Stuyvesant Part 15

"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 b.u.t.ton.

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 s.p.a.ce 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 pa.s.sed 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 gla.s.s 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 acc.u.mulating 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 pa.s.sed along just over the window.

Stuyvesant did not say a word, but pointed to the place. Phonny looked up and saw the squirrel.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 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 pa.s.sed 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!"