | |
"Are you willing to agree, that if you make any noise or disturbance | |
in the family with your squirrel, that he is to be forfeited?" | |
"Forfeited!" said Phonny, "how do you mean?" | |
"Why, given up to me, to dispose of as I please," said Wallace. | |
"And what should you do with him?" asked Phonny. | |
"I don't know," said Wallace. "I should dispose of him in some way, so | |
that he should not be the means of any more trouble. Perhaps I should | |
give him away; perhaps I should open the cage and let him run." | |
"Then I think you ought to pay me what I gave for him," said Phonny. | |
"No," said Wallace, "because I don't take him for any advantage to | |
myself, but only to prevent your allowing him to make trouble. If you | |
make noise and disturbance with him, it is your fault, and you lose | |
the squirrel as the penalty for it. If you do your duty and make no | |
trouble with him, then he would not be forfeited." | |
"Well," said Phonny, "I agree to that. But perhaps you will say that I | |
make a disturbance with him when I don't." | |
"We will have an umpire, then," said Wallace. | |
"What is an umpire?" asked Phonny. | |
"Somebody to decide when there is a dispute," replied Wallace. "Who | |
shall be the umpire?" | |
"Beechnut," said Phonny. | |
"Agreed," said Wallace. | |
"And now there is one point more," he continued, "and that is, perhaps | |
you will neglect to feed him, and then we shall be uncomfortable, for | |
fear that the squirrel is suffering." | |
"No," said Phonny, shaking his head; "I shall certainly feed him every | |
day, and sometimes twice a day." | |
"Are you willing to agree to forfeit him, if you fail to feed him?" | |
"Why--I don't know," said Phonny. "But I certainly shall feed him, I | |
know I shall." | |
"Then there will be no harm in agreeing to forfeit him if you fail," | |
rejoined Wallace; "for if you certainly do feed him, then your | |
agreement to forfeit him will be a dead letter." | |
"But I might accidentally omit to feed him some one day," said Phonny. | |
"I might be sick, or I might be gone away, and I might ask Stuyvesant | |
to feed him, and he forget it, and then I should lose my squirrel | |
entirely." | |
"No," said Wallace, "you are not to forfeit him except for _neglect_. | |
It must be a real and inexcusable neglect on your part, Beechnut being | |
judge." | |
"Well," said Phonny, "I agree to it." | |
"And I will give you three warnings," said Wallace, "both for making | |
trouble and disturbance with your squirrel, and for neglecting to feed | |
him. After the third warning, he is forfeited, and I am to do what I | |
please with him." | |
"Well," said Phonny, "I agree to it." | |
A short time after this conversation, the road in which Wallace and | |
Phonny were riding emerged from the wood, and there was opened before | |
them the prospect of a wide and beautiful valley. A short distance | |
before them down the valley, there was a stream with a mill. By the | |
side of the mill, under some large spreading elms, was a red house, | |
which Phonny said was the one where Espy lived. | |
They rode on rapidly, intending to go to the house and inquire for | |
Espy. Just before reaching the place, however, Phonny's attention was | |
arrested by his seeing some boys fishing on the bank of the stream, | |
just below the mill. It was at a place where the road lay along the | |
bank of the stream, at a little distance from it. The stream was very | |
broad at this place, and the water quite deep and clear. The ground | |
was smooth and green between the road and the water, and there were | |
large trees on the bank overshadowing the shore, so that it was a very | |
pleasant place.[B] | |
[Footnote B: See Frontispiece.] | |
There were two boys standing upon the bank in one place fishing. Two | |
other boys were near the water at a little distance, trying to make a | |
dog jump in, by throwing in sticks and stones. | |
Just as Wallace and Phonny came along, one of the boys who was | |
fishing, called out in a loud and authoritative tone to one of those | |
who were trying to make the dog jump in, saying, | |
"Hey-e-e, there! Oliver, don't throw sticks into the water; you scare | |
away all the fish." | |
"Ned!" said Phonny, calling out to the boy who was fishing. | |
The boy looked round, without, however, moving his fishing-pole. | |
"Is Espy down there anywhere?" said Phonny. | |
Here the boy turned his head again toward the water, without directly | |
answering Phonny, though he called out at the same time in an audible | |
voice, | |
"Espy!" | |
In answer apparently to his call, a boy came suddenly out of a little | |
thicket which was near the water, just below where Ned was fishing, | |
and asked Ned what he wanted. | |
"There's a fellow out here in the road," said Ned, "calling for you." | |
Hearing this, the boy came out of the thicket entirely, and scrambled | |
up the bank. He stood at the top of the bank, looking toward Wallace | |
and Phonny, but did not advance. His hand was extended toward a | |
branch of the tree which he had taken hold of to help him in climbing | |
up the bank. He continued to keep hold of this tree, showing by his | |
attitude that he did not mean to come any farther. | |
He was in fact a little awed at the sight of Wallace, who was a | |
stranger to him. He did not know whether he was wanted for any good | |
purpose, or was going to be called to account for some of his | |
misdeeds. | |
"Come here a minute," said Phonny. | |
Espy did not move. | |
"Is that your trap up in the woods?" asked Phonny. | |
"Yes," said Espy. | |
"There is a squirrel in it," rejoined Phonny, "and I want to buy him." | |
Hearing this, the boys who had been playing with the dog began to move | |
up toward Wallace and Phonny. Espy himself taking his hand down from | |
the tree, came forward a few steps. Wallace and Phonny too advanced a | |
little with their horses toward the stream, and thus the whole party | |
came nearer together. | |
"There is a squirrel in your trap," repeated Phonny, "if he has not | |
gnawed out;--and I want to buy him. What will you sell him for?" | |
"What kind of a squirrel is it?" asked Espy. | |
"I don't know," said Phonny. "I couldn't see any thing but his eyes." | |
"If it's a gray squirrel," said Espy, "he is worth a quarter. If it's | |
a red squirrel you may have him for four pence-- | |
"Or for nothing at all," continued Espy, after a moment's pause, "just | |
as you please." | |
Wallace laughed. | |
"What will you sell him for just as he is," asked Wallace, "and we | |
take the risk of his being red or gray?" | |
"Don't you know which it is?" asked Espy. | |
"No," said Wallace, "_I_ do not. I did not go near the cage, and | |
Phonny did not open it. He says he could only see his eyes." | |
"And his nose," said Phonny, "I saw his nose,--but I don't know at | |
all, what kind of a squirrel it is." | |
"You may have him for eighteen cents," said Espy. | |
"But perhaps he has gnawed out," said Phonny. "He was gnawing out as | |
fast as he could when we saw him." | |
"Why, if he has gnawed out," said Espy, "you will not have anything to | |
pay, of course; because then you won't get him. | |
"Or," continued Espy, "you may have him for ten cents, and you take | |
the risk of his gnawing out. You give me ten cents now, and you may | |
have him if he is there, red or gray. If he is not there, I keep the | |
ten cents, and you get nothing." | |
"Well," said Phonny. "Would you, Wallace?" | |
"I don't know," said Wallace. "You must decide. There is considerable | |
risk. I can't judge." | |
"I have not got any ten cents," said Phonny--"only a quarter of a | |
dollar." | |
"Oh, I can pay," said Wallace, "and then you can pay me some other | |
time." | |
"Well," said Phonny, "I believe I will take him." | |
"You must lend me the trap," said Phonny, again addressing Espy,--"to | |
carry the squirrel home in, and I will bring it back here some day." | |
"Well," said Espy. | |
So Wallace took a ten cent piece from his pocket, and gave it to Espy, | |
and then he and Phonny rode away. | |
"Now," said Phonny, "we must go ahead." | |
They rode on rapidly for some time. At length, on ascending a hill, | |
they were obliged to slacken their pace a little. | |
"If it should prove to be a gray squirrel," said Phonny, "what a | |
capital bargain I shall have made. A squirrel worth a quarter of a | |
dollar, for ten cents." | |
"I don't see why a gray squirrel is so much more valuable than a red | |
one," said Wallace. "Is gray considered prettier than red?" | |
"Oh, it is not his color," said Phonny, "it is the shape and size. The | |
gray squirrels are a great deal larger, and then, they have a | |
beautiful bushy tail, that lays all the time over their back, and | |
curls up at the end, like a plume. The red squirrels are very small." | |
"Besides," continued Phonny, "they are not red exactly. They are a | |
kind of reddish brown, so that they are not very pretty, even in | |
color. I am afraid that my squirrel will be a red one." | |
"I am afraid so, too," said Wallace. | |
"The red squirrels are altogether the most common," said Phonny. | |
"There are the bars," said Wallace, "now we shall soon see." | |
They had arrived in fact, at the bars. Phonny jumped off his horse and | |
gave Wallace the bridle, and then went to take down the bars. As soon | |
as he had got them down, he left Wallace to go through with the | |
horses, at his leisure, and he himself ran off toward the rock where | |
he had left the trap, to see what sort of a squirrel he had. | |
Wallace went through the bars in a deliberate manner, as it was in | |
fact necessary to do in conducting two horses, and then dismounted, | |
intending to put the bars up. He had just got off his horse when he | |
saw Phonny coming from the direction of the place where the trap had | |
been left, with a countenance expressive of great surprise and | |
concern. | |
"Wallace," exclaimed Phonny, "the squirrel has gone, trap and all." | |
"Has it?" said Wallace. | |
"Yes," said Phonny; "I left it on that rock, and it is gone." | |
So saying Phonny ran to the place and put his foot upon the rock, | |
looking up to Wallace, and added, | |
"There is the very identical spot where I put it, and now it is gone." | |
Wallace seemed at a loss what to think. | |
"Somebody must have taken him away," said he. | |
"Hark!" said Phonny. | |
Wallace and Phonny listened. They heard the voices of some boys in the | |
woods. | |
"There they are now," said Phonny. | |
"Mount the horse," said Wallace, "and we will go and see." | |
Phonny mounted his horse as expeditiously as possible, and he and | |
Wallace rode off through the woods in the direction of the voices. | |
They followed a path which led down a sort of glen, and after riding a | |
short distance they saw the boys before them, standing in a little | |
open space among the trees. The boys had stopped to see who was | |
coming. | |
There were three boys, one large and two small. The large boy had the | |
trap under his arm. | |
"Halloa!" said Phonny, calling out aloud to the boys, "stop carrying | |
off that trap." | |
The boys did not answer. | |
"I have bought that squirrel," said Phonny, "you must give him to me." | |
"No," said the great boy; "it belongs to Espy, and I am going to keep | |
it for him." | |
"Hush," said Wallace, in a low tone to Phonny; "_I_ will speak to | |
him." | |
Then calling out aloud again, he said, "We have just been down to | |
Espy's and have bought the squirrel, and have now come to take him | |
home." | |
The boy did not move from the place where he stood, and he showed very | |
plainly by his countenance and his manner, that he did not mean to | |
give the squirrel up. Presently they heard him mutter to the small | |
boys, | |
"I don't believe they have bought him, and they shan't have him." | |
"Let us go down and take the squirrel away from them," said Phonny, in | |
a low tone to Wallace; "I don't believe they will give him up, unless | |
we do." | |
"We can not do that," said Wallace. "We might take the trap away, | |
perhaps, but they would first open the trap and let the squirrel go." | |
"What shall we do, then?" asked Phonny. | |
Wallace did not answer this question, directly, but called out again | |
to the boy who held the trap, saying, | |
"We found the squirrel here in the woods, and then went down to tell | |
Espy, and we bought the squirrel of him. But we can't carry him home | |
very well on horseback, at least till we get out of the woods, because | |
the road is so steep and rough. Now if you will carry him down the | |
road for us, till we get out of the woods, I will give you six cents." | |
"Well," said the boy, "I will." | |
He immediately began to come toward Wallace and Phonny, so as to go | |
back with them into the road which they were to take. Wallace and | |
Phonny led the way, and he followed. As soon as he came within | |
convenient distance for talking, Phonny asked him what sort of a | |
squirrel it was. | |
"A gray squirrel," said he. "The prettiest gray squirrel that ever I | |
saw." | |
Phonny was very much elated at hearing this intelligence, and wanted | |
to get off his horse at once, and take a peep at the squirrel; but | |
Wallace advised him to do no such thing. In due time the whole party | |
got out of the woods. Wallace gave the boy his six cents, and the boy | |
handed the trap up to Phonny. Phonny held it upon the pommel of the | |
saddle, directly before him. He found that the squirrel had gnawed | |
through the board so as to get his nose out, but he could not gnaw any | |
more, now that the box was all the time in motion. So he gave it up in | |
despair, and remained crouched down in a corner of the trap during the | |
remainder of the ride, wondering all the time what the people outside | |
were doing with him. | |
"You managed that boy finely," said Phonny. "He is one of the worst | |
boys in town." | |
"It is generally best," said Wallace, "in dealing with people, to | |
contrive some way to make it for their interest to do what you want, | |
rather than to quarrel with them about it." | |
For the rest of the way, Phonny rode on without meeting with any | |
difficulty, and arrived at home, with his squirrel all safe, just at | |
the time when Beechnut and Stuyvesant were talking about the poultry. | |
CHAPTER V. | |
PLANS FOR THE SQUIRREL. | |
As soon as Phonny had told Stuyvesant about his squirrel and had | |
lifted up the lid of the trap a little, so as to allow him to peep in | |
and see, he said that he was going in to show the squirrel to the | |
people in the house, and especially to Malleville. He accordingly | |
hurried away with the box under his arm. Stuyvesant went back toward | |
the barn. | |
Phonny hastened along to the house. From the yard he went into a shed | |
through a great door. He walked along the platform in the shed, and at | |
the end of the platform he went up three steps, to a door leading into | |
the back kitchen. He passed through this back kitchen into the front | |
kitchen, hurrying forward as he went, and leaving all the doors open. | |
Dorothy was at work at a table ironing. | |
"Dorothy," said Phonny, "I've got a squirrel--a beautiful squirrel. If | |
I had time I would stop and show him to you." | |
"I wish you had time to shut the doors," said Dorothy. | |
"In a minute," said Phonny, "I am coming back in a minute, and then I | |
will." | |
So saying Phonny went into a sort of hall or entry which passed | |
through the house, and which had doors in it leading to the principal | |
rooms. There was a staircase here. Phonny supposed that Malleville was | |
up in his mother's chamber. So he stood at the foot of the stairs and | |
began to call her with a loud voice. | |
"Malleville!" said he, "Malleville! Where are you? Come and see my | |
squirrel." | |
Presently a door opened above, and Phonny heard some one stepping out. | |
"Malleville," said Phonny, "is that you?" | |
"No," said a voice above, "it is Wallace. I have come to give you your | |
first warning." | |
"Why, I only wanted to show my squirrel to Malleville," said Phonny. | |
"You are making a great disturbance," said Wallace, "and besides, | |
though I don't _know_ any thing about it, I presume that you came in a | |
noisy manner through the kitchen and left all the doors open there." | |
"Well," said Phonny, "I will be still." | |
So Phonny turned round and went away on tiptoe. When he got into the | |
kitchen, he first shut the doors, and then carried the trap to | |
Dorothy, and let her peep through the hole which the squirrel had | |
gnawed and see the squirrel inside. | |
"Do you see him?" asked Phonny. | |
"I see the tip of his tail," said Dorothy, "curling over. The whole | |
squirrel is there somewhere, I've no doubt." | |
Phonny then went out again to find Stuyvesant. He was careful to walk | |
softly and to shut all the doors after him. | |
He found Stuyvesant and Beechnut in the barn. Beechnut was raking up | |
the loose hay which had been pitched down upon the barn floor, and | |
Stuyvesant was standing beside him. | |
"Beechnut," said Phonny, "just look at my squirrel. You can peep | |
through this little hole where he was trying to gnaw out." | |
Phonny held the trap up and Beechnut peeped through the hole. | |
"Yes," said he, "I see the top of his head His name is Frink." | |
"Frink?" repeated Phonny, "how do you know?" | |
"I think that must be his name," said Beechnut. "If you don't believe | |
it, try and see if you can make him answer to any other name. If you | |
can I'll give it up." | |
"Nonsense, Beechnut," said Phonny. "That is only some of your fun. But | |
Frink will be a very good name for him, nevertheless. Only I was going | |
to call him Bunny." | |
"I don't think his name is Bunny," said Beechnut. "I knew Bunny. He | |
was a squirrel that belonged to Rodolphus. He got away and ran off | |
into the woods, but I don't think that this is the same one." | |
"I'll call him Frink," said Phonny. "But what would you do with him if | |
you were in my place?" | |
"Me?" said Beechnut. | |
"Yes," said Phonny. | |
"Well, I think," said Beechnut, stopping his work a moment, and | |
leaning on his rake, and drawing a long breath, as if what he was | |
about to say was the result of very anxious deliberation, "I think | |
that on the whole, if that squirrel were mine, I should put two large | |
baskets up in the barn-chamber, and send him into the woods this fall | |
to get beechnuts, and hazelnuts, and fill the baskets. One basket for | |
beechnuts and one for hazelnuts, and I would give him a month to fill | |
them." | |
[Illustration: BEECHNUT'S ADVICE.] | |
"Nonsense, Beechnut," said Phonny, "you are only making fun. If I were | |
to let him go off into the woods, he never would come back again." | |
"Why, do you suppose," said Beechnut, "that he would rather be running | |
about in the woods than to live in that trap?" | |
"Yes," said Phonny. | |
"Then," said Beechnut, "you must make him a beautiful cage, and have | |
it so convenient and comfortable for him, that he shall like it better | |
than he does the woods. That would not be difficult, one would | |
suppose, because he has nothing but holes in the ground and old hollow | |
logs in the woods." | |
"I know that," said Phonny; "but then I don't think he would like any | |
house that I could make him, so well as he does the old logs." | |
"Then I don't know what you will do," said Beechnut, "to make him | |
contented." | |
So saying Beechnut went away, leaving Phonny and Stuyvesant together. | |
They talked a few minutes about the squirrel, and then began to walk | |
along toward the house. | |
As they walked along, they heard the bell ring for dinner. | |
"There," said Phonny, "there is the dinner-bell, what shall we do now? | |
Where shall I put my squirrel while we are in at dinner?" | |
"Haven't you got some sort of cage to put him in?" said Stuyvesant. | |
"No," said Phonny, "I was going to make one after dinner in my shop. | |
I have got a shop, did you know it?" | |
"Yes," said Stuyvesant, "Beechnut told me." | |
"Only my tools are rather dull," added Phonny. "But I think I can make | |
a cage with them." | |
"You might put the trap in the shop, on the bench," said Stuyvesant, | |
"till after dinner, and then make your cage." | |
"Well," said Phonny, "so I will." | |
So the two boys went into the shop. The room was indeed in great | |
confusion. The floor was covered with chips and shavings. The tools | |
were lying in disorder on the bench. There was a saw-horse in the | |
middle of the room, tumbled over upon one side, because one of the | |
legs was out. The handle was out of the hatchet, and one of the claws | |
of the hammer was broken. | |
While Stuyvesant was surveying this scene of disorder, Phonny advanced | |
to the bench, and pushing away the tools from one corner of it, he put | |
the trap down. | |
"There!" said he, "he will be safe there till after dinner." | |
"Only," said Stuyvesant, "he may finish gnawing out." | |
"I will stop him up," said Phonny. | |
So saying he took the foreplane, which is a tool formed of a steel | |
cutter, set in a pretty long and heavy block of wood, and placed it | |
directly before the hole in the trap. "There!" said he, "now if he | |
does gnaw the hole big enough, he can't get out, for he can't push the | |
plane away." | |
"Perhaps he will be hungry," said Stuyvesant. | |
"No," said Phonny, "for there was half an ear of corn tied to the | |
spindle for bait, and he has not eaten but a very little of it yet, I | |
can see by peeping in." | |
"Then, perhaps, he will be thirsty," said Stuyvesant. | |
"I will give him something to drink," said Phonny. | |
"Yes," said Beechnut. | |
The boys turned and saw Beechnut standing at the door of the shop, | |
looking at them. He continued, | |
"His name is Frink, | |
And so I think, | |
I'd give him a little water to drink." | |
So saying, Beechnut went away. Phonny took up an old tin cover which | |
lay upon a shelf behind the bench, and which had once belonged to a | |
tin box. The box was lost, but Phonny had kept the cover to put nails | |
in. He now poured the nails out upon the bench, and went out to the | |
pump to fill the cover with water. | |
In a minute or two he came back, walking carefully, so as not to spill | |
the water. He raised the lid of the trap a little, very cautiously, | |
and then pushed the cover in underneath it, in such a manner that | |
about half of it was inside the trap. | |
"There! That's what I call complete. Now he can have a drink when he | |
pleases, and we will go in to dinner." | |
* * * * * | |
At the dinner table, Phonny and Stuyvesant sat upon one side of the | |
table, and Malleville sat on the other side, opposite to them. Mrs. | |
Henry sat at the head, and Wallace opposite to her, at the foot of the | |
table. The dinner consisted that day, of roast chickens, and after it, | |
an apple pudding. | |
Wallace carved the chickens, and when all had been helped, Phonny | |
began to talk about the squirrel. | |
"I suppose you consider it as boyishness in me, Cousin Wallace, to | |
like to have a squirrel," said he. | |
"It is a very harmless _kind_ of boyishness, at any rate," replied | |
Wallace. | |
"Then you have no objection to it," said Phonny. | |
"None at all," said Wallace. "In one sense it is boyishness, for it is | |
boys, and not men, that take pleasure in possessing useless animals." | |
"Useless!" said Phonny, "do you call a gray squirrel useless?" | |
"He is not useful in the sense in which the animals of a farm-yard are | |
useful," said Wallace. "He gives pleasure perhaps, but cows, sheep, | |
and hens, are a source of profit. Boys don't care much about profit; | |
but like any kind of animals, if they are pretty, or cunning in their | |
motions and actions." | |
"I like gray squirrels," said Phonny, "very much indeed, if it _is_ | |
boyishness." | |
"It is a very harmless kind of boyishness at all events," replied | |
Wallace. "It is not like some other kinds of boyishness, such as I | |
told you about the other day." | |
"Well, Cousin Wallace," said Phonny, "what would you do, if you were | |
in my case, for a cage?" | |
"I would take some kind of box, without any top to it," replied | |
Wallace, "and lay it down upon its side, and then make a front to it | |
of wires." | |
"Yes," said Phonny, "that will be an excellent plan. But how can I | |
make the front of wires?" | |
"I will come and show you," said Wallace, "when you get the box all | |
ready. You must look about and find a box, and carry it into the shop. | |
Is your shop in order?" | |
"No," said Phonny, "not exactly; but I can put it in order in a few | |
minutes." | |
"Very well," said Wallace. "Put your shop all in order, and get the | |
box, and then come and call me." | |
"Well," said Phonny, "I will." | |
CHAPTER VI. | |
DIFFICULTY. | |
After dinner, Stuyvesant told Phonny that he should be glad to help | |
him about his cage, were it not that he was engaged to go with | |
Beechnut that afternoon, to plow. Phonny was very sorry to hear this. | |
In fact he had a great mind to go himself, and help plow, and so put | |
off making his cage until the next day. It is very probable that he | |
would have decided upon this plan, but while he was hesitating about | |
it, Beechnut came to tell Stuyvesant that he should not be able to | |
finish the plowing that day, for he was obliged to go away. Then | |
Stuyvesant said that he would help Phonny. So they went together into | |
the shop. | |
They found the squirrel safe. Phonny examined the water very | |
attentively, to see whether Frink had been drinking any of it. He was | |
very confident that the water had diminished quite sensibly. | |
Stuyvesant could not tell whether it had diminished or not. | |
"And now," said Phonny, "the first thing is to put the shop in order." | |
So saying, he took the plane away from before the trap, and looked at | |
the hole to see whether Frink had gnawed it any bigger. He had not. | |
Phonny then carried the trap to the back side of the shop and put it | |
upon a great chopping-block which stood there. He did this for the | |
purpose of having the bench clear, so as to put the tools in order | |
upon it. | |
"I am glad that you are going to put this shop in order," said | |
Stuyvesant,--"that is, if you will let me use it afterward." | |
"Yes," said Phonny, "I will let you use it. But what should you want | |
to make in it?" | |
"Why, Beechnut has given me charge of the hen-house," said Stuyvesant, | |
"and I am to have one third of the eggs." | |
Here Phonny stopped suddenly in his work and looked up to Stuyvesant | |
as if surprised. | |
"What, _my_ hen-house!" said he. | |
"The one that you used to have," said Stuyvesant. "He said that you | |
sold it to him." | |
"So I did," said Phonny, thoughtfully. As he said this, he laid down | |
his saw, which he had just taken to hang upon a nail where it | |
belonged, and ran off out of the shop. | |
He was in pursuit of Beechnut. He found him harnessing a horse into a | |
wagon. | |
"Beechnut," said he, "have you given Stuyvesant the charge of my | |
hen-house?" | |
"I have offered it to him," said Beechnut, "but he has not told me yet | |
whether he accepted the offer or not." | |
"You are going to let him have half the eggs if he takes care of the | |
house and the hens?" inquired Phonny. | |
"One third of them," said Beechnut. | |
"I did not know that you would do that," said Phonny. "If I had known | |
that you would be willing to let it out in that way, I should have | |
wanted it myself." | |
"I am not certain that it would be safe to let it to _you_," said | |
Beechnut. | |
"Why not?" asked Phonny. | |
"I am not sure that you would be persevering and faithful in taking | |
care of the hens." | |
"Why should not I as well as Stuyvesant?" asked Phonny. "Stuyvesant is | |
not so old as I am." | |
"He may have more steadiness and perseverance, for all that," said | |
Beechnut. | |
"I think you might let me have it as well as him," said Phonny. | |
"Very well," said Beechnut, "either of you. It shall go to the one who | |
has the first claim." | |
"You say he did not accept your offer of it to him?" | |
"No," said Beechnut, "I believe he did not." | |
"Then I agree to accept it now," said Phonny, "and that gives me the | |
first claim." | |
Beechnut did not answer to this proposal, but went on harnessing the | |
horse. When the horse was all ready, he gathered up the reins and | |
stood a moment, just before getting into the wagon, in a thoughtful | |
attitude. | |
"Well now, Phonny," said he, "here is a great law question to be | |
settled, whether you or Stuyvesant has the best right to the contract. | |
Go and ask Stuyvesant to come to the shop-door." | |
So Beechnut got into the wagon and drove out of the shed, and along | |
the yard, until he came to the shop-door, and there he stopped. Phonny | |
and Stuyvesant were standing in front of the door. | |
"Stuyvesant," said Beechnut, "here is a perplexing case. Phonny wants | |
to have the care of the hen-house on the same terms I offered it to | |
you. You did not tell me whether you would take it or not." | |
"No," said Stuyvesant, "I was going to tell you that I would take it, | |
but if Phonny wants it, I am willing to give it up to him." | |
"And you, Phonny," said Beechnut, "are willing, I suppose, if | |
Stuyvesant wants it, to give it up to him?" | |
"Why--yes," said Phonny. In saying this, however, Phonny seemed to | |
speak quite reluctantly and doubtfully. | |
"That's right," said Beechnut. "Each of you is willing to give up to | |
the other. But now before we can tell on which side the giving up is | |
to be, we must first decide on which side the right is. So that you | |
see we have got the quarrel into a very pretty shape now. The question | |
is, which of you can have the pleasure and privilege of giving up to | |
the other, instead of which shall be _compelled_ to give up against | |
his will. So you see it is now a very pleasant sort of a quarrel." | |
"No," said Phonny, "it is not any such thing. A quarrel is not | |
pleasant, ever." | |
"Oh, yes," said Beechnut, "one of the greatest pleasures of life is to | |
quarrel. We can not possibly get along, without quarrels. The only | |
thing that we can do is to get them in as good shape as possible." | |
"Have you got a pencil and paper in your shop?" continued Beechnut. | |
"Yes," said Phonny. | |
"Bring them out to me." | |
Phonny brought out a pencil and a small piece of paper, and held them | |
up to Beechnut in the wagon. | |
"Now boys," said Beechnut, "are you willing to submit this case to Mr. | |
Wallace, for his decision?" | |
"Yes," said Phonny. | |
"I am too," said Stuyvesant. | |
"Then I'll write a statement of it," said Beechnut. | |
Beechnut accordingly placed the paper upon the seat of the wagon | |
beside him, and began to write. In a few minutes he held up the paper | |
and read as follows: | |
"A. has a certain contract which he is willing to offer to | |
either B. or C. whichever has the prior right to it. He | |
first offered it to B. but before B. accepted the offer C. | |
made application for it. C. immediately accepted the offer, | |
before A. decided upon B.'s application. Now the question is | |
whose claim is best, in respect simply of priority,--the one | |
to whom it was first _offered_, or the one who first | |
signified his willingness to accept of it." | |
"There," said Beechnut, "there is a simple statement of the case." | |
"I don't understand it very well," said Phonny. | |
"Don't you?" said Beechnut; "then I'll read it again." | |
So Beechnut began again. | |
"A. has a certain contract----" | |
Here Beechnut paused and looked up at the boys. | |
"A. means Beechnut," said Stuyvesant. | |
"Then why don't you _say_ Beechnut?" said Phonny. | |
"And the contract," continued Stuyvesant, "is the agreement about the | |
hens." | |
"Which he is willing to offer," continued Beechnut, "to either B. or | |
C." | |
"That is, either to you or me," said Stuyvesant. | |
"Yes," said Phonny, "I understand so far. But what is that about | |
priority." | |
"Priority," said Beechnut, "means precedence in respect to time." | |
"That is harder to understand than priority," said Phonny. | |
"The question is," continued Beechnut, "which must be considered as | |
first in order of time, the one who had the offer first, or the one | |
who accepted first." | |
"The one who accepted first," said Phonny. | |
"You are not to decide the question," said Beechnut. "I was only | |
explaining to you what the question is. You must carry the paper to | |
Mr. Wallace and get his opinion." | |
"But Beechnut," said Phonny, "why don't you tell him all about it, | |
just as it was, instead of making up such a story about A. B. and C. | |
and priority." | |
"Why, when we refer a case to an umpire for decision," said Beechnut, | |
"it is always best, when we can, to state the principle of the | |
question in general terms, so that he can decide it in the abstract, | |
without knowing who the real parties are, and how they are to be | |
affected by his decision. Here's Mr. Wallace now, who would not like | |
very well to decide in favor of his brother and against you, even if | |
he thought that his brother was in the right. But by not letting him | |
know any thing but the general principle he can decide just as he | |
thinks, without fear that you would think him partial." | |
"Well," said Phonny, "I will carry him the paper." | |
"You must only give him the paper," said Beechnut, "and not tell him | |
any thing about the case yourself." | |
"No," said Phonny, "I will not." | |
"For if you do," continued Beechnut, "he will know who the parties | |
are, and then he will not like to decide the question." | |
"Well," said Phonny, "I will not tell him." | |
"Let Stuyvesant go with you," said Beechnut. | |
"Well," said Phonny. | |
Phonny accordingly took the paper and went into the house with | |
Stuyvesant. He led the way up into his cousin Wallace's room. He found | |
Wallace seated at his table in his alcove, where he usually studied. | |
The curtains were both up, which was the signal that Phonny might go | |
and speak to him. | |
Phonny and Stuyvesant accordingly walked up to the table, and Wallace | |
asked them if they wished to speak to him. | |
[Illustration: THE APPEAL.] | |
Phonny handed him the paper. | |
"There," said he, "is a case for you to decide." | |
Wallace took the paper and read it. He said nothing, but seemed for a | |
moment to be thinking on the subject, and then he took his pen and | |
wrote several lines under the question. Phonny supposed that he was | |
writing his answer. | |
After his writing was finished, Wallace folded up the paper, and told | |
Phonny that he must not read it until he had given it to Beechnut. | |
"How did you know that it was from Beechnut?" said Phonny. | |
"I knew by the handwriting," said Wallace. "Besides, I knew that there | |
was nobody else here who would have referred such a question to me, in | |
such a scientific way." | |
So Phonny took the paper and carried it down to Beechnut. | |
Beechnut opened it, and read aloud as follows: | |
My judgment is, that it would depend upon whether B. had a | |
reasonable time to consider and decide upon the offer, | |
before C. came forward. In all cases of making an offer, it | |
is implied that reasonable time is allowed to consider it. | |
"The question is, then, boys," said Beechnut, "whether Stuyvesant had | |
had a reasonable time to consider my offer, before Phonny came | |
forward. What do you think about that, Phonny?" | |
"Why, yes," said Phonny, "he had an hour." | |
Stuyvesant said nothing. | |
"I will think about that while I am riding," said Beechnut, "and tell | |
you what I conclude upon it when I return. Perhaps we shall have to | |
refer that question to Mr. Wallace, too." | |
So Beechnut drove away, and the boys went back into the shop. Here | |
they resumed their work of putting the tools in order, and while doing | |
so, they continued their conversation about the question of priority. | |
"_I_ think," said Phonny, "that you had abundance of time to consider | |
whether you would accept the offer." | |
"We might leave that question to Wallace, too," said Stuyvesant. | |
"Yes," said Phonny, "let's go now and ask him." | |
"Well," said Stuyvesant, "I am willing." | |
"Only," said Phonny, "we must not tell him what the question is | |
about." | |
"No," said Stuyvesant. | |
So the boys went together up to Wallace's room. They found him in his | |
alcove as before. They advanced to the table, and Wallace looked up to | |
them to hear what they had to say. | |
"B. had an hour to consider of his offer," said Phonny, "don't you | |
think that that was enough?" | |
Phonny was very indiscreet, indeed, in asking the question in that | |
form, for it showed at once that whatever might be the subject of the | |
discussion, he was not himself the person represented by B. It was now | |
no longer possible for Wallace to look at the question purely in its | |
abstract character. | |
"Now I know," said Wallace, "which is B., and of course you may as | |
well tell me all about it." | |
Phonny looked at Stuyvesant with an expression of surprise and concern | |
upon his countenance. | |
"No matter," said Stuyvesant, "let us tell him the whole story." | |
Phonny accordingly explained to Wallace, that the contract related to | |
the care of the hen-house and the hens,--that it was first offered to | |
Stuyvesant, that Stuyvesant did not accept it for an hour or two, and | |
that in the course of that time he, Phonny, had himself applied for | |
it. He concluded by asking Wallace if he did not think that an hour | |
was a reasonable time. | |
"The question," said Wallace, "how much it is necessary to allow for a | |
reasonable time, depends upon the nature of the subject that the offer | |
relates to. If two persons were writing at a table, and one of them | |
were to offer the other six wafers in exchange for a steel pen, five | |
minutes, or even one minute, might be a reasonable time to allow him | |
for decision. On the other hand, in buying a house, two or three days | |
would not be more than would be reasonable. Now, I think in such a | |
case as this, any person who should receive such an offer as Beechnut | |
made, ought to have time enough to consider the whole subject fairly. | |
He would wish to see the hen-house, to examine its condition, to | |
consider how long it would take him to put it in order, and how much | |
trouble the care of the hens would make him afterward. He would also | |
want to know how many eggs he was likely to receive, and to consider | |
whether these would be return enough for all his trouble. Now, it does | |
not seem to me, that one hour, coming too just when Stuyvesant was | |
called away to dinner, could be considered a reasonable time. He ought | |
to have a fair opportunity when the offer is once made to him, to | |
consider it and decide understandingly, whether he would accept it or | |
not." | |
"Well," said Phonny, with a sigh, "I suppose I must give it up." | |
So he and Stuyvesant walked back to the shop together. | |
CHAPTER VII. | |
THE WORK SHOP. | |
When the boys entered the shop door, the first thing for Phonny to do, | |
was to look and see if his trap was safe. It _was_ safe. It remained | |
standing upon the horse-block where he had placed it. | |
"And now," said Phonny, "the question is, where I am to find a box for | |
a cage. I must go and look about." | |
"And I must go and look at my hen-house," said Stuyvesant. | |
Phonny proposed that Stuyvesant should go with him to find a box, and | |
then help him make a cage, and after that, he would go, he said, and | |
help Stuyvesant about the repairs of the hen-house. | |
"I must go and _look_ at the hen-house first," said Stuyvesant. "I can | |
do that, while you are finding the box, and then I will help you." | |
"Well," said Phonny. "But--on the whole, I will go with you to look | |
at it, and then you can go with me to find the box." | |
So the boys walked along toward the hen-house together. | |
When they came to the place, they went in, and Stuyvesant proceeded to | |
examine the premises very thoroughly. There were two doors of | |
admission. One was a large one, for men and boys to go in at. The | |
other was a very small one, a square hole in fact, rather than a door, | |
and was intended for the hens. | |
This small opening had once been fitted with a sort of lid, which was | |
attached by leather hinges on its upper edge to a wooden bar or cleat | |
nailed to the side of the house, just over the square hole. This lid | |
formed, of course, a sort of door, opening outward and upward. When | |
up, it could be fastened in that position, by means of a wooden | |
button. The button and the bar of wood remained in its place, but the | |
door was gone. | |
"Where is the door?" asked Stuyvesant, after he had examined all this | |
very carefully. | |
"Why, I took it off," said Phonny, "to make a little stool of. I | |
wanted a square board just about that size." | |
"And did you make a stool?" asked Stuyvesant. | |
"No," said Phonny. "I found that I could not bore the holes for the | |
legs. I _tried_ to bore a hole, but I split the board." | |
"Then I must find another piece of board, somewhere," said Stuyvesant. | |
Stuyvesant next turned his attention to the great door. He swung it to | |
and fro, to see if the hinges were in order. They were. Next he shut | |
it, but he found there was nothing to keep it shut. | |
"There used to be a button," said Phonny. | |
"Where is the button now?" asked Stuyvesant. | |
"I don't know," said he. "Let me see;--it must be about here | |
somewhere." | |
So saying, Phonny began to look around upon the ground. There was some | |
litter upon the ground, formed of sticks, straws, &c., and Phonny | |
began to poke this litter about with his foot. | |
"I saw it lying down here somewhere, once," said he, "but I can't find | |
it now." | |
"Why didn't you pick it up and put it away in some safe place?" said | |
Stuyvesant, "or get it put on?" | |
"Why, I don't know," said Phonny. "You see we don't want to shut up | |
the hens much in the summer." | |
"No," replied Stuyvesant; "but it is a great deal better to have the | |
doors all in order." | |
"Why is it better?" asked Phonny. | |
"It is more satisfactory," said Stuyvesant. | |
"Satisfactory!" repeated Phonny. "Hoh!" | |
Stuyvesant went into the hen-house. Phonny followed him in. | |
It was a small room, with a loft upon one side of it. The floor was | |
covered with sticks, straw and litter. In one corner was a barrel, | |
three quarters filled with hay. There were two or three bars overhead | |
for the hens to roost upon. Stuyvesant looked around upon all these | |
objects for a few minutes in silence, and then pointing up to the | |
loft, he asked, | |
"What is up there?" | |
"That is the loft," replied Phonny. "There is nothing up there." | |
"How do you get up to see?" asked Stuyvesant. | |
"I can't get up, except when Beechnut is here to boost me," said | |
Phonny. | |
"I mean to make a ladder," said Stuyvesant. | |
"Hoh!" said Phonny, "you can't make a ladder." | |
"I will try, at any rate," said Stuyvesant. Then after a short pause | |
and a little more looking around, he added, | |
"Well, I am ready now to go and help you find your box. I see what I | |
have got to do here." | |
"What is it?" asked Phonny. | |
"I have got a small door to make, and a button for the large door, and | |
a ladder to get up to the loft. Then I have got to clear the hen-house | |
all out, and put it in order. What is in this barrel?" | |
"That is where the hens lay sometimes," said Phonny, "when they don't | |
lay in the barn." | |
So saying, Phonny walked into the corner where the barrel stood, and | |
there he found three eggs in the nest. | |
"Three eggs," said he. "I think Dorothy has not been out here to-day. | |
That is the beginning of your profits. You can take two of them; we | |
have to leave one for the nest-egg." | |
Phonny proposed that Stuyvesant should carry the eggs in, and give | |
them to Dorothy; but he said he would not do it then. He would leave | |
them where they were for the present, and go and look for the box. | |
Stuyvesant was intending to look, at the same time, for the materials | |
necessary for his door, his ladder, and his button. | |
Phonny, accordingly, led the way, and Stuyvesant followed, into | |
various apartments in the barns and sheds, where lumber was stored, or | |
where it might be expected to be found. There were several boxes in | |
these places, but some were too large, and others too small, and one, | |
which seemed about right in respect to size, was made of rough boards, | |
and so Phonny thought that it would not do. | |
At last he found some boxes under a corn-barn, one of which he thought | |
would do very well. It was about two feet long, when laid down upon | |
its side, and one foot wide and high. The open part was to be closed | |
by a wire front which was yet to be made. | |
"Now," said Phonny, "help me to get the box to the shop, and then | |
Wallace is coming down to help me make it into a cage." | |
So Phonny and Stuyvesant, working together, got the box into the shop. | |
The bench had been cleared off, so that there was a good space there | |
to put the box upon. Phonny and Stuyvesant placed it there, and then | |
Phonny went to the trap to see if his squirrel was safe. | |
"Now, Frink," said he, "we are going to make you a beautiful cage. | |
Wait a little longer, and then we will let you out of that dark trap." | |
Phonny said this as he passed across the floor toward the horse-block. | |
As soon however as he came near to the trap, he suddenly called out to | |
Stuyvesant, | |
"Why, Stuyvesant, see how big this hole is." | |
He referred to the hole which the squirrel had begun to gnaw. Somehow | |
or other the opening had grown very large. Phonny stooped down with | |
his hands upon his knees and peeped into the trap. | |
The squirrel was gone. | |
"He's gone!" said Phonny. "He's gone!" So saying he lifted up the lid | |
gradually, and then holding out the empty trap to Stuyvesant, he | |
exclaimed again in a tone of despair,--"He's gone!" | |
"He gnawed out," said Stuyvesant. | |
"Yes," said Phonny. | |
There were two windows in Phonny's shop. One was over the work bench | |
and was an ordinary window, formed with sashes. The other was merely a | |
large square hole with a sort of lid or shutter opening upward and | |
outward, like the small door of the hen-house. Phonny used to call | |
this his shutter window. It was the place where he was accustomed to | |
throw out his shavings. | |
Of course there was no glass in this window, and nothing to keep out | |
the wind and rain when it was open. In stormy weather, therefore, it | |
was always kept shut. The shavings which Phonny threw out here formed | |
a little pile outside, and after accumulating for some time, Phonny | |
used to carry them away and burn them. | |
As Phonny stood showing the empty cage to Stuyvesant, his back was | |
turned toward this window, but Stuyvesant was facing it. Happening at | |
that instant to glance upward, behold, there was the squirrel, perched | |
at his ease upon a beam which passed along just over the window. | |
Stuyvesant did not say a word, but pointed to the place. Phonny looked | |
up and saw the squirrel. | |
[Illustration: FRINK ON THE BEAM.] | |
"Oo--oo--oo!--" said Phonny. | |
"Shut the window," he exclaimed. "Let us shut the window quick," he | |
added impatiently; and then creeping softly up to the place, he took | |
hold of the prop which held the shutter up, and gently drawing it in, | |
he let the shutter down into its place. | |
"Shut the other window," said Phonny. "Climb up on the bench, Stivy, | |
and shut the other window as quick as you can." | |
Stuyvesant clambered up upon the bench and shut down the sash of the | |
window. | |
"Now for the door," said Phonny; and he ran to the door and shut it, | |
looking round as he went, toward the squirrel. As soon as he got the | |
door shut he seemed relieved. | |
"There," said he, "we have got him safe. The only thing now is to | |
catch him." | |
Here followed quite a long consultation between the two boys, in | |
respect to the course which it was now best to pursue. Phonny's | |
first plan was to put the trap upon the table and then for him and | |
Stuyvesant to drive the squirrel into it. Stuyvesant however thought | |
that that would be a very difficult operation. | |
"If the squirrel were a horse," said he, "and the trap a barn, we | |
might possibly get him in; but as it is, I don't believe the thing can | |
be done." | |
Phonny next proposed to chase the squirrel round the shop until they | |
caught him. Stuyvesant objected to this too. | |
"We should frighten him," said he, "and make him very wild; and | |
besides we might hurt him dreadfully in catching and holding him. Very | |
likely we should pull his tail off." | |
After considerable consultation, the boys concluded to let the | |
squirrel remain for a time at liberty in the shop, taking care to keep | |
the door and windows shut. They thought that by this means he would | |
become accustomed to see them working about, and would grow tame; | |
perhaps so tame that by-and-by, Phonny might catch him in his hand. | |
"And then, besides," said Phonny, "we can set the trap for him here | |
to-night, when we go away, and perhaps he will go into it, and get | |
caught so before morning." | |
"Then we mustn't feed him any this afternoon," said Stuyvesant. "He | |
won't go into the trap to-night, unless he is hungry." | |
"Well," said Phonny, "we won't feed him. I will leave him to himself, | |
and let him do what he pleases, and I'll go to work and make my cage." | |
Phonny's plan for his cage was this. Stuyvesant helped him form it. He | |
was to take some wire, a coil of which he found hanging up in the | |
shed, and cut it into lengths suitable for the bars of his cage. Then | |
he was going to bore a row of holes in the top of his box, near the | |
front edge, with a small gimlet. These holes were to be about half an | |
inch apart, and to be in a line about half an inch from the front | |
edge of the top of the box. The wires were to be passed down through | |
these holes, and then in the bottom of the box, at the points where | |
the ends of those wires would come, respectively, he was to bore other | |
holes, partly through the board, to serve as sockets to receive the | |
lower ends of the wires. | |
This plan being all agreed upon, Phonny climbed up upon the bench, | |
with his gimlet in his hand, and taking his seat upon the box, was | |
beginning to bore the holes. | |
"Stop," said Stuyvesant, "you ought to draw a line and mark off the | |
places first." | |
"Oh no," said Phonny, "I can guess near enough." | |
"Well," said Stuyvesant, "though I don't think that guessing is a good | |
way." | |
Phonny thought that it would take a great while to draw a line and | |
measure off the distances, and so he went on with his boring, looking | |
up, however, continually from his work, to watch the squirrel. | |
"And now," said Stuyvesant, "I will begin my work." | |
Stuyvesant accordingly went out, taking great care, as he opened and | |
shut the door, not to let the squirrel escape. Presently he returned, | |
bringing his materials. There was a short board for the small door, | |
two long strips for the sides of the ladder, and another long strip, | |
which was to be sawed up into lengths for the cross-bars. | |
Stuyvesant began first with his door. He went out to the hen-house, | |
carrying with him an instrument called a square, on which feet and | |
inches were marked. With this he measured the hole which his door was | |
to cover, and then making proper allowance for the extension of the | |
door, laterally, beyond the hole, he determined on the length to which | |
he would saw off his board. He determined on the breadth in the same | |
way. | |
He then went to the shop and sawed off the board to the proper length, | |
and then, with the hatchet and plane, he trimmed it to the proper | |
breadth. Next he made two hinges of leather, and nailed them on in | |
their places, upon the upper side of the board. He then carried his | |
work out to the hen-house, and nailed the ends of the hinges to the | |
cross-bar provided for them. When this was all done, he turned the lid | |
up and fastened it into its place. | |
Then, standing up, he surveyed his work with a look of satisfaction, | |
and said, | |
"There!" | |
He returned to the shop again. When he came to the door he opened it a | |
very little way, and paused, calling out to Phonny, to know if the | |
squirrel was anywhere near. | |
"No," said Phonny, "come in." | |
So he went in. The squirrel had run along the beams to the back part | |
of the shop, and was nibbling about there among some blocks of wood. | |
"I have a great mind to feed him," said Phonny. "He is hungry." | |
"Well," said Stuyvesant. | |
So Phonny took the ear of corn out of the trap, and breaking it into | |
two or three pieces he carried the parts into the back part of the | |
shop, and put them at different places on the beams. Then he crept | |
back to his work again. | |
Stuyvesant went to work making his button. He selected a proper piece | |
of wood, sawed it off of the proper length, and then shaped it into | |
the form of a button by means of a chisel, working, in doing this, at | |
the bench. As soon as this operation was completed, he took a large | |
gimlet and bored a hole through the center of the button. He measured | |
very carefully to find the exact center of the button, before he began | |
to bore. | |
When the button was finished, Stuyvesant looked in Phonny's nail-box | |
to find a large screw, and when he had found one, he took the | |
screw-driver and went out to the hen-house and screwed the button on. | |
When the screw was driven home to its place, Stuyvesant shut the door | |
and buttoned it. Then standing before it with his screw-driver in his | |
hand, he surveyed his work with another look of satisfaction, and | |
said, | |
"There! there are two good jobs done." | |
He then opened and shut his two doors, both the large and the small | |
one, to see once more whether they worked well. They did work | |
perfectly well, so he turned away and went back toward the shop again, | |
saying, | |
"Now for the ladder." | |
He went back to the shop and entered cautiously as before. He found | |
that Phonny had bored quite a number of holes, and was now engaged in | |
cutting his wire into lengths. He used for this purpose a pair of | |
cutting-plyers, as they are called, an instrument formed much like a | |
pair of nippers. The instrument was made expressly for cutting off | |
wire. | |
Stuyvesant came to the place where Phonny was at work, and stood near | |
him a few minutes looking on. He perceived that the holes were not in | |
a straight line, nor were they equidistant from each other. He, | |
however, said nothing about it, but soon went to his own work again. | |
He took the piece of wood which he had selected to make his cross-bars | |
of, and began to consider how many cross-bars he could make from it. | |
"What is that piece of wood for?" asked Phonny. | |
"It is for the cross-bars of my ladder," said Stuyvesant. | |
"The cross-bars of a ladder ought to be round," said Phonny. "They | |
always make them round. In fact they call them _rounds_." | |
"Yes," said Stuyvesant, "I know they do, but I can't make rounds very | |
well. And besides if I could, I could not make the holes in the | |
side-pieces to put them into. So I am going to make them square, and | |
nail them right on." | |
"Hoh!" said Phonny, "that is no way to make a ladder. You can bore | |
the holes easily enough. Here. I'll show you how. I've got an auger." | |
So saying, Phonny jumped down from the bench and went and climbed up | |
upon the chopping-block to get down an auger. Phonny had two augers, | |
and they both hung over the block. He took down one and began very | |
eagerly to bore a hole into the side of the chopping-block. He bored | |
in a little way, and then, in attempting to draw the auger out, to | |
clear the hole of chips, the handle came off, leaving the auger itself | |
fast in the hole. | |
"Ah! this auger is broken," said Phonny, "I forgot that. I could bore | |
a hole if the auger was not broken." | |
"Never mind," said Stuyvesant, "I don't think I could make a ladder | |
very well in that way, and don't like to undertake any thing that I | |
can't accomplish. So I will make it my way." | |
Stuyvesant went out to the hen-house, and measured the height of the | |
loft. He found it to be seven feet. He concluded to have his ladder | |
eight feet long, and to have six cross-bars, one foot apart, the upper | |
and lower cross-bars to be one foot from the ends of the ladder. The | |
cross-bars themselves being about two inches wide each, the breadth of | |
the whole six would be just one foot. This Stuyvesant calculated would | |
make just the eight feet. | |
Stuyvesant then went back to the shop. He found that the pieces which | |
he had chosen for the sides of the ladder were just about eight feet | |
long. | |
Phonny came to him while he was measuring, to see what he was going to | |
do. | |
"How wide are you going to have your ladder?" said he. | |
"I don't know," said Stuyvesant. "I am going to have it as wide as I | |
can." | |
So saying, Stuyvesant took down the piece which he had intended for | |
the cross-bars. | |
"I am going to divide this into six equal parts," said he, "because I | |
must have six bars." | |
So Stuyvesant began to measure. The piece of wood, he found, was eight | |
feet long,--the same as the side pieces of the ladder. | |
"And now, how are you going to divide it?" said Phonny. | |
"Why, eight feet," said Stuyvesant, "make ninety-six inches. I must | |
divide that by six." | |
So he took a pencil from his pocket and wrote down the figures 96 upon | |
a board; he divided the number by 6. | |
"It will go 16 times," said he. "I can have 16 inches for each cross | |
bar." | |
Stuyvesant then measured off sixteen inches, and made a mark, then he | |
measured off sixteen inches more, and made another mark. In the same | |
manner, he proceeded until he had divided the whole piece into | |
portions of sixteen inches each. He then took a saw and sawed the | |
piece off at every place where he had marked. | |
"There," said he, "there are my cross-bars!" | |
"What good cross-bars," said Phonny. "That was an excellent way to | |
make them." | |
CHAPTER VIII. | |
A DISCOVERY. | |
While the boys were at work in this manner, Stuyvesant making his | |
ladder, and Phonny his cage, they suddenly heard some one opening the | |
door. Wallace came in. Phonny called out to him to shut the door as | |
quick as possible. Wallace did so, while Phonny, in explanation of the | |
urgency of his injunction in respect to the door, pointed up to the | |
squirrel, which was then creeping along, apparently quite at his ease, | |
upon one of the beams in the back part of the shop. | |
"Why, Bunny," said Wallace. | |
"His name is not Bunny," said Phonny. "His name is Frink." | |
"Frink," repeated Wallace. "Who invented that name?" | |
"I don't know," replied Phonny, "only Beechnut said that his name was | |
Frink. See the cage I am making for him." | |
Wallace came up and looked at the cage. He stood a moment surveying | |
it in silence. Then he turned toward Stuyvesant. | |
"And what is Stuyvesant doing?" said he. | |
"He is making a ladder." | |
"What is it for, Stuyvesant?" said Wallace. | |
"Why, it is to go upon the loft, in the hen-house," said Phonny, | |
"though I don't see what good it will do, to go up there." | |
"So it is settled, that _you_ are going to have the hen-house," said | |
Wallace, looking toward Stuyvesant. | |
"Yes," said Stuyvesant. | |
Here there was another long pause. Wallace was looking at the ladder. | |
He observed how carefully Stuyvesant was making it. He saw that the | |
cross-bars were all exactly of a length, and he knew that they must | |
have been pretty accurately measured. While Wallace was looking on, | |
Stuyvesant was measuring off the distances upon the side pieces of the | |
ladder, so as to have the steps of equal length. Wallace observed that | |
he did this all very carefully. | |
Wallace then looked back to Phonny's work. He saw that Phonny was | |
guessing his way along. The holes were not equidistant from each | |
other, and then they were not at the same distance from the edge of | |
the board. As he had advanced along the line, he had drawn gradually | |
nearer and nearer to the edge, and, what was a still greater | |
difficulty, the holes in the lower board, which was to form the bottom | |
of the cage, since their places too had been guessed at, did not | |
correspond with those above, so that the wires, when they came to be | |
put in, inclined some this way, and some that. In some places the | |
wires came very near together, and in others the spaces between them | |
were so wide, that Wallace thought that the squirrel, if by any chance | |
he should ever get put into the cage, would be very likely to squeeze | |
his way out. | |
Then, besides, Phonny had not measured his wires in respect to length, | |
but had cut them off of various lengths, taking care however not to | |
have any of them too short. The result was that the ends of the wires | |
projected to various distances above the board, presenting a ragged | |
and unworkmanlike appearance. | |
Wallace was silent while he was looking at these things. He was | |
thinking of the difference between the two boys. The train of thought | |
which was passing through his mind was somewhat as follows. | |
Stuyvesant is younger than Phonny, and he was brought up in a city, | |
and yet he seems a great deal more of a man; which is very strange. In | |
the first place he takes a great deal more interest in the hens, which | |
are useful and productive animals, than he does in the squirrel, which | |
is a mere plaything. Then he plans his work carefully, considers how | |
much he can probably accomplish himself, and undertakes no more. He | |
plans, he calculates, he measures, and then proceeds steadily and | |
perseveringly till he finishes. | |
In the midst of these reflections, Wallace was called away by Phonny, | |
as follows. | |
"Cousin Wallace, I wish you would finish my cage for me. I am tired of | |
boring all these holes, and besides I can't bore them straight." | |
Wallace looked at the work a moment in uncertainty. He did not like to | |
throw away his own time in finishing an undertaking so clumsily begun, | |
and on the other hand, he did not like very well to refuse to help | |
Phonny out of his difficulties. He finally concluded to undertake the | |
work. So he took the cage down from the bench and put it upon the | |
floor; he borrowed the iron square and the compasses from Stuyvesant; | |
he ruled a line along the top of the box at the right distance from | |
the edge, and marked off places for the holes, half an inch apart, | |
along this line, pricking in, at the places for the holes, deep, with | |
one of the points of the compass. When this had all been done he went | |
on boring the holes. | |
Stuyvesant was now ready to nail the cross-bars to the side pieces of | |
the ladder. He asked Phonny where he kept his nails. Phonny showed him | |
a box where there was a great quantity of nails of all sizes, some | |
crooked and some straight, some whole and some broken, and all mixed | |
up in confusion with a mass of old iron, such as rings, parts of | |
hinges, old locks and fragments of keys. Stuyvesant selected from this | |
mass a nail, of the size that he thought was proper, and then went to | |
his ladder to apply it, to see whether it would do. | |
"It is too large," said Phonny. | |
"No," said Stuyvesant, "it is just right. I want the nail to go | |
through and come out on the other side, so that I can clinch it." | |
"You can't clinch such nails as these," said Phonny. "They are cut | |
nails, and they will break off if you try to clinch them." | |
"But I shall soften them first," said Stuyvesant. | |
"Soften them!" said Phonny, "how can you do that?" | |
"By putting them in the fire," said Stuyvesant. | |
"He can't soften them, can he, Wallace?" said Phonny. | |
"Yes," said Wallace, "he can soften them so that they will clinch." | |
This was true. What are called cut-nails, are made by machinery. They | |
are cut from flat-bars or plates of iron, almost red-hot, by a massive | |
and ponderous engine carried by water. At the same instant that the | |
nail is cut off from the end of the plate by the cutting part of the | |
engine, the end of it is flattened into a head by another part, which | |
comes up suddenly and compresses the iron at that end with prodigious | |
force. The nail is then dropped, and it falls down, all hot, into a | |
box made to receive it below. | |
The prodigious pressure to which the hot iron is subjected in the | |
process of making cut-nails, seems as it were to press the particles | |
of iron closer together, and make the metal more compact and hard. | |
The consequence is, that such nails are very stiff, and if bent much, | |
they break off. This is no disadvantage, provided that the wood to be | |
nailed is such that the nail is to be driven straight into the | |
substance of it to its whole length. In fact, this hardness and | |
stiffness is an advantage, for, in consequence of these properties, | |
the nail is less likely to bend under the hammer. | |
When, however, the nailing to be done is of such a kind that it | |
becomes necessary that the nail should pass through the wood so as to | |
come out upon the other side, to be clinched there, the stiffness of | |
the iron in a cut-nail constitutes a serious difficulty; for the end | |
of the nail where it comes through, instead of bending over and | |
sinking into the wood, as it ought to do, at first refuses to bend at | |
all, and then when the workman attempts to force it to bond by dint of | |
heavier blows with the hammer, it breaks off entirely. | |
To remedy this difficulty, it is found best to heat nails intended for | |
clinching before driving them. By heating the iron red hot, the metal | |
seems to expand to its original condition of ductile iron, and it | |
loses the extreme hardness and stiffness which was given to it by the | |
force and compression of the nail-making machine. | |
Stuyvesant had seen a carpenter in New York heating some nails on one | |
occasion, and he had asked him the reason. He, therefore, understood | |
the whole process, and his plan was now, after selecting his nails, to | |
go and heat them red-hot in the kitchen-fire. | |
He made a little calculation first in respect to the number of nails | |
that he should want. There were six cross-bars. These bars were to be | |
nailed at both ends. This would make twelve nailings. Stuyvesant | |
concluded that he would have four nails at each nailing, and | |
multiplying twelve by four, he found that forty-eight was the number | |
of the nails that he should require. To be sure to have enough, he | |
counted out fifty-two. Some might break, and perhaps some would be | |
lost in the fire. | |
Phonny felt a considerable degree of interest in Stuyvesant's plan of | |
softening the nails, and so he left Wallace to go on boring the holes, | |
while he went with Stuyvesant into the house. | |
"You never can get so many nails out of the fire in the world," said | |
Phonny. "They will be lost in the ashes." | |
"I shall put them on the shovel," said Stuyvesant. | |
When they got into the kitchen, Stuyvesant went to Dorothy, who was | |
still ironing at a table near the window, and asked her if he might | |
use her shovel and her fire to heat some nails. | |
"Certainly," said Dorothy. "I will go and move the flat-irons out of | |
the way for you." | |
Stuyvesant was always very particular whenever he went into the | |
kitchen, to treat Dorothy with great respect. He regarded the kitchen | |
as Dorothy's peculiar and proper dominion, and would have considered | |
it very rude and wrong to have been noisy in it, or to take possession | |
of, and use without her leave, the things which were under her charge | |
there. Dorothy observed this, and was very much pleased with it, and | |
as might naturally be expected, she was always glad to have Stuyvesant | |
come into the kitchen, and do any thing that he pleased there. | |
There was a large forestick lying across the andirons, with a burning | |
bed of coals below. Directly in front of these coals was a row of | |
flat-irons. Stuyvesant put his nails upon a long-handled shovel, and | |
Dorothy moved away one of the flat-irons, so that he could put the | |
shovel, with the nails upon it, in among the burning coals. | |
"Now," said he, "it will take some time for them to get hot, and I | |
will go and clear out the floor of the hen-house in the meanwhile." | |
"Well," said Phonny, "I will help you." | |
"Only," said Stuyvesant, turning to Dorothy, "will you look at the | |
nails when you take up your irons, and if you see that they get | |
red-hot, take the shovel out from the coals and set it down somewhere | |
on the hearth to cool?" | |
"Yes," said Dorothy, "but what are you going to heat the nails for?" | |
"To take the stiffness out of them," said Stuyvesant. | |
"To take the stiffness out?" replied Dorothy. "What do you wish to do | |
that for?" | |
"So that I can clinch them," replied Stuyvesant, "and I should like to | |
have you take them off the fire as soon as you see that they are | |
red-hot." | |
[Illustration: DOROTHY'S FIRE.] | |
"Yes," said Dorothy, "I will." | |
So Phonny and Stuyvesant went away, while Dorothy resumed her ironing. | |
They got a wheel-barrow and a rake, and went out to the hen-house. | |
They raked the floor all over, drawing out the old straw, sticks, &c., | |
to the door. They then with a fork pitched this rubbish into the | |
wheel-barrow, and wheeled it out, and made a heap of it in a clear | |
place at some distance from the buildings, intending to set it on | |
fire. There were four wheel-barrow loads of it in all. | |
They then went into the barn and brought out a quantity of hay, and | |
sprinkled it all over the floor of the hen-house, which made the | |
apartment look extremely neat and comfortable. They then brought out | |
another fork-full of hay and pitched it up upon the loft. | |
"There!" said Stuyvesant, "now when we have got our ladder done, we | |
will climb up and spread it about." | |
"Hark!" said Phonny. | |
"What is that?" said Stuyvesant. | |
"It sounded like a hen clucking. I wonder if it is possible that there | |
is a hen up there." | |
"We will see," said Stuyvesant, "when we get our ladder done." | |
"Yes," said Phonny, "we must go and finish our ladder; and the | |
nails--it is time to go and get the nails or they will be all burnt | |
up." | |
The boys accordingly went back to the kitchen. They found that Dorothy | |
had taken the nails away from the fire, and they were now almost cool. | |
Stuyvesant slid them off from the shovel upon a small board, which he | |
had brought in for that purpose, and then they went back to the shop. | |
They found that Wallace had gone. He had finished boring the holes, | |
and now all that Phonny had to do, was to cut off the wires and put | |
them in. He had, however, now become so much interested in the | |
operation of making the ladder, that he concluded to put off finishing | |
the cage until the ladder was done. Besides, he was in a hurry to see | |
whether there really was a hen up there on the loft. | |
So he helped Stuyvesant nail his ladder. Stuyvesant got a small gimlet | |
to bore holes for the nails. Phonny thought that this was not | |
necessary. He said they could drive the nails without boring. | |
Stuyvesant said that there were three objections to this: first, they | |
might not go straight, secondly, they might split the wood, and | |
thirdly, they would cause the wood to _break out_, as he called it, | |
where they came through on the other side. | |
As soon as he had bored one hole he put a nail into it, and drove it | |
almost through, but not quite through, as he said it might prove that | |
he should wish to alter it. He then went to the other end of the same | |
cross-bar, bored a hole there, and put a nail in, driving it as far as | |
he had driven the first one. This was the topmost cross-bar of the | |
ladder, and it was held securely in its place by the two nails. | |
Stuyvesant then took the bottom cross-bar and secured that in the same | |
way. Then he put on the other bars one at a time, until his ladder was | |
complete in form, only the cross-bars were not yet fully nailed. He | |
and Phonny looked at it carefully, to see if all was right, and | |
Stuyvesant, taking it up from the floor, placed it against the wall of | |
the shop. | |
"Let me climb up on it," said Phonny. | |
"Not now," said Stuyvesant,--"wait till it is finished." | |
Stuyvesant then proceeded to drive the nails home, and clinch them. | |
The clinching was done, by putting an axe under the part of the ladder | |
where a nail was coming through, and then driving. The point of the | |
nail when it reached the axe, was deflected and turned, and bending | |
round entered the wood again, on the back side, and so clinched the | |
nail firmly. Thus the other holes were bored, and the other nails put | |
in, and at length the ladder was completed. | |
Just as the boys were ready to carry it out, the door opened, and | |
Beechnut came in. | |
Beechnut looked round at all that the boys had been doing, with great | |
interest. He examined the ladder particularly, and said that it was | |
made in a very workmanlike manner. Phonny showed Beechnut his cage | |
too, though he said that he had pretty much concluded not to finish it | |
that afternoon. | |
"I don't see why you need finish it at all," said Beechnut. "You have | |
got a very good cage already for your squirrel." | |
"What cage?" asked Phonny. | |
"This shop. It is a great deal better cage for him than that box,--_I_ | |
think, and I have no doubt that he thinks so too." | |
"He would gnaw out of this shop," said Phonny. | |
"Not any more easily than he would gnaw out of the box," said | |
Beechnut. | |
Phonny turned to his box and looked at the smooth surface of the pine | |
which formed the interior. He perceived that Frink could gnaw through | |
anywhere, easily, in an hour. | |
"I did not think of that," said Phonny "I must line it with tin." | |
He began to picture to his mind, the process of putting his arm into | |
the box and nailing tin there, where there was no room to work a | |
hammer, and sighed. | |
"Well," said he, "I'll let him have the whole shop, to-night, and now | |
we will go out and try the ladder." | |
The whole party accordingly went to the hen-house. Beechnut examined | |
the small door that Stuyvesant had made, and the button of the large | |
door, while Stuyvesant was planting the ladder. Phonny was eager to go | |
up first; Stuyvesant followed him. | |
Phonny mounted upon the floor of the loft, and immediately afterward | |
began to exclaim, | |
"Oo--oo--Stivy,--here is old Gipsy, on a nest, and I verily believe | |
that she is setting; I could not think what had become of old Gipsy." | |
Just at this time, Beechnut's head appeared coming up the ladder. He | |
called upon the boys to come back, away from the hen, while he went up | |
to see. She was upon a nest there, squatted down very low, and with | |
her wings spread wide as if trying to cover a great nest full of eggs. | |
"Yes," said Beechnut, "she is setting, I have no doubt; and as she has | |
been missing a long time, I presume the chickens are about coming | |
out." | |
"Hark!" said Beechnut. | |
The boys listened, and they heard a faint peeping sound under the hen. | |
Beechnut looked toward the boys and smiled. | |
Phonny was in an ecstacy of delight. Stuyvesant was much more quiet, | |
but he seemed equally pleased. Beechnut said that he thought that they | |
had better go away and leave the hen to herself, and that probably she | |
would come off the nest, with her brood, that evening or the next | |
morning. | |
"But stop," said Beechnut, as he was going down the ladder. "It is | |
important to ascertain whether they are eggs or chickens under the | |
hen. For if they are eggs they are one third your property, and if | |
they are chickens, they are all mine." | |
"However," he resumed, after a moment's pause, "I think we will call | |
them eggs to-day. I presume they were all eggs when we made the | |
bargain. To-morrow we will get them all down, and you, Phonny, may | |
make a pretty little coop for them in some sunny corner in the yard." | |
Phonny had by this time become so much interested in the poultry, that | |
he proposed to Stuyvesant to let him have half the care of them, and | |
offered to give Stuyvesant half of his squirrel in return. Stuyvesant | |
said that he did not care about the squirrel, but that he would give | |
him a share of the hen-house contract for half the shop. | |
Phonny gladly agreed to this, and so the boys determined that the | |
first thing for the next day should be, to put the shop and the tools | |
all in complete order, and the next, to make the prettiest hen-coop | |
they could contrive, in a corner of the yard. This they did, and | |
Beechnut got the hen and the chickens down and put them into it. The | |
brood was very large, there being twelve chickens in it, and they were | |
all very pretty chickens indeed. | |
CHAPTER IX. | |
THE ACCIDENT. | |
About a week after the occurrences related in the last chapter, Mrs. | |
Henry was sitting one morning at her window, at work. It was a large | |
and beautiful window, opening out upon a piazza. | |
The window came down nearly to the floor, so that when it was open one | |
could walk directly out. There was a sort of step, however, which it | |
was necessary to go over. | |
Mrs. Henry had a little table at the window, and she was busy at her | |
work. There was a basket on the floor by her side. Malleville was | |
sitting upon the step. She had quite a number of green leaves in her | |
lap, which she had gathered in the yard. She said that she was going | |
to put them into a book and press them. | |
Just then she heard Phonny's voice around a corner, calling to her. | |
"Malleville! Malleville!" said the voice, calling loudly. | |
Malleville hastily gathered up her leaves, and called out, "What, | |
Phonny? I'm coming." | |
Before she got ready to go, however, Phonny appeared upon the piazza. | |
"Malleville," said he, "come and see our chickens." | |
"Well," said Malleville, "I will come." | |
"And mother, I wish you would come out and see them, too," said | |
Phonny. | |
"I have seen them once," said his mother, "only two or three days | |
ago." | |
"But, mother, they are a great deal larger now," replied Phonny. "I | |
wish you _could_ come and see them. You don't know how large they have | |
grown." | |
"Very well," said Mrs. Henry, "I will come." | |
So she laid aside her work, and stepping out into the piazza, she | |
followed Phonny and Malleville around the corner of the house. Phonny | |
walked fast, with long strides, Malleville skipped along by his side, | |
while Mrs. Henry came on after them at her leisure. | |
They all gathered round the coop, which had been made in a sunny | |
corner of the yard. It was a very pretty coop indeed. It was formed | |
by a box, turned bottom upward to form a shelter for the hen when she | |
chose to retire to it, and a little yard with a paling around it made | |
by bars, to prevent the chickens from straying away. Phonny said that | |
there was a good, comfortable nest in under the box, and he was going | |
to lift up the box and let Mrs. Henry see the nest, but Stuyvesant | |
recommended to him not to do so, as it would frighten the hen. | |
There was an opening in the side of the box, which served as a door | |
for the hen to go in and out at. At the time of Mrs. Henry's visit, | |
the hen was out in the yard walking about. She appeared to be a little | |
anxious at seeing so unusual a company of visitors at her lodgings, | |
and at first thought it probable that they might have come to take | |
some of her chickens away. But when she found that they stood quietly | |
by, and did not disturb her, she became quiet again, and began to | |
scratch upon the ground to find something for the chickens to eat. | |
Seeing this, Phonny ran off to bring some food for them, and presently | |
returned with a saucer full of what he called pudding. It consisted | |
of meal and water stirred up together. He threw out some of this upon | |
the ground within the yard, and the hen, calling the chickens to the | |
place, scattered the pudding about with her bill for the chickens to | |
eat. | |
The boys then wished to have Mrs. Henry go to the shop. She, | |
accordingly, went with them. They opened the shop-door very carefully | |
to keep Frink from getting out. When they were all safely in and the | |
door was shut, they began to look about the room to find the squirrel. | |
"There he is," said Phonny, pointing to the beam over the | |
shutter-window. | |
So saying he went to the place, and putting up his hand, took the | |
squirrel and brought him to his mother. | |
"Why, how tame he is!" said Mrs. Henry. | |
"Yes," said Phonny, "Stuyvesant and I tamed him. He runs all about the | |
shop. And we have got a house for him to sleep in. Come and see his | |
house." | |
So saying, Phonny led his mother and Malleville to the back side of | |
the shop, where, upon a shelf, there stood a small box, with a hole in | |
the side of it, much like the one which had been made for the hen, | |
only not so large. | |
"He goes in there to sleep," said Phonny. "We always feed him in | |
there too, so as to make him like the place." | |
As Phonny said this, he put the squirrel down upon the beam before the | |
door of his house. | |
"Now you will see him go in," said he. | |
Frink crept into his hole, and then turning round within the box, he | |
put his head out a little way, and after looking at Mrs. Henry a | |
moment with one eye, he winked in a very cunning manner. | |
There was a small paper tacked up with little nails on the side of the | |
squirrel's house, near the door. | |
"What is this?" said Mrs. Henry. | |
"Oh! that's his poetry," said Phonny, "you must read it." | |
So Mrs. Henry, standing up near, read aloud as follows:-- | |
My name is Frink, | |
And unless you think, | |
To give me plenty to eat and drink, | |
You'll find me running away | |
Some day; | |
I shall tip you a wink, | |
Then slyly slink, | |
Out through some secret cranny or chink, | |
And hie for the woods, away, | |
Away. | |
Mrs. Henry laughed heartily at this production. She asked who wrote | |
it. | |
"Why, we found it here one morning," said Phonny. "Stuyvesant says | |
that he thinks Beechnut wrote it." | |
"But Beechnut," added Malleville, "says that he believes that Frink | |
wrote it himself." | |
"Oh no," said Stuyvesant, "he did not say exactly that." | |
"What did he say?" asked Mrs. Henry. | |
"Why, he said," replied Stuyvesant, "that as there was a pen and ink | |
in the shop, and hammer and nails, and as the paper was found nailed | |
up early one morning, when nobody had slept in the shop the night | |
before but Frink, if it did not turn out that Frink himself wrote the | |
lines, he should never believe in any squirrel's writing poetry as | |
long as he lived." | |
Mrs. Henry laughed at this, and she then began to look about the shop | |
to see the tools and the arrangements which had been made by the boys | |
for their work. | |
She found the premises in excellent order. The floor was neat, the | |
tools were all in their proper places, and every thing seemed well | |
arranged. | |
"I suppose the tools are dull, however," said Mrs. Henry, "as boys' | |
tools generally are." | |
"No," said Phonny, "they are all sharp. We have sharpened them every | |
one." | |
"How did you do it?" asked Mrs. Henry. | |
"Why, we turned the grindstone for Beechnut while he ground his axes, | |
and then he held our tools for us to sharpen them. We could not hold | |
them ourselves very well." | |
"We are going to keep them sharp," continued Phonny,--"as sharp as | |
razors. Won't we, Stivy?" | |
"We are going to try it," said Stuyvesant. | |
Phonny took up the plane to show his mother how sharp it was. | |
"Yes," said she; "I like that tool too, very much--it is so safe." | |
The plane is a very safe tool, indeed, for the cutting part, which | |
consists of a plate of iron, faced with steel for an edge, is almost | |
embedded in the wood. It is made in fact on purpose to take off a | |
_thin shaving_ only, from a board, and it would be impossible to make | |
a deep cut into any thing with it. | |
Phonny then showed his mother his chisels. He had four chisels of | |
different sizes. They were very sharp. | |
"It seems to me that a chisel is not so safe a tool as a plane," said | |
Mrs. Henry. | |
"Why not, mother?" asked Phonny. | |
"Why you might be holding a piece of wood with your fingers, and then | |
in trying to cut it with the chisel, the chisel might slip and cut | |
your fingers." | |
"Oh no, mother," said Phonny, "there is no danger." | |
Boys always say there is no danger. | |
Phonny next showed his gimlets, and his augers, and his bits and | |
bit-stocks. A bit is a kind of borer which is turned round and round | |
by means of a machine called a bit-stock. | |
Phonny took the bit-stock and a bit and was going to bore a hole in | |
the side of the bench, by way of showing his mother how the tool was | |
used. | |
"Stop," said Stuyvesant, "I would not bore into the work bench. I will | |
get a piece of board." | |
So he pulled out a small piece of board from under the work bench and | |
Phonny bored into that. | |
Mrs. Henry next came to the chopping block. The hatchet was lying upon | |
the block. | |
"I am rather sorry to see that you have got a hatchet," said Mrs. | |
Henry. | |
"Why, mother?" asked Phonny. | |
"Because I think it is a dangerous tool. I think it is a very | |
dangerous tool indeed." | |
"Oh no, mother," said Phonny, "there is no danger." | |
"You might be holding a piece of wood in your hand," said Mrs. Henry, | |
"and then in trying to chop it with your hatchet, hit your hand | |
instead of the wood. There is great danger when you strike a blow with | |
a sharp instrument." | |
"Oh no, mother," said Phonny. "There is not any danger. I have had my | |
hatchet a long time and I never have cut myself but once." | |
"That shows that there is some danger," said his mother. "Besides I | |
knew a boy who was cutting with a hatchet, and it came down through | |
the board that he was cutting, and struck the boy himself, in the | |
knee, and wounded him very badly." | |
"But I shall be very careful," said Phonny. "I _know_ I shall not cut | |
myself with it." | |
"I wish," said his mother, "that you would let me have the hatchet to | |
carry in the house and keep it till you grow older." | |
"Oh no, mother," said Phonny, "we could not get along at all without | |
the hatchet, unless we had an axe, and that would be more dangerous | |
still. But we will be very careful with it." | |
Mrs. Henry did not appear satisfied with these promises, but she did | |
not urge Phonny any longer to give the hatchet to her. She walked | |
along, seeming, however, not at all at her ease. Phonny showed her his | |
stock of boards and blocks, among which last, was one which he said | |
was to be made into a boat. After looking around at all these things, | |
Mrs. Henry and Malleville went away. Phonny and Stuyvesant remained in | |
the shop. | |
"I would let her have the hatchet," said Stuyvesant. | |
"I don't think there is any danger," said Phonny. | |
"Nor I," said Stuyvesant. | |
"Then why would not you keep the hatchet here?" asked Phonny. | |
"Because, Aunt Henry does not feel easy about it," said Stuyvesant. | |
"It is not right for us to make her feel uncomfortable." | |
"But then what shall we do when we want to sharpen stakes?" asked | |
Phonny. | |
"I don't know," said Stuyvesant,--thinking. "Perhaps we might burn | |
them sharp in the kitchen fire." | |
"Hoh!" said Phonny, "that would not do at all." | |
"It would be better than to make Aunt Henry feel anxious," said | |
Stuyvesant. | |
"But I don't think she feels anxious," said Phonny. "She will forget | |
all about it pretty soon. However, if you think it is best, I will | |
carry my hatchet in and give it to her. We can get along very well | |
with the draw shave." | |
"Well," said Stuyvesant, "I do think it is best; and now I am going to | |
finish mending the wheel-barrow." | |
"Well," said Phonny, "and I will go and carry the hatchet in to my | |
mother." | |
Phonny accordingly took the hatchet and went sauntering slowly along | |
out of the shop. | |
In a few minutes, Stuyvesant heard an outcry in the yard. It sounded | |
like a cry of pain and terror, from Phonny. Stuyvesant threw down his | |
work, and ran out to see what was the matter. | |
He found Phonny by the woodpile, where he had stopped a moment to | |
chop a stick with his hatchet, and had cut himself. He was down upon | |
the ground, clasping his foot with his hands, and crying out as if in | |
great pain. | |
"Oh, Stuyvesant," said he. "I have cut my foot. Oh, I have cut my | |
foot, most dreadfully." | |
"Let me see," said Stuyvesant, and he came to the place. Phonny raised | |
his hands a little, from his foot, so as to let Stuyvesant see, but | |
continued crying, with pain and terror. | |
"Oh dear me!" said he. "What shall I do?--Oh dear me!" | |
Stuyvesant looked. All that he could see, however, was a gaping wound | |
in Phonny's boot, just over the ankle, and something bloody beneath. | |
"I don't think it is cut much," said Stuyvesant. "Let us go right into | |
the house." | |
Phonny rose, and leaning upon Stuyvesant's shoulder, he began to | |
hobble along toward the house, uttering continued cries and | |
lamentations by the way. | |
"I would not cry," said Stuyvesant. "I would bear it like a hero." | |
In obedience to this counsel, Phonny abated somewhat the noise that he | |
was making, though he still continued his exclamations and moanings. | |
Dorothy came to the door to find out what was the matter. | |
Dorothy was not much alarmed. In fact the more noise a child made when | |
hurt, the less concerned Dorothy always was about it. She knew that | |
when people were dangerously wounded, they were generally still. | |
"What's the matter?" said Dorothy. | |
"He has cut his foot," said Stuyvesant. | |
"Let me see," said she. So she looked down at Phonny's ankle. | |
"I guess he has cut his boot more than his foot," said she. "Let's | |
pull off his boot." | |
"Oh dear me!" said Phonny. "Oh, go and call my mother. Oh dear me!" | |
Dorothy began to pull off Phonny's boot, while Stuyvesant went to call | |
Phonny's mother. Mrs. Henry was very much alarmed, when she heard that | |
Phonny had cut himself. She hurried out to him, and seemed to be in | |
great distress and anxiety. She kneeled down before him, while Dorothy | |
held him in her lap, and examined the foot. The cut was a pretty bad | |
one, just above the ankle. | |
"It is a very bad place for a cut," said she. "Bring me some water." | |
"I'll get some," said Stuyvesant. | |
So Stuyvesant went and got a bowl from a shelf in the kitchen, and | |
poured some water into it, and brought it to Mrs. Henry. Mrs. Henry | |
bathed the wound with the water, and then closing it up as completely | |
as possible, and putting a piece of sticking-plaster across to keep | |
the parts in place, she bound the ankle up with a bandage. | |
By this time Phonny had become quiet. His mother, when she had | |
finished bandaging the ankle, brought another stocking and put it on, | |
to keep the bandage in its place. | |
"There!" said she, "that will do. Now the first thing is to get him | |
into the other room." | |
So Dorothy carried Phonny in, and laid him down upon the sofa in the | |
great sitting-room. | |
That evening when Beechnut went to the village to get the letters at | |
the post-office, he stopped at the doctor's on his way, to ask the | |
doctor to call that evening or in the morning at Mrs. Henry's. The | |
doctor came that evening. | |
"Ah, Phonny," said he, when he came into the room, and saw Phonny | |
lying upon the sofa, "and what is the matter with you?" | |
"I have cut my foot," said Phonny. | |
"Cut your foot!" rejoined the doctor, "could not you find any thing | |
else to cut than your foot?" | |
Phonny laughed. | |
"I hope you have cut it in the right place," continued the doctor. "In | |
cutting your foot every thing depends upon cutting it in the right | |
place." | |
While the doctor was saying this, Mrs. Henry had drawn off Phonny's | |
stocking, and was beginning to unpin the bandage. | |
"Stop a moment, madam," said the doctor. "That bandage is put on very | |
nicely; it seems hardly worth while to disturb it. You can show me now | |
precisely where the wound was." | |
Mrs. Henry then pointed to the place upon the bandage, underneath | |
which the cut lay, and she showed also the direction and length of the | |
cut. | |
"Exactly," said the doctor. "You could not have cut your ankle, | |
Phonny, in a better place. A half an inch more, one side or the other, | |
might have made you a <DW36> for life. You hit the right place | |
exactly. It is a great thing for a boy who has a hatchet for a | |
plaything, to know how to cut himself in the right place." | |
[Illustration: THE DOCTOR'S VISIT.] | |
The doctor then said that he would not disturb the bandage, as he had | |
no doubt that the wound would do very well under the treatment which | |
Mrs. Henry herself had administered. He said that in a few days he | |
thought it would be nearly well. | |
It might be prudent, however, he added, not to walk upon that foot in | |
the mean time. There might be some small possibility in that case, of | |
getting the wound irritated, so as to bring on an inflammation, and | |
that might lead to serious consequences. | |
The doctor then bade Phonny good-bye, telling him that he hoped he | |
would be as patient and good-natured in bearing his confinement, as he | |
had been dextrous in the mode of inflicting the wound. And so he went | |
away. | |
CHAPTER X. | |
GOOD ADVICE. | |
Phonny was confined nearly a week with his wound. They moved the sofa | |
on which he was lying up into a corner of the room, near Mrs. Henry's | |
window, and there Stuyvesant and Malleville brought various things to | |
him to amuse him. | |
He was very patient and good-natured during his confinement to this | |
sofa. Wallace came to see him soon after he was hurt, and gave him | |
some good advice in this respect. | |
"Now," said Wallace, "you have an opportunity to cultivate and show | |
one mark of manliness which we like to see in boys." | |
"I should think you would like to see all marks of manliness in boys," | |
said Phonny. | |
"Oh no," said Wallace. "Some traits of manly character we like, and | |
some we don't like." | |
"What don't we like?" asked Phonny. | |
"Why--there are many," said Wallace, hesitating and considering. "We | |
don't desire to see in boys the sedateness and gravity of demeanor | |
that we like to see in men. We like to see them playful and joyous | |
while they are boys." | |
"I thought it was better to be sober," said Phonny. | |
"No," said Wallace, "not for boys. Boys ought to be sober at proper | |
times; but in their plays and in their ordinary occupations, it is | |
better for them to be frolicsome and light-hearted. Their time for | |
care and thoughtful concern has not come. The only way by which they | |
can form good healthy constitutions, is to run about a great deal, and | |
have a great deal of frolicking and fun. Only they must be careful not | |
to let their fun and frolicking give other people trouble. But we like | |
to see them full of life, and joy, and activity, for we know that that | |
is best for them. If a boy of twelve were to be as sage and demure as | |
a man, always sitting still, and reading and studying, we should be | |
afraid, either that he was already sick, or that he would make himself | |
sick." | |
"Then I think that you ought to be concerned about Stuyvesant," said | |
Phonny, "for he is as sage and demure as any man I ever saw." | |
Wallace laughed at this. | |
"There is a boy that lives down in the village that is always making | |
some fun," said Phonny. "One evening he dressed himself up like a poor | |
beggar boy, and came to the door of his father's house and knocked; | |
and when his father came to the door, he told a piteous story about | |
being poor and hungry, and his mother being sick, and he begged his | |
father to give him something to eat, and a little money to buy some | |
tea for his mother. His father thought he was a real beggar boy, and | |
gave him some money. Then afterward he came in and told his father all | |
about it, and had a good laugh. | |
"Then another day he got a bonnet and shawl of his sister Fanny, and | |
put them upon a pillow, so as to make the figure of a girl with them, | |
and then he carried the pillow up to the top of the shed, and set it | |
up by the side of the house. It looked exactly as if Fanny was up | |
there. Then he went into the house and called his mother to come out. | |
And when she got out where she could see, he pointed up and asked her | |
whether Fanny ought to be up there on the shed." | |
[Illustration: THE EFFIGY.] | |
Wallace laughed to hear this story. | |
"Then in a minute," continued Phonny, "the boy pointed off in another | |
direction, and there his mother saw Fanny playing safely upon the | |
grass." | |
"And what did his mother say?" asked Wallace. | |
"She was frightened at first," replied Phonny, "when she saw what she | |
supposed was Fanny up in such a dangerous place; but when she saw how | |
it really was, she laughed and went into the house." | |
"Do you think he did right, Wallace?" asked Stuyvesant. | |
"What do you think, Phonny?" asked Wallace. | |
"Why, I don't know," said Phonny. | |
"Do you think, on the whole, that his mother was most pleased or most | |
pained by it?" asked Wallace. | |
"Most pleased," said Phonny. "She was not much frightened, and that | |
only for a moment, and she laughed about it a great deal." | |
"Were you there at the time?" asked Wallace. | |
"Yes," said Phonny. | |
"What was the boy's name?" said Wallace. | |
"Arthur," said Phonny. | |
"Another day," continued Phonny, "Arthur was taking a walk with Fanny, | |
and he persuaded her to go across a plank over a brook, and when she | |
was over, he pulled the plank away, so that she could not get back | |
again. He danced about on the bank on the other side, and called | |
Fanny a savage living in the woods." | |
"And what did Fanny do?" asked Wallace. | |
"Why, she was very much frightened, and began to cry." | |
"And then what did Arthur do?" asked Wallace. | |
"Why, after a time he put up the plank again and let her come home. He | |
told her that she was a foolish girl to cry, for he only did it for | |
fun." | |
"And do you think he did right or wrong?" said Wallace. | |
"Why, wrong, I suppose," said Phonny. | |
"Yes," said Wallace, "decidedly wrong, I think; for in that case there | |
is no doubt that his fun gave his sister a great deal of pain. It is | |
very right for boys to love frolicking and fun, but they should be | |
very careful not to let their fun give other people trouble or pain." | |
"But now, Phonny," continued Wallace, "you are to be shut up for | |
perhaps a week, and here is an opportunity for you to show some marks | |
of manliness which we always like to see in boys." | |
"How can I?" asked Phonny. | |
"Why, in the first place," said Wallace, "by a proper consideration of | |
the case, so as to understand exactly how it is. Sometimes a boy | |
situated as you are, without looking at all the facts in the case, | |
thinks only of his being disabled and helpless, and so he expects | |
every body to wait upon him, and try to amuse him, as if that were his | |
right. He gives his mother a great deal of trouble, by first wanting | |
this and then that, and by uttering a great many expressions of | |
discontent, impatience and ill-humor. Thus his accident is not only | |
the means of producing inconvenience to himself, but it makes the | |
whole family uncomfortable. This is boyishness of a very bad kind. | |
"To avoid this, you must consider what the true state of the case is. | |
Whose fault is it that you are laid up here in this way?" | |
"Why it is mine, I suppose," said Phonny. "Though if Stuyvesant had | |
not advised me to bring the hatchet in, I suppose that I should not | |
have cut myself." | |
"It was not by bringing the hatchet in, that you cut yourself," said | |
Wallace, "but by stopping to cut with it on the way, contrary to your | |
mother's wishes." | |
"Yes," said Phonny, "I suppose that was it." | |
"So that it was your fault. Now when any person commits a fault," | |
continued Wallace, "he ought to confine the evil consequences of it to | |
himself, as much as he can. Have the evil consequences of your fault, | |
extended yet to any other people, do you think?" | |
"Why, yes," said Phonny, "my mother has had some trouble." | |
"Has she yet had any trouble that you might have spared her?" asked | |
Wallace. | |
"Why--I don't know," said Phonny, "unless I could have bandaged my | |
foot up myself." | |
"If you could have bandaged it up yourself," said Wallace, "you ought | |
to have done so, though I suppose you could not. But now it is your | |
duty to save her, as much as possible, from all other trouble. You | |
ought to find amusement for yourself as much as you can, instead of | |
calling upon her to amuse you, and you ought to be patient and gentle, | |
and quiet and good-humored. | |
"Besides," continued Wallace, "I think you ought to contrive something | |
to do to repay her for the trouble that she has already had with this | |
cut. She was not to blame for it at all, and did not deserve to suffer | |
any trouble or pain." | |
"I don't know what I can do," said Phonny, "to repay her." | |
"It is hard to find any thing for a boy to do to repay his mother, for | |
what she does for him. But if you even _wish_ to find something, and | |
_try_ to find something, it will make you always submissive and gentle | |
toward her, and that will give her pleasure." | |
"Perhaps I might read to her sometimes when she is sewing," said | |
Phonny. | |
"Yes," said Wallace, "that would be a good plan." | |
When this conversation first commenced, Malleville was standing near | |
to Wallace, and she listened to it for a little time, but she found | |
that she did not understand a great deal of it, and she did not think | |
that what she did understand was very interesting. So she went away. | |
She went to the piazza and began to gather up the green leaves which | |
she had been playing with when Phonny had called her to go out to see | |
the chickens. She put these leaves in her apron with the design of | |
carrying them to Phonny, thinking that perhaps it would amuse him to | |
see them. | |
She brought them accordingly to the sofa, and now stood there, holding | |
her apron by the corners, and waiting for Wallace to finish what he | |
was saying. | |
"What have you got in your apron?" said Wallace. | |
"Some leaves," said Malleville. "I am going to show them to Phonny." | |
So she opened her apron and showed Phonny. | |
"They are nothing but leaves," said Phonny, "are they? Common leaves." | |
"No," said Malleville, "they are not common leaves. They are very | |
pretty leaves." | |
Stuyvesant came to look at the leaves. He took up one or two of them. | |
"That is a maple leaf," said he, "and that is an oak." | |
There was a small oak-tree in the corner of the yard. | |
"I am going to press them in a book," said Malleville. | |
Wallace looked at the leaves a minute, and then he went away. | |
Stuyvesant seemed more interested in looking at the leaves, than | |
Phonny had been. He proposed that while Phonny was sick, they should | |
employ themselves in making a collection of the leaves of | |
forest-trees. | |
"We can make a scrap-book," said he, "and paste them in, and then, | |
underneath we can write all about the trees that the leaves belong | |
to." | |
"How can we find out about the trees?" asked Phonny. | |
"Beechnut will tell us," said Stuyvesant. | |
"So he will," replied Phonny, "and that will be an excellent plan." | |
This project was afterward put into execution. Stuyvesant made | |
a scrap-book. He made it of a kind of smooth and pretty white | |
wrapping-paper. He put what are called false leaves between all the | |
true leaves, as is usually done in large scrap-books. Stuyvesant's | |
scrap-book had twenty leaves. He said that he did not think that they | |
could find more than twenty kinds of trees. They pressed the leaves in | |
a book until they were dry, and then pasted them into the scrap-book, | |
one on the upper half of each page. Then they wrote on a small piece | |
of white paper, all that they could learn about each tree, and put | |
these inscriptions under the leaves, to which they respectively | |
referred. | |
The children worked upon the collection of leaves a little while every | |
day. They divided the duty, giving each one a share. Stuyvesant | |
pressed the leaves and gummed them to their places in the book. | |
Phonny, who was a pretty good composer, composed the descriptions, and | |
afterward Stuyvesant would copy them upon the pieces of paper which | |
were to be pasted into the book. Stuyvesant used to go out to the barn | |
or the yard, to get all the information which Beechnut could give him | |
in respect to the particular tree which happened, for the time being, | |
to be the subject of inquiry. He would then come in and tell Phonny | |
what Beechnut had told him. Phonny would then write the substance of | |
this information down upon a slate, and after reading it over, and | |
carefully correcting it, Stuyvesant would copy it neatly upon the | |
paper. | |
One day during the time that Phonny was confined to his sofa, | |
Stuyvesant and Malleville had been playing with him for some time. At | |
last Stuyvesant and Malleville concluded to go out into the yard a | |
little while, and they left Phonny with a book to read. | |
"I am sorry to leave you alone," said Stuyvesant. | |
"Oh, no matter," said Phonny, "I can read. But there is one thing I | |
should like." | |
"What is that?" said Stuyvesant. | |
"I should like to see Frink. I suppose it would not do to bring him in | |
here. Would it, mother?" | |
Mrs. Henry was sitting at her window at this time sewing. | |
"Why, I don't know," said Mrs. Henry. "How can you bring him in?" she | |
asked. | |
"Oh, I can put his house upon a board," said Stuyvesant, "and put him | |
into it, and then bring house and all." | |
"Well," said Mrs. Henry, "I have no objection. Only get a smooth and | |
clean board." | |
So Stuyvesant went out to the shop to get the squirrel. He found him | |
perched upon the handle of the hand-saw, which was hanging against the | |
wall. | |
"Come, Frink, come with me," said Stuyvesant. So he extended his hand | |
and took Frink down. | |
"Ah!" said he, "I have not got your house ready yet. So you will | |
please to go down into my pocket until I am ready." | |
So saying, Stuyvesant slipped the squirrel into his jacket-pocket, | |
leaving his head and the tip of his tail out. The squirrel being | |
accustomed to such operations, remained perfectly still. Stuyvesant | |
then found a board a little larger than the bottom of the squirrel's | |
house, and putting this board upon the bench, he placed the house upon | |
it. He then took Frink out of his pocket and slipped him into the | |
door. He next put a block before the door to keep the squirrel from | |
coming out, and then taking up the board by the two ends he carried it | |
out of the shop. | |
He walked along the yard with it until he came to the piazza, and then | |
went in at Mrs. Henry's window, which was open. As soon as he had gone | |
in, Mrs. Henry shut her window, and Malleville shut the doors. | |
Stuyvesant then put the house down upon a chair, and took the block | |
away from the door to let the squirrel come out. | |
Frink seemed at first greatly astonished to find himself in a parlor. | |
The first thing that he did was to run up to the top of a tall clock | |
which stood in the corner, and perching himself upon a knob there, he | |
began to gaze around the room. | |
[Illustration: FRINK IN THE PARLOR.] | |
Phonny was very much amused at this. Stuyvesant and Malleville were | |
very much amused, too. They postponed their plan of going out to play | |
for some time, in order that they might see Frink run about the | |
parlor. At length, however, they went away, and Phonny commenced | |
reading his story. After a time, Frink crept slyly along and perched | |
himself on the back of the sofa, close to the book out of which Phonny | |
was reading. | |
CHAPTER XI. | |
THE JOURNEY. | |
One evening about a week after the occurrences related in the last | |
chapter, when Phonny's foot had got entirely well, Mrs. Henry went to | |
the door which led to the back yard with a letter in her hand. She was | |
looking for Stuyvesant. | |
Presently she saw him and Phonny coming through the garden gate with | |
tools in their hands. They had been down to build a bridge across a | |
small brook in a field beyond the garden. | |
"Stuyvesant," said Mrs. Henry, "I have just received a letter from | |
your father." | |
Stuyvesant's eye brightened as Mrs. Henry said this, and he pressed | |
eagerly forward to learn what the letter contained. | |
"It is about you," said Mrs. Henry, "and it is a very important letter | |
indeed." | |
"What is it?" said Phonny eagerly. "Read it to us, mother." | |
So Mrs. Henry opened the letter and read it as follows,--the boys | |
standing before her all the time, with their tools in their hands. | |
"NEW YORK, June 20. | |
"My Dear Sister, | |
"My business has taken such a turn that I am obliged to go | |
to Europe, to be gone five or six weeks, and I am thinking | |
seriously of taking Stuyvesant with me. He is so thoughtful | |
and considerate a boy that I think he will give me very | |
little trouble, and he will be a great deal of company for | |
me, on the way. Besides I think he will be amused and | |
entertained himself with what he will see in traveling | |
through England, and in London and Paris, and I do not think | |
that he will care much for whatever hardships we may have to | |
endure on the voyage. So I have concluded to take him, if he | |
would like to go. I intend to sail in the steamer of the | |
first, so that it will be necessary for him to come home | |
immediately. I would rather have him come home _alone_, if | |
he feels good courage for such an undertaking,--as I think | |
he could take care of himself very well, and the experience | |
which he would acquire by such a journey would be of great | |
service to him. If he seems inclined to come alone, please | |
send him on as soon as may be. Furnish him with plenty of | |
money, and give him all necessary directions. If on the | |
other hand he appears to be a little afraid, send some one | |
with him. Perhaps Beechnut could come." | |
Here Mrs. Henry raised her eyes from the letter as if she had read all | |
that related to the subject, and Phonny immediately exclaimed. | |
"Send me, mother; send _me_. I'll go and take care of him. Let me go, | |
Stivy, that will be the best plan." As he said this Phonny, using his | |
hoe for a vaulting pole, began to leap about the yard with delight at | |
the idea. | |
Stuyvesant remained where he was, with a pleased though thoughtful | |
expression of countenance, but saying nothing. | |
"I'll give you two hours to think of it," said Mrs. Henry, addressing | |
Stuyvesant. "You must set off either alone or with Beechnut to-morrow | |
morning." | |
"Well," said Stuyvesant, "I will think of it and come to tell you. And | |
now, Phonny, let us go and put away the tools." | |
In the course of the two hours which Stuyvesant was allowed for | |
considering the question, he made a great many inquiries of Beechnut | |
in respect to the journey, asking not only in relation to the course | |
which he should pursue at the different points in the journey if every | |
thing went prosperously and well, but also in regard to what he should | |
do in the various contingencies which might occur on the way. | |
"Do you advise me to try it?" said Stuyvesant. | |
"Yes," said Beechnut, "by all means; and that is very disinterested | |
advice, for there is nothing that I should like better than to go with | |
you." | |
Mrs. Henry herself afterward asked Beechnut if he thought it would be | |
safe for Stuyvesant to go alone. | |
"Just as safe," said Beechnut, "as it would be for him to go under my | |
charge. There is always danger of accidents, in traveling," he added, | |
"but there is no more danger for Stuyvesant alone than if he were in | |
company." | |
"But will he know what to do always," said Mrs. Henry, "in order to | |
get along?" | |
"I think he will," said Beechnut. "I shall explain it all to him | |
beforehand." | |
"But there may be some accident," said Mrs. Henry. "The train may run | |
off the track, or there may be a collision." | |
"That is true," replied Beechnut, "but those things will be as likely | |
to happen if I were with him as if he were alone. It seems to me that | |
when a boy gets as old as Stuyvesant, the only advantage of having | |
some one with him when he is traveling is to keep him from doing | |
careless or foolish things,--and Stuyvesant can take care of himself | |
in that respect." | |
It was finally decided that Stuyvesant should go alone. | |
About eight o'clock, Mrs. Henry went up into Stuyvesant's room to pack | |
his trunk, but she found it packed already. Stuyvesant had put every | |
thing in, and had arranged the various articles in a very systematic | |
and orderly manner. The trunk was all ready to be locked and strapped; | |
but it was left open in order that Mrs. Henry might see that all was | |
right. | |
Besides his trunk, Stuyvesant had a small carpet-bag, which contained | |
such things as he expected to have occasion to use on the way. In this | |
carpet-bag was a night-dress, rolled up snugly, and also a change of | |
clean linen. Besides these things there were two books which | |
Stuyvesant had borrowed of Phonny to read in the cars, in case there | |
should chance to be any detention by the way. Stuyvesant had a small | |
morocco portfolio too, which shut with a clasp, and contained note and | |
letter paper, and wafers and postage stamps. This portfolio he always | |
carried with him on his journeys, so that he could, at any time, have | |
writing materials at hand, in case he wished to write a letter. He | |
carried the portfolio in his carpet-bag. There was a small square | |
morocco-covered inkstand also in the carpet-bag. It shut with a spring | |
and a catch, and kept the ink very securely. | |
Mrs. Henry calculated that it would cost Stuyvesant about ten dollars | |
to go from Franconia to New York; so she put ten dollars, in small | |
bills, in Stuyvesant's wallet, and also a ten dollar bill besides, in | |
the inner compartment of his wallet, to be used in case of emergency. | |
When all these arrangements were made, she told Stuyvesant that he | |
might go and find Beechnut, and get his directions. | |
Stuyvesant accordingly went in pursuit of Beechnut. He found him | |
sitting on a bench, under a trellis covered with woodbine, at the | |
kitchen door, enjoying the cool of the evening. Malleville was with | |
him, and he was telling her a story. Stuyvesant and Phonny came and | |
sat down upon the bench near to Beechnut. | |
"So then it is decided that you are to go alone," said Beechnut. | |
"Yes," said Stuyvesant, "and I have come to you to get my directions." | |
"Well," said Beechnut. "I am glad you are going. You will have a very | |
pleasant journey, I have no doubt,--that is, if you have accidents | |
enough." | |
"Accidents!" said Stuyvesant. "So you wish me to meet with accidents?" | |
"Yes," said Beechnut. "I don't desire that you should meet with any | |
very serious or dangerous accidents, but the more common accidents | |
that you meet with, the more you will have to amuse and entertain you. | |
If it were only winter now, there would be a prospect that you might | |
be blocked up in a snow storm." | |
"Hoh!" said Phonny, "that would be a dreadful thing." | |
"No," replied Beechnut, "not dreadful at all. For people who are on | |
business, and who are in haste to get to the end of their journey, it | |
is bad to meet with accidents and delays; but for boys, and for people | |
who are traveling for pleasure, the more adventures they meet with the | |
better." | |
"Accidents are not adventures," said Phonny. | |
"They lead to adventures," replied Beechnut. | |
"But now for my directions," said Stuyvesant. | |
"Well, as for your directions," replied Beechnut, "I can either go | |
over the whole ground with you, and tell you what to do in each | |
particular case,--or I can give you one universal rule, which will | |
guide you in traveling in all cases, wherever you go. Which would you | |
prefer?" | |
"I should prefer the rule," said Stuyvesant, "if that will be enough | |
to guide me." | |
"Yes," said Beechnut, "it is enough to guide you, not only from here | |
to New York, but all over the civilized world." | |
"What is the rule?" asked Stuyvesant. | |
"I shall write it down for you," replied Beechnut, "and you can read | |
it in the stage, to-morrow morning, or in the cars." | |
"Well," said Stuyvesant,--"if you are sure that it will be enough for | |
me." | |
"Yes," replied Beechnut, "I am sure it will be enough. It is the rule | |
that I always travel by, and I find it will carry me safely anywhere. | |
It is an excellent rule for ladies, who are traveling alone. If they | |
would only trust themselves to it, it would be all the guidance that | |
they would need." | |
"Well," said Stuyvesant, "I will decide to take the rule." | |
Shortly after this, Beechnut and the children all went into the house, | |
and Stuyvesant and Phonny went to bed. Stuyvesant was so much excited, | |
however, at the thoughts of his journey, that it was a long time | |
before he could get to sleep. | |
He woke at the earliest dawn. He rose and dressed himself, and took | |
his breakfast at six o'clock. At seven the stage came for him. | |
Beechnut carried his trunk out to the stage, and the driver strapped | |
it on in its place, behind. Mrs. Henry and Malleville stood at the | |
door to see. Stuyvesant went first to the kitchen, to bid Dorothy | |
good-by, and then came out through the front door, and bade Mrs. Henry | |
and Malleville good-by. | |
[Illustration: THE DEPARTURE.] | |
By this time the driver of the stage had finished strapping on the | |
trunk, and had opened the door and was waiting for Stuyvesant to get | |
in. Beechnut handed Stuyvesant a small note. He said that the | |
Traveling Rule was inside of it, but that Stuyvesant must not open the | |
note until he got into the car on the railroad. So Stuyvesant took the | |
note and put it in his pocket, and then shaking hands with Beechnut | |
and Phonny, and putting his carpet-bag in before him, he climbed up | |
the steps and got into the stage. The driver shut the door, mounted | |
upon the box, and drove away. | |
Stuyvesant had about twenty-five miles to go in the stage. He was then | |
to take the cars upon a railroad and go about a hundred and fifty | |
miles to Boston. From Boston he was to go to New York, either by the | |
railroad all the way, or by one of the Sound boats, just as he | |
pleased. | |
Stuyvesant had a great curiosity to know what the rule was which | |
Beechnut had written for him as a universal direction for traveling. | |
He had, however, been forbidden to open the note until he should reach | |
the cars. So he waited patiently, wondering what the rule could be. | |
One reason in fact why Beechnut had directed Stuyvesant not to open | |
his note until he should reach the cars, was to give him something to | |
occupy his attention and amuse his thoughts on first going away from | |
home. The feeling of loneliness and home-sickness to be apprehended in | |
traveling under such circumstances, is always much greater when first | |
setting out on the journey than afterward, and Beechnut being aware | |
of this, thought it desirable to give Stuyvesant something to think of | |
when he first drove away from the door. | |
When Stuyvesant first got into the stage he took a place on the middle | |
of the front seat, which was not a very good place, for he could not | |
see. Pretty soon, however, he had an opportunity to change to a place | |
on the middle seat, near the window. Here he enjoyed the ride very | |
much. He could look out and see the farms, and the farm-houses, and | |
the people passing, as the stage drove along, and at intervals he | |
amused himself with listening to the conversation of the people in the | |
stage. | |
It was about ten o'clock when the stage arrived at the railroad | |
station. As they drew near to the place, Stuyvesant began to consider | |
what he should have to do in respect to getting his trunk transferred | |
from the stage to the train of cars. He knew very well that he could | |
ask the driver what to do, but he felt an ambition to find out | |
himself, and he accordingly concluded to wait until after he had | |
got out of the stage, and had had an opportunity to make his own | |
observations before troubling the driver with his questions. As for | |
his ticket, he was aware that he must buy that at the ticket-office, | |
and he supposed that he could find the ticket-office very readily. | |
When the stage stopped, Stuyvesant and all the other passengers got | |
out. The stage was standing near a platform which extended along the | |
side of one of the buildings of the station. As soon as the passengers | |
had got out, the driver began to take off the trunks from the rack | |
behind the stage, and to put them on the platform. | |
There was a gentleman among the passengers who had said in the course | |
of conversation in the stage, that he belonged in Boston, and was | |
going there. It occurred to Stuyvesant that it would be a good plan to | |
watch this man and see what he would do in respect to his trunk, and | |
then do the same in respect to his own. So he stood on the platform | |
while the driver was taking down the trunks, and said nothing. | |
The driver put the trunks and baggage down, in heaps of confusion all | |
about the platform, and though the passengers were all standing | |
around, none of them paid much attention to what he was doing; this | |
led Stuyvesant to think that there was no urgent necessity for haste | |
or anxiety about the business, but that in some way or other it would | |
all come right in the end. So he stood quietly by, and said nothing. | |
The result was just as he had anticipated; for after he had been | |
standing there a short time, a man with a band about his hat, on which | |
were inscribed the words BAGGAGE-MASTER, came out from a door in the | |
station-house, and advancing toward the baggage with a business-like | |
air, he said, | |
"Now then, gentlemen, tell me where all this baggage is going to?" | |
As the baggage-master said this, the people standing by began to point | |
out their several trunks, and to say where they were to go. As fast as | |
the baggage-master was informed of the destination of the trunks and | |
carpet-bags, he would fasten a check upon each one by means of a small | |
strap, and give the mate of the check to the owner of the baggage. | |
Stuyvesant stood quietly by, watching this operation until it came to | |
the turn of the gentleman who he had observed was going to Boston. | |
"That trunk is to go to Boston," said the gentleman, pointing to his | |
trunk. | |
So the baggage-master checked the trunk and gave the duplicate check | |
to the gentleman. | |
"And that trunk is to go to Boston too," said Stuyvesant, pointing to | |
his own trunk. | |
So the baggage-master put a check upon Stuyvesant's trunk and gave | |
Stuyvesant the duplicate of it. | |
Stuyvesant observed that as soon as the baggage was checked, the | |
owners of it appeared to go away at once, and to give themselves | |
no farther concern about it, and he inferred that it would be safe | |
for him to do so too. So he went into the station to find the | |
ticket-office, in order to buy his ticket. He saw, in a corner of the | |
room, a sort of window with a counter before it, and a sign, with the | |
words TICKET OFFICE above. Stuyvesant went to this window. The Boston | |
gentleman was there, buying his ticket. | |
"_One_ for Boston," said the gentleman. As he said this, he laid down | |
a bank-bill upon the counter just within the window. The ticket seller | |
gave him two tickets and some change. | |
"He said _one_ and he has got _two_," said Stuyvesant to himself. "I | |
wonder what that means." | |
Stuyvesant then took the Boston gentleman's place at the window, and | |
laid down a bank bill upon the counter, saying: | |
"_Half_ a one, for Boston." | |
The ticket-seller looked at Stuyvesant a moment over his spectacles, | |
with a very inquiring expression of countenance, and then said, | |
"How old are you, my boy?" | |
"I am between nine and ten," said Stuyvesant. | |
"And are you going to Boston, all alone?" asked the man. | |
"Yes, sir," said Stuyvesant. | |
So the man gave Stuyvesant two tickets and his change, and Stuyvesant | |
put them, tickets, money and all, carefully in his wallet, and turned | |
away. He observed that each of his tickets had one of the corners cut | |
off. This was to show that they were for a boy who had only paid | |
half-price. | |
As Stuyvesant turned to go away, he met the driver of the stage coming | |
toward him. | |
"Ah, Stuyvesant," said he, "I was looking for you. Have you got your | |
tickets?" | |
"Yes," said Stuyvesant. | |
"And is your trunk checked?" asked the driver. | |
"Yes," said Stuyvesant. | |
"Very well, then; it's all right. I was going to show you. I did not | |
suppose that you knew how to take care of yourself so well." | |
There were no cars at the station at this time. It was a way station, | |
and the train was to pass there, and stop a few minutes to take up | |
passengers, but it had not yet arrived. Stuyvesant went round to see | |
what had been done with his trunk. It had been removed from the place | |
where he had left it, but after a time he found it, with others, on | |
another platform near the railroad track. He supposed that that was | |
the place where the train was to come in. | |
He was right in this supposition, for in a few minutes the sound of | |
the whistle was heard in the distance, and soon afterward the train | |
came thundering in. It slackened its speed as it advanced, and finally | |
stopped opposite to the platform on which Stuyvesant was standing. The | |
baggage-master put the trunks into the baggage car, and the passengers | |
got into the passenger cars, and in a very few minutes the bell rang, | |
and the train began to move on again. Stuyvesant got an excellent seat | |
near a window. | |
"Now," said he, "for Beechnut's rule." | |
So Stuyvesant opened his note, and read as follows:-- | |
"UNIVERSAL RULE FOR INEXPERIENCED TRAVELERS. | |
"Keep a quiet mind, and do as other people | |
do. BEECHNUT." | |
"That's just what I have been doing all the time," said Stuyvesant to | |
himself, as soon as he had read the paper. "I found out Beechnut's | |
rule myself, before he told me." | |
This was true; for Stuyvesant's instinctive good sense and sagacity | |
had taught him that when traveling with a multitude of other people, | |
who were almost all perfectly familiar with the usages of the road, a | |
stranger would always find sufficient means of guidance in his | |
observation of those about him. It gave Stuyvesant pleasure to think | |
that he had found out the way to travel himself, and he was very glad | |
to have the wisdom of the method which he had adopted, confirmed by | |
Beechnut's testimony. | |
During the whole of the journey to Boston, Stuyvesant guided himself | |
by observation of those about him. When the conductor came for the | |
tickets Stuyvesant looked to see what the others did, and then did the | |
same himself. At one time the cars stopped, and all the passengers | |
rose from their seats and seemed to be going out. Stuyvesant | |
accordingly rose and went with them. There was a man on the platform, | |
who called out as the people stepped down from the cars, "Passengers | |
for Boston will take the forward cars on the right." Stuyvesant | |
followed the crowd and entered with them into the cars of another | |
train. In fact the travelers had arrived at what is called a | |
_junction_, that is to a place where they come upon a railroad | |
belonging to another company, and here of course they took another | |
train. The fact that there were two railroads and two companies was | |
the reason why each passenger had two tickets. | |
Stuyvesant wondered whether the baggage men would remember to transfer | |
his trunk to the new train, without his attending to it, but as he | |
observed that the other passengers did nothing about their trunks, but | |
went at once into the new cars, he concluded that he had nothing to do | |
but follow their example. | |
When he arrived at Boston it was very late. This was owing to a | |
detention which took place on the road through a somewhat singular | |
cause. It seems that there was in one part of the road a very narrow | |
_cut_, through a rocky hill, and the company were attempting to widen | |
it in order to make a double track. They had accordingly been blasting | |
the rocks on one side of the cut, and having fired a very heavy charge | |
just before the train that Stuyvesant was in came along, an immense | |
mass of rocks had fallen down into the cut and covered the track so | |
that the train could not get by. The workman had accordingly sent a | |
man along with a red flag to stop the train when it should come, and | |
in the mean time they went to work with an enormous crane, which was | |
set up on the rocks above, to hoist the stones off from the track, and | |
swing them out of the way. A great many of the passengers got out and | |
went forward when the train stopped, in order to see this operation; | |
and Stuyvesant felt himself authorized by Beechnut's rule to go with | |
them. It took more than half an hour to raise and remove the rocks so | |
as to clear the track, and Stuyvesant had a very pleasant time in | |
watching the operation, and in listening to the remarks of the men | |
who were standing around. | |
On account of this delay, and of some subsequent delays which were | |
caused by this one, it was quite late when the train arrived in | |
Boston. When the cars at length reached the Boston station and the | |
passengers began to get out, a great scene of noise and confusion | |
ensued. | |
"Now," said Stuyvesant to himself, "I must obey the first part of | |
Beechnut's direction, and keep a quiet mind." | |
He accordingly rose from his seat, and taking his carpet-bag in his | |
hand he went out with the rest of the passengers. There was a great | |
crowd of hackmen on the platform, all clamorously shouting together to | |
the passengers, offering their carriages and calling out the names of | |
the several hotels. Stuyvesant observed that those before him who | |
wished for a hack would quietly speak to one of these men, give him | |
their baggage tickets and then ask him to show them his carriage. | |
Stuyvesant accordingly did the same. He spoke to a man who was | |
standing there with a whip in his hand and asking every body if they | |
wanted a carriage. | |
"I want a carriage," said Stuyvesant. "I want to go to the Marlboro' | |
Hotel." | |
"Yes," said the man, eagerly. "I'll take you right there. Walk this | |
way and I'll show you the carriage." | |
So Stuyvesant followed the man and got into his carriage. At the same | |
time he gave him his check and said, "That's for my trunk." The man | |
took the check and went away. In about ten minutes he returned with | |
the trunk, and after fastening it upon the carriage behind, he got | |
upon the box and drove away. | |
Stuyvesant had a very fine time at the Marlboro' Hotel. He had a good | |
bed-room to sleep in that night, and an excellent breakfast the next | |
morning. He took a little walk in Washington-street after breakfast, | |
and then wrote a short letter to Phonny to tell him how well he had | |
got along on his journey. He wrote this letter in his room, having all | |
the necessary materials in his portfolio. When his letter was | |
finished, he brought it to the office of the hotel, and asked the | |
clerk how he could get that letter to the post-office. | |
"Put it right in there," said the clerk. | |
So saying, the clerk pointed to a letter-box on the counter, with an | |
opening at the top, and Stuyvesant dropped the letter in. He then | |
told the clerk that he wished to go to New York that day by the | |
afternoon train. The clerk said that it was very well, and that he | |
would have a carriage ready at the proper time to take him to the | |
station. Stuyvesant had no idea where the station was, or what the | |
arrangements would be there about checks and tickets; but he had no | |
doubt that he should find plenty of people there who were going to New | |
York that day, and that he could very easily find out, by observing | |
them, what he would have to do. | |
And so it proved. He had no difficulty whatever. In fact, all that he | |
had to do was to throw himself, as it were, into the current, and be | |
floated along to New York without any care or concern. He arrived very | |
safely there at last, and his father was quite proud of him when he | |
found that he had come all the way home alone. | |
THE END. | |
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: | |
Minor changes have been made to correct typesetters' errors; otherwise, | |
every effort has been made to remain true to the author's words and | |
intent. | |
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Stuyvesant, by Jacob Abbott | |
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