Stuyvesant Part 11

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 pus.h.i.+ng 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.