Rollo at Work Page 4

  The boys walked around the room a few minutes, looking at the variousthings; and at last Rollo spied another little wheelbarrow, on a shelf. Itwas very much like the one at the door, only it was painted green.

  Rollo said that that one looked exactly like the one he trundled when hewas there before, only it was green.

  "Perhaps he has painted it since," said James; "let us go to the door, andlook at the other one, and see which is the biggest."

  So they went to the door, and found that the blue one was a little thebiggest.

  Just then they saw the corporal coming across the road, with a hatchet inhis hand. He had been to grind it at the mill, where there was agrindstone, that went round by water.

  "Ah, boys," said he, "how do you do? Have you come for your wheelbarrow,Rollo."

  "Yes, sir," said Rollo; "how soon can you get it done?"

  "Done? it is done now," said he; "there it is." And he took the bluewheelbarrow, which was at the door, and set it down in the path.

  "That is not mine," said Rollo, "is it?"

  "Yes," said the corporal; "your father spoke for it a week ago."

  Rollo took hold of his wheelbarrow, and began to wheel it along. He likedit very much.

  Rollo Took Hold of His Wheelbarrow.]

  James said he wished he could have one too, and while Rollo was talkingwith the corporal, he could not help looking at the green one on theshelf, which he thought was just about as big as he should like.

  The corporal asked him if he wanted to see that one, and he took it downfor him. James took hold of the handles, and tried it a little, back andforth on the floor, and then he said it was just about big enough for him.

  "Who is this for?" said he to the corporal.

  "I do not know," said the corporal; "a gentleman bespoke it some time ago.I do not know what his name is."

  Just then he seemed to see somebody out of the window.

  "Ah! here he comes now!" he exclaimed suddenly.

  Just then the door opened, and whom should the boys see coming in, buttheir uncle George!

  "Why, James," said he, "have you got hold of your wheelbarrow already?"

  "_My_ wheelbarrow!" said James. "Is this mine?"

  "Yes," said his uncle, "I got it made to give to you. But when I foundthat Rollo was having one made, I waited for his to be done, so that youmight have them both together. So trundle them home."

  So the boys set off on the run down the road, in fine style, with theirwheelbarrows trundling beautifully before them.

  CAUSEY-BUILDING.

  Sand-Men.

  Next to little wooden blocks, I think that good, clean sand is anexcellent thing for children to play with. When it is a little damp, itwill remain in any shape you put it in, and you can build houses andcities, and make roads and canals in it. At any rate, Rollo and his cousinJames used to be very fond of going down to a certain place in the brook,where there was plenty of sand, and playing in it. It was of a gray color,and somewhat mixed with pebble-stones; but then they used to like thepebble-stones very much to make walls with, and to stone up the littlewells which they made in the sand.

  One Wednesday afternoon, they were there playing very pleasantly with thesand. They had been building a famous city, and, after amusing themselveswith it some time, they had knocked down the houses, and trampled the sandall about again. James then said he meant to go to the barn and get hishorse-cart, and haul a load of sand to market.

  Now there was a place around behind a large rock near there, which theboys called their barn; and Rollo and James went to it, and pulled outtheir two little wheelbarrows, which they called their horse-carts. Theywheeled them down to the edge of the water, and began to take up the sandby double handfuls, and put it in.

  When they had got their carts loaded, they began to wheel them around tothe trees, and stones, and bushes, saying,

  "Who'll buy my sand?"

  "Who'll buy my white sand?"

  "Who'll buy my gray sand?"

  "Who'll buy my black sand?"

  But they did not seem to find any purchaser; and at last Rollo said,suddenly,

  "O, I know who will buy our sand."

  "Who?" said James.

  "Mother."

  "So she will," said James. "We will wheel it up to the house."

  So they set off, and began wheeling their loads of sand up the pathwayamong the trees. They went on a little way, and presently stopped, and satdown on a bank to rest. Here they found a number of flowers, which theygathered and stuck up in the sand, so that their loads soon made a verygay appearance.

  Just as they were going to set out again, Rollo said,

  "But, James, how are we going to get through the quagmire?"

  "O," said James, "we can step along on the bank by the side of the path."

  "No," said Rollo; "for we cannot get our wheelbarrows along there."

  "Why, yes,--we got them along there when we came down."

  "But they were empty and light then; now they are loaded and heavy."

  "So they are; but I think we can get along; it is not very muddy therenow."

  The place which the boys called the quagmire, was a low place in thepathway, where it was almost always muddy. This pathway was made by thecows, going up and down to drink; and it was a good, dry, and hard path inall places but one. This, in the spring of the year, was very wet andmiry; and, during the whole summer, it was seldom perfectly dry. The boyscalled it the quagmire, and they used to get by on one side, in among thebushes.

  They found that it was not very muddy at this time, and they contrived toget through with their loads of sand, and soon got to the house. Theytrundled their wheelbarrows up to the door leading out to the garden; andRollo knocked at the door.

  Now Rollo's mother happened, at this time, to be sitting at theback-parlor window, and she heard their voices as they came along theyard. So, supposing the knocking was some of their play, she just lookedout of the window, and called out,

  "Who's there?"

  "Some sand-men," Rollo answered, "who have got some sand to sell."

  His mother looked out of the window, and had quite a talk with them abouttheir sand; she asked them where it came from, what color it was, andwhether it was free from pebble-stones. The boys had to admit that therewere a good many pebble-stones in it, and that pebble-stones were not verygood to scour floors with.

  The Gray Garden.

  At last, Rollo's mother recommended that they should carry the sand out toa corner of the yard, where the chips used to be, and spread it out there,and stick their flowers up in it for a garden.

  The boys liked this plan very much. "We can make walks and beds,beautifully, in the sand," said Rollo. "But, mother, do you think theflowers will grow?"

  "No," said his mother, "flowers will not grow in sand; but, as it israther a shady place, and you can water them occasionally, they will keepgreen and bright a good many days, and then, you know, you can get somemore."

  So the boys wheeled the sand out to the corner of the yard, took theflowers out carefully, and then tipped the sand down and spread it out.They tried to make walks and beds, but they found they had not got as muchsand as they wanted. So they concluded to go back and get some more.

  In fact, they found that, by getting a great many wheelbarrow loads ofsand, they could cover over the whole corner, and make a noble large placefor a sand-garden. And then, besides, as James said, when they were tiredof it for a garden, they could build cities there, instead of having to goaway down to the brook.

  So they went on wheeling their loads of sand, for an hour or two. Jameshad not learned to work as well as Rollo had, and he was constantlywanting to stop, and run into the woods, or play in the water; but Rollotold him it would be better to get all the sand up, first. They at lastgot quite a great heap, and then went and got a rake and hoe to level itdown smooth.

  Thus the afternoon passed away; and at last Mary told the boys that theymust come and get ready for tea, for she was going to c
arry it in soon.

  A Contract.

  So Rollo and James brushed the loose sand from their clothes, and washedtheir faces and hands, and went in. As tea was not quite ready, they satdown on the front-door steps before Rollo's father, who was then sittingin his arm-chair in the entry, reading.

  He shut up the book, and began to talk with the boys.

  "Well, boys," said he, "what have you been doing all this afternoon?"

  "O," said Rollo, "we have been hard at work."

  "And what have you been doing?"

  Rollo explained to his father that they had been making a sand-garden outin a corner of the yard, and they both asked him to go with them and seeit.

  They all three accordingly went out behind the house, the children runningon before.

  "But, boys," said Rollo's father, as they went on, "how came your feet somuddy?"

  "O," said James, "they got muddy in the quagmire."

  The boys explained how they could not go around the quagmire with theirloaded wheelbarrows, and so had to pick their way through it the best waythey could; and thus they got their shoes muddy a little; but they saidthey were as careful as they could be.

  When they came to the sand-garden, Rollo's father smiled to see the bedsand walks, and the rows of flowers stuck up in the sand. It made quite agay appearance. After looking at it some time, they went slowly backagain, and as they were walking across the yard,

  "Father," said Rollo, "do you not think that is a pretty good garden?"

  "Why, yes," said his father, "pretty good."

  "Don't you think we have worked pretty well?"

  "Why, I think I should call that play, not work."

  "Not work!" said Rollo. "Is it not work to wheel up such heavy loads ofsand? You don't know how heavy they were."

  "I dare say it was hard; but boys _play_ hard, sometimes, as well as workhard."

  "But I should think ours, this afternoon, was work," said Rollo.

  "Work," replied his father, "is when you are engaged in doing any thing inorder to produce some useful result. When you are doing any thing only forthe amusement of it, without any useful result, it is play. Still, in onesense, your wheeling the sand was work. But it was not very useful work;you will admit that."

  "Yes, sir," said Rollo.

  "Well, boys, how should you like to do some useful work for me, with yourwheelbarrows? I will hire you."

  "O, we should like that very much," said James. "How much should you payus?"

  "That would depend upon how much work you do. I should pay you what thework was fairly worth; as much as I should have to pay a man, if I were tohire a man to do it."

  "What should you give us to do?" said Rollo.

  "I don't know. I should think of some job. How should you like to fill upthe quagmire?"

  "Fill up the quagmire!" said Rollo. "How could we do that?"

  "You might fill it up with stones. There are a great many small stoneslying around there, which you might pick up and put into yourwheelbarrows, and wheel them along, and tip them over into the quagmire;and when you have filled the path all up with stones, cover them over withgravel, and it will make a good causey."

  "Causey?" said Rollo.

  "Yes, causey," said his father; "such a hard, dry road, built along amuddy place, is called a causey."

  They had got to the tea-table by this time; and while at tea, Rollo'sfather explained the plan to them more fully. He said he would pay them acent for every two loads of stones or gravel which they should wheel in tomake the causey.

  They were going to ask some more questions about it, but he told them hecould not talk any more about it then, but that they might go and askJonas how they should do it, after tea.

  Instructions.

  They went out into the kitchen, after tea, to find Jonas; but he was notthere. They then went out into the yard; and presently James saw him overbeyond the fence, walking along the lane. Rollo called out,

  "Jonas! Jonas! where are you going?"

  "I am going after the cows."

  "We want you!" said Rollo, calling out loud.

  "What for?" said Jonas.

  "We want to talk with you about something."

  Just then, Rollo's mother, hearing this hallooing, looked out of thewindow, and told the boys they must not make so much noise.

  "Why, we want Jonas," said Rollo; "and he has gone to get the cows."

  "Well, you may go with him," said she, "if you wish; and you can talk onthe way."

  So the boys took their hats and ran, and soon came to where Jonas was: forhe had been standing still, waiting for them.

  They walked along together, and the boys told Jonas what their father hadsaid. Jonas said he should be very glad to have the quagmire filled up,but he was afraid it would not do any good for him to give them anydirections.

  "Why?" said James.

  "Because," said Jonas, "little boys will never follow any directions. Theyalways want to do the work their own way."

  "O, but we _will_ obey the directions," said Rollo.

  "Do you remember about the wood-pile?" said Jonas.

  Rollo hung his head, and looked a little ashamed.

  "What was it about the wood-pile?" said James.

  "Why, I told Rollo," said Jonas, "that he ought to pile wood with the bigends in front, but he did not mind it; he thought it was better to havethe big ends back, out of sight; and that made the pile lean forward; andpresently it all fell over upon him."

  "Did it?" said James. "Did it hurt you much, Rollo?"

  "No, not much. But we will follow the directions now, Jonas, if you willtell us what to do."

  "Very well," said Jonas, "I will try you.

  "In the first place, you must get a few old pieces of board, and lay themalong the quagmire to step upon, so as not to get your feet muddy. Thenyou must go and get a load of stones, in each wheelbarrow, and wheel themalong. You must not tip them down at the beginning of the muddy place, forthen they will be in your way when you come with the next load.

  "You must go on with them, one of you right behind the other, bothstepping carefully on the boards, till you get to the farther end, andthere tip them over both together. Then you must turn round yourselves,but not turn your wheelbarrows round. You must face the other way, and_draw_ your wheelbarrows out."

  "Why?" said James.

  "Because," said Jonas, "it would be difficult to turn your wheelbarrowsround there among the mud and stones, but you can draw them out veryeasily.

  "Then, besides, you must not attempt to go by one another. You must bothstop at the same time, but as near one another as you can, and go out justas you came in; that is, if Rollo came in first, and James after him,James must come up as near to Rollo as he can, and then, when the loadsare tipped over, and you both turn round, James will be before Rollo, andwill draw his wheelbarrow out first. Do you understand?"

  "Yes," said James.

  "Must we always go in together?" asked Rollo.

  "Yes, that is better."

  "Why?"

  "Because, if you go in at different times, you will be in one another'sway. One will be going out when the other is coming in, and so you willinterfere with one another. Then, besides, if you fill the wheelbarrowstogether, and wheel together, you will always be in company,--which ispleasanter."

  "Well, we will," said Rollo.

  "After you have wheeled one load apiece in, you must go and get another,and wheel that in as far as you can. Tip them over on the top of theothers, if you can, or as near as you can. Each time you will not go inquite so far as before, so that at last you will have covered the quagmireall over with stones once."

  "And then must we put on the gravel?"

  "O no. That will not be stones enough. They would sink down into the mud,and the water would come up over them. So you must wheel on more."

  "But how can we?" said James. "We cannot wheel on the top of all thosestones."

  "No," said Jonas; "so you must go up to the house and get a
pretty long,narrow board, as long as you and Rollo can carry, and bring it down andlay it along on the top of the stones. Perhaps you will have to move thestones a little, so as to make it steady; and then you can wheel on that.If one board is not long enough, you must go and get two. And you must putthem down on one side of the path, so that the stones will go into themiddle of the path and upon the other side, so as not to cover up theboard.

  "Then, when you have put loads of stones all along in this way, you mustshift your boards over to the other side of the path, and then wheel onthem again; and that will fill up the side where the boards lay at first.And so, after a while, you will get the whole pathway filled up withstones, as high as you please. I should think you had better fill it upnearly level with the bank on each side."

  By this time the boys came to the bars that led into the pasture, and theywent in and began to look about for the cows. Jonas did not see them anywhere near, and so he told the boys that they might stay there and picksome blackberries, while he went on and found them. He said he thoughtthat they must be out by the boiling spring.

  This boiling spring, as they called it, was a beautiful spring, from whichfine cool water was always boiling up out of the sand. It was in a narrowglen, shaded by trees, and the water running down into a little sort ofmeadow, kept the grass green there, even in very dry times; so that thecows were very fond of this spot.