Here and Now Story Book Part 14

"Toot, toot, I'm moving."

And so the old steamer went out into the fog calling, calling so that no boat would hit it. And all the other boats that pa.s.sed it, they went calling, calling too.

HAMMER AND SAW AND PLANE

This story is a slight extension of the children's own experience. It is purposely limited to the tools they themselves handle familiarly.

HAMMER AND SAW AND PLANE

Once there was a carpenter. He had built himself a fine new house. And now it was all done. The walls, the floors and the roof were done. The stairs were done. The windows and doors were done. And the carpenter had moved into his new house.

In his house he had a stove and he had electric lights. He had beds and chairs and bureaus and bookcases. He had everything except a table to eat off of. He still had to stand up when he ate his meals!

So the carpenter thought he would make him a table. But he had no lumber left. So off he went to the lumber mill. At the lumber mill he saw lots and lots of lumber piled in the yard. The carpenter told the man at the lumber mill just how much lumber he wanted and just how long he wanted it and how broad he wanted it and how thick he wanted it.

So the man at the lumber mill put all this lumber,--just what the carpenter had ordered,--on a wagon and sent it out to the carpenter's house.

And then the carpenter began. He said to himself, "First I must make my boards just the right length." So he measured a board just as long as he wanted the top to be; then he put the board on a sawhorse and he took his saw and began to saw:

[Ill.u.s.tration]

"Zzzu," went the saw, "Zzzu, zzzu, zzzu."

The sawdust flew The saw ripped through Down dropped the board sawed right in two.

And then the carpenter took another board and he measured this just the same length. Then he put this board on the sawhorse and he took the saw and began to saw:

"Zzzu," went the saw, "Zzzu, zzzu, zzzu."

The sawdust flew The saw ripped through Down dropped the board sawed right in two.

And then the carpenter took still another board and "Zzzu," went the saw until this board too was sawed right in two. Then he had enough for the top of the table. Then he took the pieces that were going to make the legs and he sawed four of them just the right length. Then he sawed the boards that were going to be the braces until they too were just the right length. And underneath his sawhorse there was a little pile of sawdust.

Then after this the carpenter says to himself, "I must make my boards smooth." So he puts a board in the vise and he begins to plane the board.

The plane he guides The plane it glides It smooths, it slides All over the sides.

And when this board is all smooth, the carpenter takes it out of the vise and puts in another board. Then he takes his plane.

The plane he guides The plane it glides It smooths, it slides All over the sides.

And then the carpenter takes still another board and he guides and slides the plane until this board too is all smooth. And he does this until all the boards that are going to make the top and the legs and the braces are all smooth. And underneath his bench there is a pile of shavings.

And then the carpenter he says to himself, "I must nail my boards together." So he puts the boards that are going to make the top together and he takes a nail and then he swings his hammer:

The hammer it gives a swinging pound.

The nail it gives a ringing sound.

Bing! bang! bing! bing!

And the boards are tight together!

And then the carpenter takes another piece of the top and puts it beside the other two and he takes another nail and then he swings his hammer again.

The hammer it gives a swinging pound.

The nail it gives a ringing sound.

Bing! bang! bing! bing!

And the boards are tight together!

And then the carpenter takes one piece that is going to be a leg and he holds it so it stands right out from the top, and he takes another nail and he nails the leg to the top. Bing! bang! bing! bing! He does this with the other three legs of his table. And then he has four strong legs and the top of his table all nailed together.

Then the carpenter he says to himself, "I'll put some boards across and make it stronger." So he takes some boards sawed just the right length, and he nails them across underneath the top, bing! bang! bing! bing! And then he has a table!

So the carpenter lifts his table out into the middle of his room and he puts a chair beside it. When he sits down he is smiling all over. For the table is just the right size and just the right height and it is strong and good to look at. The carpenter is so glad to have a table to eat off of that he says to himself:

"Now isn't it grand?

I won't have to stand While eating my dinner again!

For now I am able To sit at the table I made with saw, hammer and plane!"

THE ELEPHANT

This was written with the help of eight-year-old children who were trying to make everything sound "heavy" and "slow."

THE ELEPHANT

The little boy had never before been to the Zoo. He walked up close to the high iron fence. On the other side he saw a huge wrinkled grey lump slowly sway to one side and then slowly sway back to the other. And as it swayed from side to side its great long wrinkled trunk swung slowly too. The little boy followed the trunk with his eye up to the huge head of the great wrinkled grey lump. There were enormous torn worn flapping ears. And there, too, embedded like jewels in a leather wall sparkled two little eyes. These eyes were fastened on the little boy. They seemed to s.h.i.+ne in the dull wrinkled skin. Slowly the huge ma.s.s began to move.

Slowly one heavy padded foot came up and then went down with a soft thud. Then came another soft thud and another and another. Suddenly the monstrous trunk waved, curled, lifted, stretched and stretched, until its soft pink end was thrust through the high iron fence and the little boy could look up into the fleshy yawning red mouth. The little boy drew back from the high iron fence. The end of the trunk wiggled and wriggled around feeling its way up and down a rod of the fence; the great body swayed from one heavy foot to the other; and all the time the bright little eyes were fastened on the boy.

The little boy looked and looked and looked again. He could hardly believe his eyes. "Whew!" he said at last, "so that's an elephant!"

HOW THE ANIMALS MOVE