Stuyvesant: A Franconia Story

Work

to do, was to look and see if his trap was safe. It was safe.

on is, where I am to find a box for

look at my hen-hous

x, and then help him make a cage, and after that, he would go,

said Stuyvesant. "I can do that, while you ar

I will go with you to look at it, and

along toward the

roughly. There were two doors of admission. One was a large one, for men and boys to go in at. The o

ailed 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, i

tuyvesant, after he had exam

to make a little stool of. I wanted

ke a stool?" as

not bore the holes for the legs. I trie

er piece of board, some

g it to and fro, to see if the hinges were in order. They were.

o be a button

button now?" a

. "Let me see;-it must

was some litter upon the ground, formed of sticks, straws, &

somewhere, once," said he,

t it away in some safe place?" sa

. "You see we don't want to shut

t it is a great deal better t

better?" as

tisfactory," s

!" repeated P

o the hen-house. Ph

er was a barrel, three quarters filled with hay. There were two or three bars overhead for the hens to roost upon. Stu

is up

eplied Phonny. "There

up to see?" as

when Beechnut is here to

e a ladder," s

nny, "you can't

esant. Then after a short pause and a

d help you find your box. I se

it?" aske

, and a ladder to get up to the loft. Then I have got to clear th

ometimes," said Phonny, "when

orner where the barrel stood, and t

ere to-day. That is the beginning of your profits. You can

do it then. He would leave them where they were for the present, and go and look for the box. Stuyvesant wa

d, or where it might be expected to be found. There were several boxes in these places, but some were too large, and others too s

y well. It was about two feet long, when laid down upon its side, and one foot wide

box to the shop, and then Wallace is com

n cleared off, so that there was a good space there to put the box upon. Phonny and Stuy

you a beautiful cage. Wait a little longer, a

rd the horse-block. As soon however as he came near

nt, see how bi

Somehow or other the opening had grown very large. Phonny stoo

irrel w

the lid gradually, and then holding out the empty trap to St

out," said

said

ther was merely a large square hole with a sort of lid or shutter opening upward and outward, like the small door of the h

In stormy weather, therefore, it was always kept shut. The shavings which Phonny threw out here formed

ow, but Stuyvesant was facing it. Happening at that instant to glance upward, behold, ther

but pointed to the place. Phonn

ON THE

o!-" sai

tly; and then creeping softly up to the place, he took hold of the prop which held

"Climb up on the bench, Stivy, and shu

pon the bench and shut do

and shut it, looking round as he went, toward the squi

e got him safe. The only

best to pursue. Phonny's first plan was to put the trap upon the table and then for him and Stuyvesant

e trap a barn, we might possibly get him in; but

irrel round the shop until they caugh

d; and besides we might hurt him dreadfully in catching a

p, taking care to keep the door and windows shut. They thought that by this means he would become accustomed to

p for him here to-night, when we go away, and perhaps

noon," said Stuyvesant. "He won't go int

l leave him to himself, and let him do what he

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 th

n the bench, with his gimlet in his hand, and taking h

ou ought to draw a line and

onny, "I can gue

"though I don't think tha

measure off the distances, and so he went on with his boring, loo

tuyvesant, "I wil

ape. Presently he returned, bringing his materials. There was a short board for the small door, two long strips

es 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,

xt 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-hous

eyed his work with a look

he

he opened it a very little way, and paused, calling ou

d Phonny,

beams to the back part of the shop, and was

to feed him," said Ph

said Stu

three pieces he carried the parts into the back part of the shop, and put

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

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

e are two go

ne, to see once more whether they worked well. They did work perfectl

r the l

and was now engaged in cutting his wire into lengths. He used for this purpose a pair of cutting-plyers, as they ar

oking on. He perceived that the holes were not in a straight line, nor were they equidista

d to make his cross-bars of, and began to cons

iece of wood fo

s-bars of my ladder

round," said Phonny. "They always make t

. And besides if I could, I could not make the holes in the side-pieces to

ladder. You can bore the holes easily enough

hey 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

onny, "I forgot that. I could bore

ladder very well in that way, and don't like to undertake a

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 themselv

that the pieces which he had chosen for the side

he was measuring, to se

going to have your

yvesant. "I am going to

down the piece which he had

o six equal parts," said he, "

of wood, he found, was eight feet long,-

you going to divid

esant, "make ninety-six inche

and wrote down the figures 96 upon

aid he. "I can have 16 i

and made another mark. In the same manner, he proceeded until he had divided the whole piece into portio

he, "there are

id Phonny. "That was an ex