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diff --git a/25548.txt b/25548.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a4c2ba2 --- /dev/null +++ b/25548.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4443 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Rollo's Museum, by Jacob Abbott + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Rollo's Museum + +Author: Jacob Abbott + +Release Date: May 20, 2008 [EBook #25548] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ROLLO'S MUSEUM *** + + + + +Produced by D Alexander and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was +produced from images generously made available by The +Internet Archive) + + + + + + + + + + ROLLO'S + + MUSEUM. + + BY THE + + AUTHOR OF ROLLO LEARNING TO TALK, TO + READ, AT WORK, AT PLAY, AT SCHOOL, + AT VACATION, &c. + + BOSTON: + WEEKS, JORDAN, AND COMPANY. + 1839. + + + + + Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1839, + + By T. H. CARTER, + + In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. + + STEREOTYPED AT THE + BOSTON TYPE AND STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY + + + [Illustration: Henry made a sudden plunge after him. _Page 119._] + + + + + CONTENTS. + + + Page. + + THE CANAL 9 + A FALSE ALARM 34 + THE HEMLOCK-SEED 46 + A LITTLE LAW 60 + CONFUSION 77 + ORGANIZATION 88 + CAUGHT,--AND GONE AGAIN 106 + THE BAILMENT CASES 120 + THE CURIOSITIES 136 + THE SEA-SHORE 154 + THE CLIFFS 167 + THE THREE NORTHMEN 179 + + + + +ROLLO'S MUSEUM. + +THE CANAL. + + +It happened one summer, when Rollo was between seven and eight years of +age, that there was a vacation at the school which he was attending at +that time. The vacation commenced in the latter part of August, and was +to continue for four or five weeks. Rollo had studied pretty hard at +school, and he complained that his eyes ached sometimes. + +The day before the vacation commenced, his father became somewhat uneasy +about his eyes; and so he took him to a physician, to see what should be +done for them. The physician asked Rollo a good many questions, all of +which Rollo endeavored to answer as correctly as he could. + +At length, the physician told Rollo's father that all he needed was to +let his eyes rest. "I think he had better not use them at all," said he, +"for reading or writing, for several weeks; and not to be out much in +the hot sun." + +Rollo felt very much rejoiced at hearing this prescription, though still +he looked very sober; for he felt somewhat awed and restrained by being +in the doctor's office. There were a good many large books, in cases +upon one side of the room; and strange, uncouth-looking pictures hanging +up, which, so far as Rollo could see, did not look like any thing at +all. Then there was an electric machine upon a stand in one corner, +which he was afraid might in some way "shock" him; and some +frightful-looking surgical instruments in a little case, which was open +upon the table in the middle of the room. + +In fact, Rollo was very glad to escape safely out of the doctor's +office; and he was, if possible, still more rejoiced that he had so +light and easy a prescription. He had thought that, perhaps, the doctor +would put something on his eyes, and bandage them up, so that he could +not see at all; or else give him some black and bitter medicines to +take every night and morning. + +Instead of that, he said to himself, as he came out at the door, "I have +only got to keep from studying, and that will be capital. I can play all +the time. True, I can't read any story books; but, then, I am willing to +give the story books up, if I don't have to study." + +Rollo had usually been obliged to read, or study, or write a little, +even in vacations; for his mother said that boys could not be happy to +play all the time. Rollo, however, thought that she was mistaken in +this. It is true that she had sometimes allowed him to try the +experiment for a day or two, and in such cases he had always, somehow or +other, failed of having a pleasant time. But then he himself always +attributed the failure to some particular difficulty or source of +trouble, which happened to come up then, but which would not be likely +to occur again. + +In fact, in this opinion Rollo was partly correct. For it was true that +each day, when he failed of enjoying himself, there was some peculiar +reason for it, and exactly that reason would not be likely to exist +another day. But then the difficulty with playing, or attempting to +amuse one's self all the time, is, that it produces such a state of +mind, that almost any thing becomes a source of uneasiness or +dissatisfaction; and something or other is likely to occur, or there +will be something or other wanting, which makes the time pass very +heavily along. + +It is so with men as well as boys. Men sometimes are so situated that +they have nothing to do but to try to amuse themselves. But these men +are generally a very unhappy class. The poorest laborer, who toils all +day at the hardest labor, is happier than they. + +So that the physician's prescription was, in reality, a far more +disagreeable one than Rollo had imagined. + +When Rollo reached home, he told his mother that he was not to have any +thing more to do with books for a month. + +"And you look as if you were glad of it," said she, with a smile. + +"Yes, mother, I am," said Rollo, "rather glad." + +"And what do you expect to do with yourself all that time?" said she. + +"O, I don't know," said Rollo. "Perhaps I shall help Jonas, a part of +the time, about his work." + +"That will be a very good plan for a part of the time," said his mother; +"though he is doing pretty hard work just now." + +"What is he doing?" + +"He is digging a little canal in the marsh, beyond the brook, to drain +off the water." + +"O, I can dig," said Rollo, "and I mean to go now and help him." + +This was about the middle of the forenoon; and Rollo, taking a piece of +bread for a luncheon, and a little tin dipper, to get some water with, +to drink, out of the brook, walked along towards the great gate which +led to the lane behind his father's house. It was a pleasant, green +lane, and there were rows of raspberry-bushes on each side of it, along +by the fences. Some years before, there had been no raspberries near the +house; but one autumn, when Jonas had a good deal of ploughing to do +down the lane, he ploughed up the ground by the fences in this lane, +making one furrow every time he went up and down to his other work. +Then in the spring he ploughed it again, and by this time the turf had +rotted, and so the land had become mellow. Then Jonas went away with the +wagon, one afternoon, about two miles, to a place where the raspberries +were very abundant, and dug up a large number of them, and set them out +along this lane, on both sides of it; and so, in a year or two, there +was a great abundance of raspberries very near the house. + +Rollo stopped to eat some raspberries as he walked along. He thought +they would do exceedingly well with his bread, to give a little variety +to his luncheon. After he had eaten as many as he wanted, he thought he +would gather his dipper full for Jonas, as he was busy at work, and +could not have time to gather any for himself. + +He got his dipper full very quick, for the raspberries were thick and +large. He thought it was an excellent plan for Jonas to plant the +raspberry-bushes there; but then he thought it was a great deal of +trouble to bring them all from so great a distance. + +"I wonder," said he to himself, as he sat upon a log, thinking of the +subject, "why it would not have been just as well to plant raspberries +themselves, instead of setting out the bushes. The raspberries must be +the seeds. I mean to take some of these big ones, and try. I dare say +they'll grow." + +But then he reflected that the spring was planting time, and he knew +very well that raspberries would not keep till spring; and so he +determined to ask Jonas about it. He accordingly rose up from the log, +and walked along, carrying his dipper, very carefully, in his hand. + +At length, he reached the brook. There was a rude bridge over it made of +two logs, placed side by side, and short boards nailed across them for a +foot-way. It was only wide enough for persons to walk across. The cattle +and teams always went across through the water, at a shallow place, just +below the bridge. + +Rollo lay down upon the bridge, and looked into the water. There were +some skippers and some whirlabouts upon the water. The skippers were +long-legged insects, shaped somewhat like a cricket; and they stood +tiptoe upon the surface of the water. Rollo wondered how they could keep +up. Their feet did not sink into the water at all, and every now and +then they would give a sort of leap, and away they would shoot over the +surface, as if it had been ice. Rollo reached his hand down and tried to +catch one, to examine his feet; but he could not succeed. They were too +nimble for him. He thought that, if he could only catch one, and have an +opportunity to examine his feet, he could see how it was that he could +stand so upon the water. Rollo was considering whether it was possible +or not, that Jonas might make something, like the skippers' feet, for +_him_, to put upon his feet, so that _he_ might walk on the water, when +suddenly he heard a bubbling sound in the brook, near the shore. He +looked there, and saw some bubbles of air coming up out of the bottom, +and rising to the top of the water. He thought this was very singular. +It was not strange that the air should come up through the water to the +top, for air is much lighter than water; the wonder was, how the air +could ever get down there. + +From wondering at this extraordinary phenomenon, Rollo began to wonder +at another quite different question; that is, where all the water in +the brook could come from. He looked at a little cascade just above the +bridge, where the water rushed through a narrow place between two rocks, +and watched it a few minutes, wondering that it should continue running +so all the time, forever; and surprised also that he had never wondered +at it before. + +He looked into the clear, transparent current, which poured steadily +down between the rocks, and said to himself, + +"Strange! There it runs and runs, all the time--all day, and all night; +all summer, and all winter; all this year, and all last year, and every +year. Where can all the water come from?" + +Then he thought that he should like to follow the brook up, and find +where it came from; but he concluded that it must be a great way to go, +through bushes, and rocks, and marshes; and he saw at once that the +expedition was out of the question for him. + +Just then he heard another gurgling in the water near him, and, looking +down, he saw more bubbles coming up to the surface, very near where they +had come up before. Rollo thought he would get a stick, and see if he +could not poke up the mud, and find out what there was down there, to +make such a bubbling. He thought that perhaps it might be some sort of +animal blowing. + +He went off of the bridge, therefore, and began to look about for a +stick. He had just found one, when all at once he heard a noise in the +bushes. He looked up suddenly, not knowing what was coming, but in a +moment saw Jonas walking along towards him. + +"Ah, Jonas," said Rollo, "are you going home?" + +"Yes," said Jonas, "unless you will go for me." + +"Well," said Rollo, "what do you want me to get?" + +"I want some fire, to burn up some brush. You can bring out the +lantern." + +"Very well," said Rollo, "I will go; only I wish you would tell me where +these bubbles come from out of the bottom of the brook." + +"What bubbles?" said Jonas. + +So Rollo took his stick, and pushed the end of it down into the mud, and +that made more bubbles come up. + +"They are bubbles of air," said Jonas. + +"But how comes the air down there," said Rollo, "under the water?" + +"I don't know," said Jonas; "and besides I must not stay and talk here; +I must go back to my work. I will talk to you about it when you come +back." So Jonas returned to his work, and Rollo went to the house again +after the lantern. + +When he came back to the brook, he found that he could not make any more +bubbles come up; but instead of that, his attention was attracted by +some curiously colored pebbles near the shore. He put his hand down into +the water, and took up two or three of them. He thought they were +beautiful. Then he took his dipper, which had, all this time, been lying +forgotten by the side of a log, on the shore, and walked along--the +dipper full of raspberries in one hand, the lantern in the other, and +his bright and beautiful pebbles in his pocket. + +Rollo followed the path along the banks of the brook under the trees, +until at length he came out to the open ground where Jonas was at work. +There was a broad meadow, or rather marsh, which extended back to some +distance from the brook, and beyond it the land rose to a hill. Just at +the foot of this high land, at the side of the marsh farthest from the +brook, was a pool of water, which had been standing there all summer, +and was half full of green slime. Jonas had been at work, cutting a +canal, or drain, from the bank of the brook back to this pool, in order +to let the water off. The last time that Rollo had seen the marsh, it +had been very wet, so wet that it was impossible for him to walk over +it; it was then full of green moss, and sedgy grass, and black mire, +with tufts of flags, brakes, and cranberry-bushes, here and there all +over it. If any person stepped upon it, he would immediately sink in, +except in some places, where the surface was firm enough to bear one up, +and there the ground quivered and fluctuated under the tread, for some +distance around, showing that it was all soft below. + +When Rollo came out in view of the marsh, he saw Jonas at work away off +in the middle of it, not very far from the pool. So he called out to him +in a very loud voice, + +"Jo--nas!----hal--lo!"[A] + +[Footnote A: See Frontispiece.] + +Jonas, who had been stooping down at his work, rose up at hearing this +call, and replied to Rollo. + +Rollo asked him how he should get across to him. + +"O, walk right along," said Jonas; "the ground is pretty dry now. Go up +a little farther, and you will find my canal, and then you can follow it +directly along." + +So Rollo walked on a little farther, and found the canal where it opened +into the brook. He then began slowly and cautiously to walk along the +side of the canal, into the marsh; and he was surprised to find how firm +and dry the land was. He thought it was owing to Jonas's canal. + +"Jonas," said he, as he came up to where Jonas was at work, "this is an +excellent canal; it has made the land almost dry already." + +"O, no," said Jonas, "my canal has not done any good yet." + +"What makes the bog so dry, then?" said Rollo. + +"O, it has been drying all summer, and draining off into the brook." + +"Draining off into the brook?" repeated Rollo. + +"Yes," said Jonas. + +"But there is not any drain," said Rollo; "at least there has not been, +until you began to make your canal." + +"But the water soaks off slowly through the ground, and oozes out under +the banks of the brook." + +"Does it?" said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Jonas; "and the only use of my canal is to make it run off +faster." + +"Ah! now I know," said Rollo, half talking to himself. + +"Know what?" asked Jonas. + +"Why, where all the water of the brook comes from; at least, where some +of it comes from." + +"How?" said Jonas. "I don't know what you mean." + +"Why, I could not think where all the water came from, to keep the brook +running so fast all the time. But now I know that some of it has been +coming all the time from this bog. Does it all come from bogs?" + +[Illustration] + +"Yes, from bogs, and hills, and springs, and from the soakings of all +the land it comes through, from where it first begins." + +"Where does it first begin?" said Rollo. + +"O, it begins in some bog or other, perhaps; just a little dribbling +stream oozing out from among roots and mire, and it continually grows as +it runs." + +"Is that the way?" said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Jonas, "that is the way." + +During all this time Rollo had been standing with his lantern and his +dipper in his hands, while Jonas had continued his digging. Rollo now +put the lantern down, and handed the dipper to Jonas, telling him that +he had brought him some raspberries. + +Jonas seemed quite pleased with his raspberries. While he was eating +them, Rollo asked him if a raspberry was a seed. + +"No," said Jonas. "The whole raspberry is not, the seeds are _in_ the +raspberry. They are very small. When you eat a raspberry, you can feel +the little seeds, by biting them with your teeth." + +Rollo determined to pick some seeds out, and see how they looked; but +Jonas told him that the way to get them out was to wash them out in +water. + +"Take some of these raspberries," said he, "in the dipper to the brook, +and pour in some water over them. Then take a stick and jam the +raspberries all up, and stir them about, and then pour off the water, +but keep the seeds in. Next, pour in some more water, and wash the seeds +over again, and so on, until the seeds are all separated from the pulp, +and left clean." + +"Is that the way they get raspberry seeds?" said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Jonas, "I believe so. I never tried it myself; but I have +heard them say that that is the way they do with raspberries, and +strawberries, and all such fruits." + +Rollo immediately went and washed out some seeds as Jonas had directed, +and when he came back he spread them out upon a piece of birch bark to +dry. While they were there, Jonas let him kindle the pile of brush wood, +which he had been intending to burn. It had been lying all summer, and +had got very dry. In the mean time, Jonas continued digging his canal, +and was gradually approaching the pool of water. When he had got pretty +near the pool, he stopped digging the canal, and went to the pool +itself. He rolled a pretty large log into the edge of it, for him to +stand upon; and with his hoe he dug a trench, beginning as far in the +pool as he could reach with his hoe, while standing upon his log, and +working gradually out towards where he had left digging the canal. The +bottom of the pool was very soft and slimy; but he contrived to get a +pretty deep and wide trench out quite to the margin, and a little +beyond. + +"Now," said he to Rollo, "I am going to dig the canal up to the end of +this trench, and then the water will all run very freely." + +There was now a narrow neck of land between the end of the canal and the +beginning of the trench; and as Jonas went on digging the canal along, +this neck grew narrower and narrower. Rollo began to be impatient to see +the water run. He wanted Jonas to let him hoe a little passage, so as to +let it begin to run a little. + +"No," said Jonas. + +"Why not?" said Rollo. + +"There are two good reasons," he replied. "The first is, it will spoil +my work, and the second is, it will spoil your play." + +"What do you mean by that?" said Rollo. + +"Why, if I let the water run a little now, it will flood me here, where +I am digging, and make all muddy; and I cannot finish my canal so +easily; so it will spoil my work. Then, besides, we want to see the +water run in a torrent; but if I let you dig a little trench along +across the neck, so as to let it off by degrees, you will not take half +as much pleasure in seeing it run, as you will to wait until it is all +ready. So it will spoil your play." + +Rollo did not reply to this, and Jonas went on digging. + +"Well," said Rollo, after a short pause, "I wish, Jonas, you would tell +me how the bubbles of air get down into the mud, at the bottom of the +brook." + +"I don't know," said Jonas. + +"It seems to me it is very extraordinary," said Rollo. + +"It is somewhat extraordinary. I have thought of another extraordinary +phenomenon somewhat like it." + +"What is that?" said Rollo. + +"The rain," replied Jonas. + +"The rain?" said Rollo; "how?" + +"Why, the rain," replied Jonas, "is water coming down out of the air; +and the bubbles are air coming up out of the water." + +"Then it is exactly the opposite of it," said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Jonas. + +"But you said it was _like_ it." + +"Well, and so it is," Jonas replied. + +"Like it, and yet exactly opposite to it! Jonas, that is impossible." + +"Why, yes," said Jonas, "the air gets down into the water, and you +wonder how it can, when it is so much lighter than water. So water gets +up into the air, and I wonder how it can, when it is so much heavier. So +that the difficulty is just about the same." + +"No," said Rollo, "it is just about opposite." + +"Very well," said Jonas. Jonas never would dispute. Whenever any body +said any thing that he did not think was correct, he would sometimes try +to explain it; but then, if they persisted, he would generally say "Very +well," and that would prevent all dispute. This is an excellent way to +prevent disputes, or to end them when they are begun. + +While Jonas was digging slowly along through the neck of land, Rollo was +rambling about among the bushes, and at length Jonas heard a sudden +scream from him. Jonas looked up, and saw Rollo scrambling away from a +little thicket, and then presently stopping to look back, apparently +frightened. + +"What now, Rollo?" said Jonas. + +"Here is a great hornets' nest," said Rollo. + +Jonas laid down his spade, and went to where Rollo was. Rollo pointed to +a little bush, where Jonas saw, hanging to a bough, not far from the +ground, a small hornets' nest, about as big as a common snow-ball, and +as round. Jonas walked slowly up towards it, watching it very +attentively, as he advanced. + +"O Jonas! Jonas!" exclaimed Rollo, "you'd better be careful. Jonas! +Jonas! you'll get stung." + +Jonas paid no attention to what Rollo was saying, but still kept moving +slowly on towards the bush. When he got pretty near, he took his knife +out of his pocket, and advancing one step more, he took hold of the end +of the branch with one hand, and cut it off close to the tree, with the +other. Rollo, in the mean time, had run backwards several steps to avoid +the danger; still, however, keeping his eyes fixed upon Jonas. + +Jonas brought the nest out of the thicket. + +"Jonas!" said Rollo, in a tone of strong remonstrance, "you are crazy." + +"There are no hornets in it," said Jonas, quietly. + +He brought out the nest, and held it so that he and Rollo could see it. + +"The hornets have made it of brown paper," said he. + +"Brown paper," said Rollo. "Where do they get the brown paper?" + +"O, they make the brown paper too." + +"Ho!" said Rollo; "hornets can't make paper." + +"Think not?" said Jonas. Jonas was always careful not to contradict, +even when he supposed that Rollo was mistaken. + +Rollo said he was _sure_ that hornets could not make paper. Then Jonas +took off a little shred from the hornets' nest, and compared it with +some brown paper which he had in his pocket; and he explained to Rollo +that the hornets' nest was made of little fibres adhering to each +other, just as the fibres of the paper did. + +"It is the same article," he said, "and made of the same materials; only +they manufacture it in a different way. So I don't see why it is not +proper to call it paper." + +"_I_ don't think it is paper," said Rollo; "nothing is paper but what +men make." + +"Very well," said Jonas, "we won't dispute about the name." + +So Jonas returned to his work, and Rollo said that he meant to carry the +hornets' nest home, and show it to Nathan. He accordingly laid it down +by the side of his fire, near the dipper and the raspberry seeds. + +In a short time, Jonas reduced the neck of ground, where he was digging, +to a very narrow wall, and he called Rollo to come and see him let out +the water. He took the shovel, and he told Rollo to take the hoe, so +that, as soon as he should break down this wall, they could both be at +work, digging out the passage way, so as to get it cleared as soon as +possible. + +He accordingly began, and soon made a breach, through which the water +rushed with considerable force into the canal, and then wandered along +rapidly towards the outlet into the brook. Rollo pulled away with his +hoe, hauling out mud, moss, grass, and water, up upon the bank where he +stood; and Jonas also kept at work clearing the passage with the spade. +In a short time they had got a fine, free course for the water, and then +they stood still, one on each side of the bank, watching the torrent as +it poured through. + +At length, the water in the pool began to subside gradually, and then it +did not run so fast through the canal; and pretty soon after this, Jonas +said he thought it was time for them to go home to dinner. So Rollo put +up his raspberry seeds in a paper, and put them into his pocket, and +carried his hornets' nest in his hand. Jonas took the dipper and the +lantern, and thus the boys walked along together. + + + + +A FALSE ALARM. + + +As Rollo and Jonas walked along towards home, Rollo told Jonas that he +thought he had been very successful in collecting curiosities that day. + +"Why, what curiosities have you got besides your hornets' nest?" asked +Jonas. + +"Why, there are my raspberry seeds," said Rollo; "I think they are a +curiosity; and besides that, I have got some very beautiful, bright +pebbles in my pocket." + +"Let us see them," said Jonas. + +So Rollo put his hand into his pocket, and drew forth several pebbles; +but they were by no means as beautiful as he had imagined. They looked +rough and dull. + +"They _were_ very bright, when I got them," said Rollo. + +"That is because they were wet," said Jonas. "Pebbles always look +brightest and most beautiful when they are in their own proper place, in +the brook; and that is the reason why I think it is generally best to +leave them there." + +Rollo looked at his faded pebbles with an air of disappointment. He +asked Jonas if there was no way of keeping them bright all the time. + +"I think it probable that they might be oiled, and the oil would not +dry." + +"Ho!" said Rollo, "I should not like to have them oiled." + +"Nor I," said Jonas; "I should rather leave them in the brook." + +"But is not there any other way?" + +"They might be varnished," said Jonas. "That would bring out the colors; +and the varnish would dry, so that you could handle them." + +"That would do," said Rollo, "if I only had some varnish." + +"But the best way is to _polish_ them," said Jonas. + +"How is that done?" asked Rollo. + +"O, it is very hard to do," replied Jonas. "They grind them on stones, +and then they polish them on polishing wheels." + +"I wish I could do it," said Rollo. + +"It is not worth while to take so much pains with any of _your_ +curiosities," said Jonas, "because you very soon get tired of them, and +throw them away." + +"O, no," said Rollo, "_I_ never throw them away." + +"You leave them lying about the house and yard, then, and so other +people throw them away." + +Rollo knew that this was true, and so he did not contradict Jonas. + +"It's not of much use to collect curiosities," said Jonas, "unless you +have a museum." + +"A museum?" said Rollo. + +"Yes, that is a cabinet to put them in, and keep them safe. Then, when +you have done looking at them yourself, you put them away safely; and, +after a time, you get a great many collected, and you take pleasure in +looking them over from time to time, and showing them to other boys that +come to see you." + +"Well," said Rollo, "I should like to have a museum." + +"O, _you_ could not keep one," said Jonas. + +"Why not?" said Rollo. + +"You have not patience and perseverance enough. You would be very much +pleased with it for a day or two; but then you would get interested in +other plays, and let your museum all get into disorder." + +Rollo was silent. He knew that what Jonas said was true. + +"I don't know but that your cousin Lucy might keep a museum," said +Jonas; "she is more careful than you are." + +"And cousin James could help us find the curiosities," said Rollo. + +"So he could," said Jonas. "I think it might be a very good plan." + +"But what shall we have for our cabinet to put them in?" said Rollo. + +"Why, sometimes they have something like a book-case," replied Jonas, +"with shelves and glass doors. Then the curiosities are all put upon the +shelves, and you can see them through the glass doors. But this can only +be done with very valuable curiosities." + +"Why?" asked Rollo. + +"Because such a case, with glass doors, costs a good deal of money; and +it is not worth while to pay so much money only to keep common things, +such as your pebble stones." + +"But we have got such a book-case, already made; it is in mother's +chamber," said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Jonas; "but it is full of books. Sometimes they keep a +museum in the drawers of a bureau; but that is not a very good plan." + +"Why not?" said Rollo. + +"Because, when you open and shut the drawers, it joggles the curiosities +about." + +"Does it?" said Rollo. + +"Yes," replied Jonas. "But there is one thing you can do--I did not +think of it before. There is a good large box in the barn, and I can put +some shelves into it, and make the cover into a door; and if you want to +collect a museum, you can do it in that. You can keep it out in the play +room, and so it will not trouble any body in the house." + +Jonas meant, by _the play room_, a pretty large room, in the barn, made +originally for a sort of granary, but which the children were accustomed +to use for a play room. + +Rollo was very much pleased with this plan. He determined to collect a +museum, and to put his hornets' nest in it for the first thing. As soon +as he got home, as he found that dinner was not quite ready, he and +Jonas went out into the barn to look at the box. It was a large box, +which had been made to pack up a bureau in, so that the bureau should +not get injured in the wagon which it was brought home in. As it +happened, the box was smooth inside and out, and the cover of it was +made of two boards, which Jonas had taken off carefully, when he took +the bureau out, and had then tacked them on again; thinking that he +might perhaps want it some time or other,--box, covers, and all. + +Now it happened, as it generally does to persons who take care of +things, that the article which Jonas thus preserved, came into use +exactly. The box, he said, would be just the thing. He showed Rollo how +he could place it so that it would make a convenient sort of cabinet. + +"I can put it upon its end," said he, "and then I can put on the two +cover boards with hinges,--one pair of hinges on each side; then the +covers will make little doors, and it will open like a book case, only +it will not be quite so elegant." + +"I think it will be very elegant indeed," said Rollo; "and you can make +it for us this afternoon." + +"No," said Jonas; "not this afternoon." + +"Why not?" said Rollo. + +"O, I must attend to my work in the meadow." + +"O, no," said Rollo. "I mean to ask my father to let you make it this +afternoon." + +"No; I'd rather you wouldn't," said Jonas. + +"Why not?" asked Rollo. "I know he will let you." + +"Yes, I suppose he would let me, if you were to ask him; but that would +spoil the museum." + +"Spoil it?" said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Jonas. "The way to spoil any pleasure is to neglect duty for +the sake of it. Work first, and play afterwards. That's the rule." + +"Well, but, Jonas, we want to begin our museum this afternoon." + +"Very well," said Jonas; "you may begin collecting your curiosities, you +know; and you can put them all in a safe place, and have them all ready +to put in when I get the case made." + +Rollo did not quite like this plan; but he knew that Jonas was always +firm when it was a question of right and wrong, and so he said no more; +only, after a moment's pause, he asked Jonas when he _would_ make the +cabinet. + +"The first rainy day," replied Jonas. + +"Then I hope it will rain to-morrow," said Rollo; and he went out of the +barn to see if it was not cloudy. But the sun shone bright, and the sky +was clear and serene. + + * * * * * + +While Rollo was looking up at the sky, trying to find some appearance of +rain, he heard a chaise coming, and looking out into the road, he saw +that his cousin James was in it. + +"Ah," said he to himself, "there comes cousin James! Now I will have a +frolic with him, by means of my hornets' nest." + +So Rollo ran into the garden, and slyly fixed his hornets' nest up in a +lilac bush; and then ran out to the front of the house to find his +cousin. But his cousin was nowhere to be found. The chaise was at the +door, the horse being fastened to a post; but nobody was near it. So +Rollo went into the house to see if he could find James. + +They told him in the house that James had gone through the house into +the yard, in pursuit of Rollo. + +Rollo then ran out again, and at length found James, and after talking +with him a minute, he said, + +"Come, James, let us go into the garden." + +So they walked along towards the garden, Rollo telling James, by the +way, about the canal which Jonas had made that day. At length, when they +reached the lilac bush, Rollo looked up, and started in pretended +fright, saying, + +"O James! look there!" + +"O!" exclaimed James; "it is a hornets' nest." + +"So 'tis," said Rollo; "run! run!" + +James and Rollo started off at these words, and away they ran down the +alley, Rollo convulsed with laughter at the success of his stratagem. At +length they stopped. + +"Now, how shall we get back?" said James. For the lilac, upon which +Rollo had put the hornets' nest, was close to the garden gate. + +"I am not afraid to go," said Rollo. + +So Rollo walked along boldly; James following slowly and with a timid +air, remonstrating with Rollo for his temerity. + +"Rollo!" said he, "Rollo! take care. You had better not go." + +But what was his surprise and astonishment at seeing Rollo go +deliberately up to the bush, and take down the twig that had the +hornets' nest attached to it, and hold it out towards him! + +"I put it up there," said Rollo. "There are no hornets in it." + +Still, James was somewhat afraid. He knew of course, now, that there +could be no hornets in it; but, still, the association of the idea of +danger was so strong with the sight of a hornets' nest, that he could +not feel quite easy. At length, however, he came up near to it, and +examined it attentively. + +"What made you frighten me so, Rollo?" said he. + +"O, only for fun," said Rollo. + +"But you deceived me," said James; "and I don't think that that was +right. It is never right to deceive." + +"O, I only did it for fun," said Rollo. + +James insisted upon it that it was wrong, and Rollo that it was not +wrong; and finally they concluded to leave it to Jonas. So they both +went to him, and told him the story. + +"Wasn't it wrong?" asked James. + +"It wasn't--was it?" said Rollo. + +"It was deception," added James. + +"But it was only in fun," said Rollo. + +"One or the other of you must be to blame," said Jonas. + +"How?" asked Rollo. + +"Why, James seems displeased with you for frightening him so; and now, +either you must have done wrong, and given him just cause for his +displeasure, or else, if you did right, then his displeasure is +unreasonable, and so it is ill humor." + +The boys did not answer. + +"So that the question is, Did Rollo do wrong? or, Is James out of +humor?" + +"Why, I think deception is always wrong," said James. + +"Did you ever play blind-man's-buff?" asked Jonas. + +"Yes," replied James. + +"And did you ever go and squeak in a corner, and then creep away, to +make the blind man think you were there, and so go groping after you?" + +"Why, yes," said James; "but that is not deception." + +"Why, don't you try to make the blind man think you are in the corner, +when, in fact, you have gone?" + +"Yes," said James. + +"And is not that trying to deceive him?" + +"Yes--" said James, hesitating, "but,--I think that that is a very +different thing." + +"How is it different?" said Jonas. + +It is probable that James would have found some difficulty in answering +this question; but, in fact, he did not have the opportunity to try, +for, just then, he heard some one calling him, and he and Rollo went +into the house. They wanted him to go, and so he got into the chaise and +rode away, promising to come and see Rollo in the afternoon, if he could +get permission. Soon after this, Rollo sat down, with the rest of the +family, to dinner. He determined to commence in earnest the work of +collecting curiosities that afternoon. + + + + +THE HEMLOCK-SEED. + + +James came to play with Rollo that afternoon, and Rollo explained to him +his plan of collecting a museum of curiosities. James was very much +interested in it indeed, and he said that he had some shells and some +Guinea peas at home, which he would put into it. + +Rollo went to show him the box out of which Jonas was going to make the +cabinet the first rainy day. Then the boys went out again to see if +there were yet any signs of a storm. But they looked in vain. There were +no clouds to be seen, except here and there a few of those white, fleecy +tufts floating in the heavens, which indicate fair weather rather than +rain. + +The boys played together in the yard for some time. Among other things, +they amused themselves by collecting some flowers, and pressing them in +a book. Suddenly James said, + +"O Rollo, let us go and get some blue-bells to press; they will be +beautiful." + +"Where?" said Rollo. + +"Among the rocks by the road, beyond the bridge," said James. "There are +plenty of them among those rocks." + +The place which James referred to, was a rocky precipice by the road +side, about a quarter of a mile from the house; just at the entrance of +a small village. Rollo approved of the proposal, and he went in and +asked his mother's permission to go. + +She consented, and Rollo, when he came back through the kitchen, said to +Dorothy, who was sitting at the window, sewing, + +"Dorothy, we are going to get some blue-bells to press." + +"Ah!" said Dorothy. "Where are you going for them?" + +"O, out by the bridge," said Rollo, as he passed on to go out at the +door. + +"O Rollo!" said she, calling out to him suddenly, as if she recollected +something; "stop a minute." + +So Rollo came back to hear what she had to say. + +"You are going pretty near the village." + +"Yes," said Rollo. + +"And could you be so kind as to do an errand for me?" + +"Yes," said Rollo; "what is it?" + +Then Dorothy went to her work-table, and began to open it, saying all +the time, + +"I want you to get some medicine for Sarah, for she is sick." + +Sarah was a friend of Dorothy's, who lived at another house, not far +from Rollo's; and Rollo used sometimes to see her at his father's, when +she came over to see Dorothy. She was in very feeble health, and now +wanted some medicines. Dorothy had been over at the house where she +lived that day, and had found that the doctor had left her a +prescription; but she had nobody to send for it, and she was not quite +able to go herself. So Dorothy told her that if she would let her have +the money, she would ask Rollo or Jonas to go. + +So Sarah gave her a dollar bill, and in order to keep it safe, she put +it in a little morocco wallet, and tied it up securely with a string. +This wallet was what Dorothy was looking for, in her work-table. She +took it out, and untied the string. She opened the wallet, and showed +Rollo the money in one of the pockets, and a small piece of white paper, +upon which was written the names of the medicines which the doctor +wished Sarah to take. Such a writing is called a _prescription_. + +Rollo looked at the prescription to see what sort of medicines it was +that he was to get, but he could not read it. The words were short and +strange, and had periods at the end of them,--which Rollo told Dorothy +was wrong, as periods ought to be only at the end of a sentence. Then +there were strange characters and marks at the ends of the lines; and +Rollo, after examining it attentively, said he could not read a word of +it, and he did not believe that the apothecary could. However, he said +he was willing to take it to him, and let him try. + +He accordingly put the prescription back again carefully into the +wallet, and Dorothy tied it up. Then he put it into his pocket, and went +out to James. He found James waiting by the gate, and they both walked +along together. + +He and James had each a book to put their blue-bells in. They walked +along, talking about their flowers, until at length they reached the +bridge. Just beyond it was the rocky precipice, with shrubs and +evergreens growing upon the shelves and in the crevices, and spaces +between the rocks. It towered up pretty high above the road, and the +declivity extended also down to the brook below the bridge, forming one +side of the deep ravine across which the bridge was built. There was a +very large, old hemlock-tree growing upon a small piece of level ground +between the ravine and the higher part of the precipice. Under this +hemlock-tree was a large, smooth, flat stone, where the boys used very +often to come and sit, when they came to play among these rocks. + +[Illustration] + +The boys rambled about among the rocks, sometimes down in the ravine and +near the brook, and sometimes very high up among the rocks. They were +both pretty good climbers, and there were no very dangerous places, for +there were no high, perpendicular precipices. They found blue-bells in +abundance, and several other flowers. They also found a variety of +brakes, of different forms and colors. They determined to gather as many +flowers as they could, and then go down to the hemlock-tree, and +there look them over, and select those best to be pressed; and then put +them carefully into their books there. Then they could carry them home +safely; they would, in fact, be in press all the way. + +After rambling and climbing about for half an hour, the boys went down +to the flat rock, under the hemlock, with large bunches of plants and +flowers in their hands. Here they sat another half hour, looking over +their specimens, and putting them into their books. At length, Rollo +picked up a singular-looking thing, which was lying down by the side of +the stone under the tree. It was about as big as his thumb, and somewhat +pointed at the ends. It was black, and rather glossy, and the surface +was marked regularly with little ridges. James could not imagine what it +was; but Rollo told him that he thought it must be a hemlock-seed. The +truth was, that it was a great _chrysalis_, though Rollo did not find it +out till long afterwards. + +"A hemlock-seed!" said James. + +"Yes," said Rollo; "I have seen the cones which grow on fir-trees, and +they are a good deal like this." + +"But they are not so handsome," said James. + +"I know it," said Rollo; "they are not so handsome. This is the most +beautiful one I ever saw." + +"We can plant it," said James, "next spring." + +"Yes," said Rollo; "and then we can have a great hemlock-tree near our +house." + +"But we shall have to wait a great many years," said James. + +"O, no, not a great many," said Rollo. "It is such a great seed, I think +it would grow pretty fast." + +But James did not like the idea of planting it very well. He proposed +that they should keep it, for a curiosity, in their museum. Rollo +insisted, at first, upon planting it; but at length, reflecting that it +was not then the right season to plant it, he concluded to put it into +the museum, with his raspberry-seeds, until the next spring, and to +plant it then. + +So Rollo put the hemlock-seed into his pocket, and he and James took +their books under their arms, with a great many flowers and plants +carefully placed between the leaves, and walked along towards the +village. When they arrived at the apothecary's, Rollo put his book down +upon the counter, and then took the wallet from his pocket, and untied +the string, and took the prescription out, and handed it to the +apothecary. The apothecary was talking with another man, at the time; +but he took the prescription, and Rollo watched his countenance to see +how perplexed and puzzled he would look, when he tried to read it. +Instead, however, of appearing perplexed and puzzled, the apothecary +only glanced his eye over it, and laid it down upon the counter, and +immediately began to look upon his shelves to find the articles. + +"That's strange!" said Rollo to himself. "He reads it as easily as I +should a guide board." + +While the apothecary was weighing out his medicines, Rollo was very much +interested in looking at the little pair of scales in which he weighed +them. Rollo never had seen so small a pair of scales. The weights, too, +were small, square weights of brass, with little figures stamped upon +them. He asked the apothecary what such scales as those would cost. He +answered that they were of various prices, from one dollar to five. +Rollo thought that that was too much for him to give; but while he was +thinking whether his father would probably be willing to let him have a +dollar to buy a pair with, James said that he wished _he_ had such a +pair of scales. + +"So do I," said Rollo; "then we could play keep store. We could have our +store out in the play room, and weigh things." + +"So we could," said James. "We could put a long board upon two barrels +for a counter." + +"O, you must _make_ your scales, boys," said the apothecary. + +"How can we make them?" said Rollo. + +"Why, you can get a good, stout knitting-needle for a beam. Tie a silk +thread around the middle of it to hold it up by, and slip it along until +you get it so that the needle will exactly balance. Then for scales, you +must cut out two round pieces of thin pasteboard. Then take three +threads for each scale, and run them through the pasteboard, near the +edge, and at equal distances from each other. You must tie knots at the +lower ends of the threads to keep them from drawing through. Then you +must gather the other ends of the threads together, about half a foot +from the pasteboard, and tie them to the ends of the knitting-needle, +one on each side; and that will make a very respectable pair of scales +for you." + +"But what shall we do for weights?" asked Rollo. + +"O, weights!--yes, you must have some weights. You must make them of +lead. I will show you how." + +So the apothecary took a small piece of sheet lead, rather thin, and cut +off a little square of it. He then put it into one of his scale +balances, and put a thin, square weight of brass, similar to it, into +the other scale. The lead weight was a little too heavy. He then clipped +off a very little with his scissors. This made it about right. Then, +with the point of his scissors, he scratched a figure 1 upon it. +"There," said he, "boys, there is a standard for you." + +"What is a standard?" said Rollo, taking up the weight. + +"Why, it is a weight made exactly correct, for you to keep, and make +yours by. It is a _one-grain_ weight. I will give you some sheet lead, +and when you get home and have made your scales, you can cut off another +piece, and weigh it by that, and so you will have two one-grain weights. +Then you can put those two into one scale, and a piece of lead as big as +both of them into the other scale, and when you have made it exactly as +heavy as both of the others, you must mark a figure 2 upon it, and then +you will have a _two-grain_ weight. In the same way you can make a +_five-grain_ weight, and a _ten-grain_ weight, and a pennyweight." + +"What is a pennyweight?" said Rollo. + +"It is a weight as heavy as twenty-four grains." + +"The pennyweight will be very big, then," said Rollo. + +"Yes," said the apothecary; "but you can take a little strip of lead +like a ribbon, and then roll it up, when you have made it just heavy +enough, and then it will not take up much room. So you can make another +roll for two pennyweights, and another for five pennyweights, and +another for ten pennyweights." + +"And another for twenty pennyweights," said James. + +"Yes; only twenty pennyweights make an ounce. So you will call that an +_ounce_ weight. But you cannot weigh more than an ounce, I should think, +in your knitting-needle scales." + +By this time the apothecary had put up the medicines, and he gave them +to Rollo. There was a middle-sized parcel, and a very small parcel, and +small, round box. Rollo put them all into the pocket of his pantaloons. +Then he opened his wallet, and took out the bill, and gave it to the +apothecary. The apothecary handed him the change. It was half a dollar, +and one small piece of silver besides. Rollo put the change back into +the wallet, and tied it up just as it had been before, and then crowded +the wallet back into his pocket, by the side of the parcels which the +apothecary had given him. + + + + +A LITTLE LAW. + + +That evening, when Rollo's father came home, he went out at the door +leading to the garden yard, and looked into the yard to see if Rollo was +there. He was not to be seen. + +His father then took the bell which always hung in the entry, and began +to ring it at the door. This bell was the one that was rung for +breakfast, dinner, and supper; and when Rollo was out, they generally +called him in, by ringing it at the door. + +While Rollo's father was ringing the bell, Dorothy opened the door which +led from the kitchen into the entry, and said to Rollo's father, + +"Are you ringing for Rollo, sir?" + +"Yes," he replied. + +"He has gone to the village," said Dorothy. "He has gone back to look +for a pocket-book, which he dropped, coming home, or else left at the +apothecary's." + +"A pocket-book?" said his father, with surprise. + +"Yes, sir," said Dorothy. "He went to get some medicine for Sarah, and, +when he came home, the pocket-book was missing." + +"Was there any money in it?" said he. + +"Yes, sir," replied Dorothy. + +"How much?" + +"I don't know, sir, how much." + +Rollo's father then put the bell back into its place, and walked again +into the parlor. He was afraid that there was a good deal of money in +the pocket-book, and that it was all lost. + +He, however, went on attending to his own business, until by and by he +heard Rollo's voice in the kitchen. He called him in. Rollo and James +came in together. + +"Have you found the pocket-book?" asked Mr. Holiday. + +"No, sir," said Rollo; "I have looked all along the road, and inquired +at the apothecary's; but I can't find any thing of it." + +"Well, now, I want you to tell me the whole story; and especially, if +you have done wrong about it, in any way, don't attempt to smooth and +gloss it over, but tell me that part more plainly and distinctly and +fully than any other." + +"Well, sir," said Rollo, with a very serious air, "I will. + +"We went to the apothecary's to get some medicines for Sarah. When I was +there, I put the change in the wallet, and put the wallet in this +pocket." + +"It was a wallet, then," said his father. + +"Yes," replied Rollo, "a wallet, or a small pocket-book. I suppose now, +that it would have been better to have put it in some other pocket; +because that was pretty full. So in that, I suppose, I did wrong. Then +James and I came home, only we did not walk along directly; we played +about a little from one side of the road to the other, and then we went +under the great hemlock-tree, to see if we could not find another +hemlock-seed." + +"Another hemlock-seed?" said his father. + +"Yes, sir," said Rollo; "I suppose it is a hemlock-seed." + +"What was it? a sort of a cone?" + +"Yes, sir," said Rollo; "with ridges upon it." + +Now it is true that pines, firs, and other evergreens bear a sort of +cone, which contains their seed; and Rollo's father thought, from +Rollo's description, that it was one of these cones which Rollo had +found. In fact, the cone was somewhat similar in shape, though, if he +had shown it to his father, he would have known immediately that it was +a very different thing. Rollo put his hand into his pocket to show the +supposed hemlock-seed to his father, but it was not there. He had left +it out in the play room. + +"Very well," said his father, "I don't know that I ever saw the cone of +the hemlock; but, very probably, this is one of them. But go on, about +the pocket-book." + +"Well, sir,--when we got home, I took out the medicines, but the +pocket-book was nowhere to be found; and I have been back with James, +and we have looked all along the road, and under the hemlock-tree, and +we have inquired at the apothecary's; but we cannot find it any where." + +"How much money was there in the wallet?" said his father. + +"Half a dollar, and a little more," said Rollo. + +Rollo's father felt somewhat relieved at finding that the loss was, +after all, not very large. He placed confidence in Rollo's account of +the facts, and having thus ascertained how the case stood, he began to +consider what was to be done. + +"It is a case of bailment," said he to Rollo, "and the question is, +whether you are liable." + +"A case of _what_?" said Rollo. + +"Bailment," said his father. "When one person intrusts another with his +property for any purpose, it is called _bailing_ it to him. The wallet +and the money were bailed to you. The law relating to such transactions +is called _the law of bailment_. And the question is, whether, according +to the law of bailment, you ought to pay for this loss." + +Rollo seemed surprised at such a serious and legal view of the subject +being taken; he waited, however, to hear what more his father had to +say. + +"I don't suppose," continued his father, "that Sarah will commence an +action against you; but law is generally justice, and to know what we +ought to do in cases like this, it is generally best to inquire what the +law requires us to do." + +"Well, sir," said Rollo, "and how is it?" + +"Why, you see," said his father, "there are various kinds of bailments. +A thing may be bailed to you for _your_ benefit; as, for instance, if +James were to lend you his knife, the knife would be a bailment to you +for your benefit. But if he were to ask you to carry his knife somewhere +to be mended, and you should take it, then it would be a bailment to you +for _his_ benefit." + +"Well, sir, I took the wallet for Sarah's benefit, not mine," said +Rollo. + +"The law requires," continued his father, "that you should take greater +care of any thing, if it is bailed to you for _your_ benefit, than it +does if it is for the benefit of the bailor. For instance, if you were +to borrow James's knife for your own benefit, and were to lose it, even +without any special carelessness, you ought to get him another; for it +was solely for your advantage, that you took it, and so it ought to be +at your risk. But if he asked you to take the knife to get it mended for +_his_ benefit; then, if you accidentally lose it, without any particular +carelessness, you ought not to pay for it; for it was placed in your +hands for his _advantage_, and so it ought to be at his _risk_." + +"Well," said Rollo, "the wallet was given to me for Sarah's advantage, +not mine; and so I ought not to pay for it." + +"That depends upon whether it was lost through gross carelessness, or +not. For when any thing is bailed to you for the benefit of the owner, +if it is lost or injured through _gross carelessness_, then the law +makes you liable. As, for instance, suppose you take James's knife to +get it mended, and on your way you throw it over the fence among the +grass, and then cannot find it, you ought to pay for it; for you were +bound to take good ordinary care of it." + +"Well, sir," said Rollo. + +"Well," repeated his father, "now as this property was bailed to you +solely for the advantage of the bailor, the question whether you ought +to pay for the loss of it, depends on whether you was grossly careless, +or not. If you took good ordinary care, and it was lost by accident, +then you are not liable." + +"Well, father, I think it was accident; I do, truly." + +"I rather think so myself," said his father, with a smile, "and I am +inclined to think that you are not responsible. If any body asks a boy +like you to carry money for them, gratuitously, then they take +themselves the ordinary risks of such a conveyance, and I think that, on +the whole, this accident comes within the ordinary risks. There was not +such gross carelessness as to make you liable. But then I am very sorry +to have Sarah lose her money." + +"So am I," said Rollo. "And the wallet is gone too." + +"How good a wallet was it?" asked his father. + +"O, pretty good; only it was considerably worn." + +"Haven't you got one that is pretty much the same, that you don't care a +great deal about?" + +"Yes, sir," said Rollo; "it is in my desk. I had as lief that she would +have it as not." + +"Very well," said his father; "you give her your wallet, and I will +replace the money." + +So Rollo went to his desk, and soon came back, bringing his little +wallet. He unfastened its steel clasp, and opened the wallet, and took +out some little pictures which he had treasured up there, and some small +pieces of white paper, which he said were marks. They were to put into +his books to keep the place, when he was reading. He had got quite a +quantity of them all prepared for use. When Rollo had got his wallet +ready, his father took out half a dollar from his pocket, and also +another small silver coin, about as large as Rollo said the one was, +which was lost; and then sent Rollo to carry it to Dorothy. + +In a few minutes, Rollo came back with the money in his hand, and said, + +"She won't take it. She said I must bring it back. It was as much as I +could do to get her to take the wallet." + +"But she _must_ take it," replied his father. "You carry it to her +again, and tell her she has nothing to do with the business. The money +is for Sarah, and she must not refuse it, but take it and give it to her +the first opportunity." + +So Rollo carried the money again to Dorothy. She received it this time, +and put it in the wallet, and then deposited both in a safe place in her +work-table. Then Rollo came back to his father to ask him a little more +about bailments. + +"Father," said Rollo, when he came back, "if James should give me his +knife, or any thing, for my own, would that be a bailment?" + +"No," said his father. "A bailment is only where property is intrusted +to another, for a certain purpose, to be returned again to the +possession of the owner, when the purpose is accomplished. For instance, +when Jonas is sawing wood with my saw, the saw is a bailment from me to +him; it remains my property; but he is to use it for a specific purpose, +and then return it to my possession." + +"He does not bring it back to you," said Rollo. + +"No, but he hangs it up in its place in my shed, which is putting it +again in my possession. And so all the things which Dorothy uses in the +kitchen are bailments." + +"And if she breaks them, must she pay for them?" + +"No, not unless she is grossly careless. If she exercises good ordinary +care, such as prudent persons exercise about their own things, then she +is not liable, because she is using them mainly for my benefit, and of +course it must be at my risk. But if Sarah should come and borrow a +pitcher to carry some milk home in, and should let it fall and break it +by the way, even if it was not gross carelessness, she ought to pay for +it; that is, the person that sent her ought to pay for it, for it was +bailed to her for her benefit alone; and therefore it was at her risk." + +"I should not think you would make her pay for it," said Rollo. + +"No, I certainly should not. I am only telling what I should have a +right to do if I chose. + +"Sometimes a thing is bailed to a person," continued Rollo's father, +"for the benefit of both persons, the bailor and the bailee." + +"The bailee?" said James. + +"Yes, the bailee is the person the thing is bailed to. For instance, if +I leave my watch at the watchmaker's to be mended, and I am going to pay +him for it, in that case you see it is for his advantage and mine too." + +"And then, if it is lost, must he pay for it?" + +"Yes; unless he takes _good_ care of it. If it is for his benefit alone, +then he must take _special_ care of it, or else he is liable for the +loss of it. If it is for my benefit alone, then he must take _ordinary_ +care of it. For instance, suppose I had a very superior repeater watch, +which the watchmaker should come and borrow of me, in order to see the +construction of it. Then suppose I should leave another watch of +mine,--a _lever_,--at his shop to be repaired. Suppose also I should +have a third watch, a lady's watch, which I had just bought somewhere, +and I should ask him to be kind enough to keep it for me, a day or two, +till my watch was done. These would be three different kinds of +bailments. The _repeater_ would be bailed to him for his benefit; the +_lever_ for his and mine jointly, and the _lady's watch_ for my benefit +alone. + +"Now, you see," continued Rollo's father, "that if these watches should +get lost or injured in any way, the question whether the watchmaker +would have to pay for them or not, would depend upon the degree of care +it would have required to save them. For instance, if he locked them all +up with special care, and particularly the repeater, and then the +building were struck with lightning and the watches all destroyed, he +would not have to pay for any of them; for this would be an inevitable +accident, which all his care could not guard against. It would have been +as likely to have happened to my repeater, if I had kept it at home. + +"But suppose now he should hang all three watches up at his window, and +a boy in the street should accidentally throw a stone and hit the +window, so that the stone should go through the glass and break one of +the watches. Now, if the repeater was the one that was hit, I should +think the man would be bound to pay for it: because he was bound to take +_very special_ care of that, as it was borrowed for his benefit alone. +But if it was the lady's watch, which he had taken only as an +accommodation to me, then he would not be obliged to pay; for, by +hanging it up with his other watches, he took _ordinary_ care of it, and +that was all that he was obliged to take." + +"I should think," said James, "that the boy would have to pay, if he +broke the watches." + +"Yes," said Rollo's father; "but we have nothing to do with the boy now, +we are only considering the liabilities of the watchmaker." + +"And if it had been the lever that was broken," asked Rollo, "what +then?" + +"Why, as to the lever," said his father, "he was bound to take _good_ +care of it,--something more than mere ordinary care; and I don't know +whether the law would consider hanging watches up at a window as _good_ +care or not. It would depend upon that, I suppose. But the watches might +be lost in another way. Suppose the watchmaker had sent the repeater +home to me, and then, at night, had put the lever and the lady's watch +into a small trunk with his other watches, and carried them to his +house, as watchmakers do sometimes. Now suppose that, when he got home, +he put the trunk of watches down in a corner of the room; and suppose +that there was a leak in the roof of his house, so that the water could +come in sometimes when it rained. In the night there comes up a shower, +and the water gets into the trunk, and rusts and spoils the watches. Now +I think it probable that he would not have to pay for the lady's watch, +for he took ordinary care of that,--that is, the same care that he was +accustomed to take of his own watches. But he might have to pay for the +other; for he was bound to take _good_ care of that one, as it was +partly for _his_ benefit that it was bailed to him; and putting them +where they were at all exposed to be wet, would be considered, I +suppose, as not taking good care of them." + +"And so he would not have to pay for the lady's watch, in any case," +said Rollo. + +"Yes, he would, if he did not take _ordinary_ care of it; that is, if he +was grossly negligent. For instance, if he should take all the rest of +his watches home, and leave that in his shop upon the counter, where I +had laid it down, and somebody should come in the night and steal it, +then, perhaps he would be liable." + +By this time, Rollo's father began to think that his law lecture had +been long enough for such young students, and so he said that he would +not tell them any more about it then. "But now," said he, in conclusion, +"I want you to remember what I have said, and practise according to it. +Boys bail things to one another very often, and a great many disputes +arise among them, because they don't understand the law of bailment. It +applies to boys as well as men. It is founded on principles of justice +and common sense, and, of course, what is just and equitable among men, +is just and equitable among boys. + +"You must remember that whenever any thing belonging to one boy is +intrusted to another in any way, if it is for the benefit of the bailee, +if any accident happens to it, he must make it good; unless it was some +_inevitable_ accident, which could not have been prevented by the utmost +care. If it is for the benefit of the bailor, that is, the boy who +intrusts it, then he can't require the other to pay for it, unless he +was grossly negligent. And if it was for the common benefit of both, +then if the bailee takes what may be called good care of it, he is not +liable to pay; if he does not take good care, he is." + +Here ended the lecture on the law of bailment. James soon after went +home, and Rollo in due time went to bed. The next morning, when he got +up and began to dress himself, he thought one of the legs of his +pantaloons felt somewhat heavy. He put his hand down to ascertain what +was there, and he felt something at the bottom, between the cloth and +the lining. It was Sarah's pocket-book. When Rollo put it into his +pocket, as he thought, he in reality slipped it inside of the lining, +and it worked itself down to the bottom, as he was playing about. He +pulled it out, and then, after he had dressed himself, he ran very +joyfully to his father, to show it to him. His father was very glad that +it was found, and told Rollo to carry it to Dorothy. Dorothy was very +glad, too, for she was very sorry to have Rollo lose his own wallet, or +his father lose his money. So she gave him back his wallet, and he +replaced it in his desk where it was before, after giving his father +back his money. + + + + +CONFUSION. + + +Rollo explained his plan of collecting a museum of curiosities to his +cousins Lucy and James, and to his sister Mary, who was a good deal +older than he was. He also informed Henry, a playmate of his, who lived +not a great way from his father's house. All the children took a great +deal of interest in the scheme, and promised to help him collect the +curiosities. + +At length, after a few days, Rollo, to his great joy, observed one +evening signs of an approaching storm. The wind sighed through the +trees, and thick, hazy clouds spread themselves over the sky. + +"Don't you think it is going to rain?" said Rollo to his father, as he +came in to tea. + +"I don't know," said his father. "Which way is the wind?" + +"I'll go and see," said Rollo. + +He went out and looked at the vane which Jonas had placed upon the top +of the barn. + +When he came in, he told his father that the wind was east. Then his +father said he thought it would rain, and Rollo clapped his hands with +delight. + +And it did rain. The next morning, when Rollo awoke, he heard the storm +driving against the window of his chamber. After breakfast, he took an +umbrella, and went out into the barn, and found Jonas already at work +upon the cabinet. In the course of the morning he finished it. He put +three good shelves into it, which, together with the bottom of the box, +made four shelves. He also put the two covers on, with hinges, so as to +make doors of them; and put a little hasp upon the doors, outside, to +fasten them with. He then put it up in one corner of the play room, all +ready for the curiosities. Rollo put in his hornets' nest, his pebble +stones, and his hemlock-seed, as he called it; and then went to the barn +door, and began to be as eager to have it clear up, as he had been +before to have it rain. He wanted to go out and collect some more +curiosities. + +After a time it did clear up, and Rollo obtained his mother's leave to +go and ask all the children who were going to have a share in the +museum, to come one afternoon and begin to collect the curiosities. They +all came--Lucy, James, and Henry. And when Rollo saw them all collected +in the garden yard, with baskets in their hands all ready to go forth +after curiosities, he capered about full of anticipations of delight. + +"Now," said Henry, "let us go down to the hemlock-tree." + +"No," said Rollo, "it will be better to go to the brook, where I found +the pebbles." + +"But I want to go and see if I can't find another hemlock-seed," said +Henry. + +Rollo was, however, very unwilling to go that way, and yet Henry +insisted upon it. Lucy listened to the dispute with a countenance +expressive of distress and anxiety. First, she proposed to Rollo to +yield to Henry, and then to Henry to yield to Rollo; but in vain. Henry +said that Rollo ought to let him decide, because he was the oldest; and +Rollo said that he himself ought to decide, because it was his museum. +They were both wrong. Neither ought to have insisted upon having his own +way so strenuously. At length, after quite a long and unpleasant +altercation, Lucy proposed that they should draw lots for it. The boys +consented. + +"I'll tell you a better plan than that," said a voice above them. They +looked up, and saw Mary sitting at the window of the chamber. She had +been reading, but, on hearing this dispute, she had closed her book, and +now interposed to do what she could to aid in settling it. + +When Rollo heard his sister Mary's voice, he felt a little ashamed of +his pertinacity. Lucy asked Mary what the plan was. + +"Why," said she, "in all expeditions where there are several children, +it is very desirable to have a regent." + +"A regent?" said Lucy. + +"Yes," said Mary, "a commander, to take the lead, and decide the +thousand little questions which are likely to occur. Unless there is +somebody to decide them, there will be endless disputes." + +"Well," said Henry, "I'll be regent." + +"No," said Mary, "you must choose one. I'll tell you how. You must +choose the regent by ballot. Lilac leaves make good ballots. Each one +of you must consider who you think will be best for regent,--that is, +who will have the most discretion and judgment, to decide wisely, and at +the same time be mild and gentle, and amiable in manner, so as to be a +pleasant commander. Of course, no one must vote for himself." + +"But I don't understand," said Rollo. "What are the lilac leaves for?" + +"For ballots; that is, for you to write your votes upon. You can write +on the under side of a lilac leaf with the point of a pin." + +"Can we?" said Lucy, with a look of curiosity and pleasure. + +"Yes," said Mary, "you need not write the whole name. You can write the +first letter--that will be enough. R. stands for Rollo, L. for Lucy, H. +for Henry, J. for James, and N. for Nathan." + +"Ho!" said Rollo, "Nathan won't do for a regent." + +"Perhaps not," said Mary; "each one of you must vote for the one you +think best. Now get your lilac leaves, and I will drop you down some +pins." + +The children ran off very eagerly to get the leaves, and then came +back, and Mary dropped down four pins. They each took one, and, with the +point of it, wrote a letter upon the back of the leaf. Then Mary asked +Nathan to carry around his cap, and let them all drop their leaves into +it, and then bring them up to her, and she would see who was chosen. + +So Nathan, highly pleased with his office, collected the votes in his +cap, and brought them up to his sister Mary. She looked them over as she +sat at the window, the children all looking up from below, eagerly +awaiting the result. At length, Mary told them that there were four +leaves in Nathan's cap, and that three of them had the letter L upon it. +"So," said she, "you see you have chosen Lucy for regent." + +"Yes, I voted for Lucy," said Rollo. "I thought she would be the best." + +"And so did I," said James and Henry. + +Lucy looked down, and felt a little embarrassed at finding herself +raised so suddenly to the dignity of regent; and she asked Mary what she +was to do. + +"O, walk along with them just as you would if you had not been chosen; +only you will decide all the questions that come up, such as where you +shall go, and how long you shall stay in the different places. The +others may give you their opinions, if you ask them; but they must let +you decide, and they must all submit to your decisions." + +"Well, come," said Lucy; "we'll go down the lane first." So she took +hold of Thanny's hand, and walked along, the other children following. +They passed through the great gate, and soon disappeared from Mary's +view. + +They were gone two or three hours. At length, when the sun had nearly +gone down, Mary heard voices in the front of the house. She left her +back window, and went around to a front window to see. She found them +returning, and all talking together with the greatest volubility. They +had their baskets full of various commodities, and large bouquets of +flowers and plants in their hands. They did not see Mary at the window, +and as they all seemed to be good-natured and satisfied with their +afternoon's work, Mary did not speak to them; and so they passed along +into the yard undisturbed. They proceeded immediately to the cabinet in +the play room, and then began to take out their treasures from their +baskets, and pockets, and handkerchiefs, and to spread them out upon the +floor, and upon the bench. In a short time, the floor was covered with +specimens of plants and minerals, with shells, and pebbles, and little +papers of sand, and nuts, and birds' nests which they had found +deserted, and all sorts of wonders. The room was filled with the sound +of their voices; questions, calls to one another, expressions of +delight, exclamations of surprise, or of disappointment or pleasure. It +was all,--"James, you are treading on my flowers!" "O Lucy, Lucy, see my +toadstool!" "O, now my prettiest shell is broken!" "Move away a little, +Rollo--I have not got room for all my pebbles"--"Where's my silk worm? +now where's my silk worm?" "O Henry, give me some of your birch bark, +do,"--and a hundred other similar ejaculations, all uttered together. + +They soon began, one and another, to put their curiosities into the +cabinet,--and then it was, as the old phrase is, confusion worse +confounded. Lucy had some discretion and forbearance, and kept a little +back, looking, however, uneasy and distressed, and attempting in vain +to get an opportunity to put some of her things in. The boys crowded +around the cabinet, each attempting to put his own curiosities into the +most conspicuous places, and arranging them over and over again, +according as each one's whims or fancies varied. + +"O dear me," said Rollo, "I wish you would not keep moving these pebbles +away, Henry." + +"Why, you put them too far this way," said Henry; "I want my shells to +go here." + +"No," replied Rollo, "put your shells down on the next shelf. James! +James! take care; don't touch that birds' nest." + +"Yes, I want room for my silver stone," said James. He had found a +shining stone, which he called a silver stone. And thus they disputed, +and talked loudly and vociferously, and contradicted, interrupted, +pushed, and crowded each other. Still, they were all good-natured; that +is, they were not angry; the difficulty only arose from their eagerness +and their numbers,--and their disorganization. + +"O dear me," said Rollo, at length, "I wish we had a regent again; we +got along very well, while Lucy was a regent. Let me be regent now. +Come, Henry and James, let me be regent, and I will direct, and then we +shall have order again." + +"Well," said James. + +"No," said Henry, "you have not been elected. You can't be regent, +unless you are chosen regularly." + +Lucy said nothing, but stood behind the others in despair. + +"Well, then, let Lucy be regent; she was chosen." + +"But I was only chosen regent for the walk," said Lucy. + +"O never mind," said Rollo, "let her be regent now." + +But Henry was not disposed to submit to any doubtful authority. He kept +at work putting things in, in the way that pleased him most, without any +regard to Rollo's proposal for prolonging Lucy's authority. As Henry did +not acquiesce in this proposed measure, Rollo and James seemed to think +it was useless for them to do so, and so they went much as they had +begun, until they had pretty well filled up Jonas's cabinet with a +perfect medley of specimens, the worthy and the worthless all together. +They were at length interrupted by the sound of the bell, calling Rollo +in to tea; Henry then went home, and James, Lucy, and Rollo went into +the house. + + + + +ORGANIZATION. + + +James and Lucy staid and took tea with Rollo that evening; and, during +tea time, Rollo's father and mother were talking, and the boys were all +still. At last, just before they had finished their supper, Rollo's +father asked them how they had got along collecting curiosities. + +"O, we had a very good time," said Rollo, "till we came to put our +curiosities away; and then we should have had a good time if the boys +had not pushed so, and made such a noise." + +"What made them do so?" asked his mother. + +"I don't know, unless it was because we did not have any regent." + +"Any what?" said his father. + +"Any regent," said Rollo. "We had Lucy for a regent while we were +walking, and then we got along very well; but she would not be regent +any longer, when we got home." + +Rollo's father and mother scarcely knew what to make of this; for they +had never heard before of a regent in children's plays. But as they +looked towards Mary, and observed that she was smiling, they at once +understood that it was one of her plans. Rollo's father said he thought +it was an excellent idea. + +"But why did not you have a regent when you were putting your things +away, just as you had before?" he asked. + +"Why, Lucy said she was only chosen for the walk." + +"And so she would not serve any longer?" + +"No, sir." + +"That was right, Lucy. Never attempt to command without a commission. + +"But, Rollo," added his father, "I should think it would be best for you +to have some sort of organization, if you are going to attempt to do any +thing in company. Men never think that they can accomplish any thing in +company, without organization; and I should certainly think that +children would not be able to." + +"Organization?" said Rollo; "what is that?" + +"Why, some plan for investing some persons with authority. There must +always be authority to decide little questions without debate, and for +getting the opinions of all, on great questions, regularly. + +"If a number of men," he continued, "were going to form a cabinet of +curiosities, they would form a _society_. They would choose one to be +president, and one to be secretary, and one to be cabinet keeper." + +"What does the president do?" asked Lucy. + +"The president decides who shall speak, when several want to speak at +the same time; and so he prevents all confusion. Nobody must speak +without his leave." + +"Do they have to ask him?" said Rollo. + +"Yes, in fact, they ask him, though not formally in words. They ask him +by rising. In large meetings among men, whoever wants to speak, stands +up, and then the president calls their name, and that is giving him +permission to speak. If more than one stand up at a time, then he calls +the name of one of them, and _he_ has leave to speak, and the other +must sit down." + +"Which one does he call?" asked Rollo. + +"The one whom he happens to notice first. He must be careful not to call +his friends more than he does other persons. He must be impartial. Then, +besides, the president _puts the question_." + +"Puts the question?" asked Rollo; "what is putting the question?" + +"Why, after all has been said about the plan that they want to say, the +president asks all that are in favor of it, to hold up their hands; and +he counts them. Then he asks all that are against it to hold up their +hands. He counts these too. And it is decided according to the number of +votes." + +"Is that the way they do?" said Rollo. + +"Yes," replied his father, "that is the way that men do; but boys all +talk together, and dispute. If some want to play ball, and some want to +play horses, they all talk together, and dispute; it is all,--'I say we +will,' and 'I say we won't,'--and those that make the most noise get the +victory." + +"The men's way is the best," said Rollo. + +"I think so myself," replied his father. + +"And what does the secretary do?" asked Mary. + +"The secretary keeps the record. He writes an account of every meeting." + +"Does he write all that every body says?" asked Rollo. + +"No," said his father, "only the decisions." + +"Well," said Rollo, with a tone of satisfaction, "and the cabinet keeper +keeps the cabinet, I suppose." + +"Yes," said his father, "and so all disputings about where the things +are to be placed in the cabinet, are avoided; for he decides the whole. +He must be a person of judgment and skill." + +"Jonas would be a good cabinet keeper for us," said Rollo. + +"I think you had better form a regular society, Rollo," said Mary. + +"Well," said Rollo, "will you belong to it?" + +"Yes," said Mary. + +"And we can choose our officers by lilac ballots," said James. + +"We'll have the first meeting to-morrow afternoon," said Rollo. "I will +go in the morning, and ask Henry to come,--if mother will let me." + + * * * * * + +His mother did let him, and the next afternoon the children all +collected in the yard, intending to form their society, and proceed +regularly. Mary promised to meet with them, and help them make their +arrangements. They were to meet in the play room. + +Before the time of the meeting, Mary went in, and, with Rollo's help, +made some seats of boards, not far from the cabinet, so that all the +members of the society might sit down. The children played about in the +yard, some gathering lilac leaves for ballots, and some talking about +the curiosities they meant to collect, until, at length, Mary came down +and told them it was time to go and have their meeting. She had a great +many little papers in one hand, and some pencils in the other. James +asked her what she was going to do with those papers. She said they were +for ballots. + +"O, we have been getting lilac leaves for ballots," said Lucy. + +"Papers are better," said Mary, "when there is a good deal of balloting +to be done." + +Then the children threw down the lilac leaves they had gathered, and +followed Mary into the play room. They all came around the cabinet, and +began to open it and talk about the curiosities. But Mary told them +that, if they were going to have a society, they must not touch the +cabinet until they had appointed a cabinet keeper--they ought all to go +and sit down. + +So they went and sat down. + +"And now you must not talk at all, until the president is chosen," said +Mary. "You must all write upon these papers the name of the person you +think best for president, and then bring them to me. You see," she +continued, as she distributed the papers around, to the other children, +"that I am acting as president just now, until we get one chosen. That +is the way men do. I asked father about it. He said that the oldest +person, or one of the oldest, generally took charge of the proceedings, +until a chairman was chosen." + +"A chairman?" said Rollo. + +[Illustration] + +"Yes, or president; sometimes they call him a chairman." + +So the children took their papers, and began to prepare for writing +their ballots. + +"What shall we put our papers on, cousin Mary, to write?" said Lucy. + +"O, you must write on the seat by the side of you,--or on this book; +here is a book for one." + +"I can write on my cap," said James; and he placed his cap upon his +knees, and began to use that for a desk. One of the children took the +book, and others leaned over to one side, and put their papers upon the +seat, and prepared to write there. Some began to write very soon. Others +looked around mysteriously, considering which one of the company would +make the best president. Henry stood up by the great work bench, and +made that his writing-desk; keeping a sharp look-out all the time lest +Rollo should see what he should write. And thus the children prepared +their votes for president. + +When the votes were all ready, the children brought them all together to +Mary, who put them on the corner of the great bench near which she was +standing; and the children all came up around them, to see who was +chosen. + +But Mary gently put her hand over the votes, and told them that that was +not the way to count votes. "You must all go and sit down again," she +said, "and appoint some one to count them; and then he or she must come +alone, and look them over and tell you who is chosen." + +"Well," said the children; and so they went back to their seats. + +"I propose that Henry count them," said Mary. + +"Well," said the children. + +"No, let James," said Rollo. + +"That is not right, Rollo," said Mary, "because it is of very little +consequence who counts the votes, and in societies the best way is to +let things that are of little consequence go according to the first +proposal. That saves time." + +So Henry came up, and began to look over the votes. + +"They are all for Mary but one, and that is for Lucy," said Henry. + +"Then cousin Mary is president," said James, clapping his hands. + +"Yes," said Mary, "it seems you have chosen me president; and I will be +president for a time, until I think that some of the rest of you have +learned how to preside, and then I shall resign, and leave you to manage +your society yourselves. Now you must write the votes for secretary." So +Mary took her seat in the chair which she had provided for the +president, and which, until this time, had been empty. + +So the children began to write votes again, and as fast as they had +written them they brought them to Mary, and dropped them in her lap. As +soon as each one had put in his vote, he went back and took his seat. +When the votes were all in, Mary looked them over, and said, + +"There are two votes for Lucy, and one for Rollo, and one for Henry." + +"Then Lucy is chosen secretary," said James. + +"No," said Mary, "because she has only half. The person that is chosen +must have more than half of all the votes. Lucy has two, and there are +two scattering." + +"Scattering!" said Rollo, looking somewhat puzzled. + +"Yes; that is, for other persons." + +"What shall we do, then?" said Rollo. + +"Why, you must vote again." + +So the children wrote votes again, and brought them in to the president. +She smiled as she looked them over. Then she said, + +"Now there is a tie." + +"A tie, Mary!" said Rollo; "what is a tie?" + +"Why, there are two votes for Rollo, and two for Lucy; that makes it +exactly balanced, and they call that a _tie_." + +"And now what shall we do with the tie?" said Rollo. + +"Why, you must vote again." + +Just as the children were preparing to vote again, they heard a noise of +footsteps at the door, and, looking up, they saw Nathan coming in. He +had his little straw hat upon his head, and his whip in his hand. He was +playing market-man, and wanted to know if they wished to buy any +potatoes. + +The children all laughed. Mary said, "No, Thanny, this is a society; +come, don't you want to belong to the society?" + +"Yes," said Nathan; and down went his whip upon the floor, and he came +trotting along towards Mary. Mary told him to sit down upon the seat +next to Rollo. + +Nathan took his seat, and began to look around with an air of great +curiosity, wondering what they were going to do; and by this time the +votes were ready. Mary looked them over and counted them, and then said +that they were just as they were before, two for Rollo, and two for +Lucy. + +"What shall we do now?" said Rollo. + +"We must vote again," said James. + +"That won't do any good," said Henry. + +"There's Thanny," said Lucy; "let him vote." + +"Well," said Mary, "and that will break the tie." + +"O, Thanny can't vote," said Rollo; "he can't write a word." + +"He can vote without writing," said Mary. "Thanny, come here. Which do +you think will make the best secretary, Rollo, or Lucy?" + +"Why--Lucy," said Thanny, after some hesitation. + +"Lucy, he says; so Lucy is chosen," said Mary. "Now, Lucy, you must be +secretary; but I forgot to bring out some paper." + +Rollo looked a little disappointed. He had hoped to have been secretary +himself. So when Nathan came back to his seat, he began to punch him a +little, good-naturedly, with his thumb, saying, "_Me_--why didn't you +say _me_, Thanny? Hey, Thanny! Why did not you say _me_?" + +Just then, Mary asked Rollo to go into the house and get a sheet of +paper for the secretary; and when he came back, Lucy asked her what she +should write. Mary gave her the necessary directions, and then Lucy went +to the bench, and standing there, near the president's chair, she went +on writing the record, while the rest of the society proceeded with +their business. The next thing was to choose a cabinet keeper. + +"You may prepare your votes for cabinet keeper." + +"I think Jonas would be the best cabinet keeper," said Henry; "he made +the cabinet." + +"O, Jonas does not belong to the society," said Rollo. + +"But we can let him in," said Lucy. + +"No, he can't belong to the society," said Rollo; "he has too much work +to do." + +The fact was, that Rollo wanted to be cabinet keeper himself, and so he +was opposed to any arrangement which would be likely to result in the +election of Jonas. But Mary said that it was not necessary that any one +should be a member of the society, in order to be chosen cabinet keeper. +She said he might be chosen, if the children thought best, even if he +was not a member. "But then," said she, "you must consider all the +circumstances, and vote for the one who, you honestly think, will take +the best care of the curiosities, and arrange them best." + +The children then wrote their ballots, and brought them to Mary. Mary +asked Lucy to count them. Lucy said she had not written her vote herself +yet. + +"Well, write it quick then," said Mary. + +"But I can't think," said Lucy, "whether I had better vote for Jonas or +Rollo." + +"Well," said Mary, "you have only to consider whether it will be best +for the museum to be in Jonas's hands, or in Rollo's." + +"But I have been thinking," said Lucy, "that it is all Rollo's plan, and +his museum; and that _he_ ought to be cabinet keeper, if he wants to +be." + +"There is something in that," said Mary; "though generally, in choosing +officers, we ought to act for the good of the society, not for the good +of the officers." + +"But it is _my_ cabinet," said Rollo; "Jonas made it for me." + +"That may be," said Mary; "that is, it may have been yours at the +beginning; but when you invite us all to come and form a society, you +give up your claim to it, and it comes to belong to the society; at any +rate, the right to manage it belongs to the society, and we must do what +will be best for the whole." + +Rollo did not look very much pleased at these remarks of his sister's; +but Lucy immediately wrote her vote, and put it with the others. She +then examined and counted them, and immediately afterwards, she said +there were three votes for Jonas, and one for Rollo. So Jonas was +chosen. The children did not know who wrote the vote which was given for +Rollo; but the fact was, he wrote it himself. He wanted to be cabinet +keeper very much indeed. + + + + +CAUGHT,--AND GONE AGAIN. + + +Rollo was sadly disappointed at not being chosen cabinet keeper. Older +and wiser persons than he have often been greatly vexed from similar +causes. When the society meeting was ended, Mary told Lucy that she must +tell Jonas that they had chosen him cabinet keeper, for she was +secretary, and it was the secretary's duty to do that. Mary then went +into the house. The children gathered around the cabinet, and began to +look at the things which had been put in the day before. Rollo undertook +to arrange one of the shelves differently from what it had been; but +Henry told him he must not touch the things, for Jonas was cabinet +keeper, and nobody but the cabinet keeper had any right to touch the +things. + +"O, I am only going to change them a little," said Rollo. + +"But you have no right to touch them at all," said Henry, pushing Rollo +back a little. + +"Yes, I have," said Rollo, standing stiffly, and resisting Henry's push. +"It's _my_ cabinet, and I have a right to do what I please with it." + +"No, it is not your cabinet," said Henry; "it belongs to the society." + +"No, it doesn't," said Rollo. + +"It does," said Henry. + +Rollo was wrong--and, in fact, Henry was wrong. In disputes, it almost +always happens that both boys are wrong. Lucy stood by, looking +distressed. She was very sorry to have any disputing about the cabinet. + +"O, never mind, Henry," said she; "let him move them. Jonas will put +them all right afterwards." + +"No," said Rollo, "I am going to keep the cabinet myself." + +This was not at all like Rollo, to be so unreasonable and angry. But +Henry's roughness had irritated and vexed him, and that, in connection +with his own determination to keep the charge of his cabinet, had got +him into a very wrong state of mind. + +Lucy did not know what to do. She walked slowly along to the door, and +after standing there a moment, while Rollo was at work upon the +cabinet, she said, + +"O, here comes Jonas, now." + +James and Henry ran to the door, and, as they saw Jonas walking up the +lane, they ran towards him, followed by Lucy, and they all began eagerly +to tell him about the society, and about his having been chosen cabinet +keeper. Lucy came up to them before they had finished their account; and +as they had all turned round when they met Jonas, they came walking +along together towards the house. James and Henry talked very fast and +eagerly. They told Jonas about the society, and about their having +chosen Mary president, and Lucy secretary, and him cabinet keeper. When +they had finished their account, Lucy added, in a desponding tone, + +"Only Rollo says _he_ means to be cabinet keeper." + +"Does he?" said Jonas. + +"Yes," replied Henry. "He says you made the cabinet for him, and he +_will_ have it." + +"O, well," said Jonas, "let him be cabinet keeper; he will make a very +good cabinet keeper." + +"No," said James, "we want you to be cabinet keeper. We chose you." + +They saw Rollo at the door of the barn, looking at them, but not very +good-naturedly. When they came up, Lucy said, + +"Come, Rollo, let Jonas be cabinet keeper; that's a good boy." + +"No," said Rollo, "it's _my_ cabinet, and I mean to keep it myself." + +"Then we won't help you get the curiosities," said Henry. + +"I don't care," said Rollo. + +"And we won't have any society," added James,--thinking that that threat +would compel Rollo to give up. + +But Rollo only said, + +"I don't care; I don't want any society. I can make a museum myself." + +There is no doubt, but that many of the readers of this book will wonder +that Rollo should have acted in this manner. And yet they themselves act +in just such a way when they allow themselves to get out of temper. It +is very dangerous to allow ourselves to become vexed and angry. We then +do and say the most unreasonable things, without being aware, +ourselves, of their unreasonableness and folly. Rollo himself did not +know how his conduct appeared to the other children, and how it sunk him +in their good opinion. + +Rollo would have had a miserable time in attempting to make a collection +of curiosities alone. He would very soon have got tired of it, and have +abandoned the plan altogether. It happened, however, that some +circumstances occurred to prevent the consequences that his ill humor +and obstinacy came so near occasioning. + +Henry and James, finding that Rollo would not give up the cabinet to +Jonas's care, considered the plan of the society abandoned, and went to +play in the yard. Lucy went into the house to find her cousin Mary. +Rollo remained at the cabinet for some time, but he found it very dull +amusement to work there alone; besides, he heard the other boys' voices +out in the yard, and before long he began to feel a strong desire to go +and see what they were doing. He accordingly went to the door of the +barn. He saw that Henry and James had got a log of wood out, and had +placed a board across it, for a see-saw. Rollo slowly walked along +towards them. + +Henry saw him gradually approaching, and so he whispered, or rather +spoke in a low tone to James, saying, + +"Here comes Rollo, James; don't let's let him get on our see-saw." + +But James felt in more of a forgiving mood than Henry. He did not like +quarrelling, and he knew very well that peace-makers must be prepared to +yield and forbear, even if they had not been themselves in the wrong. So +he said, + +"O, yes, Henry, let him have a ride. He may get on my end. + +"Rollo," he added, calling to Rollo, as he came up, "do you want to +see-saw? You may have my end." + +Rollo did not quite expect this gentle treatment, and it made him feel a +little ashamed. He, however, took James's place, but he did not feel +quite easy there. He knew it was a place that he did not deserve. Pretty +soon he proposed that they should all go after raspberries down the +lane. + +"Well," said Henry, "and I'll go and get my dipper." + +"Your dipper?" said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Henry, "I brought a dipper." + +Henry then went to a wood pile which was lying in the yard, and, looking +behind it, among the logs, he drew out a small tin dipper, and showed it +to Rollo. + +"O, I wish I had a dipper to carry!" said Rollo. "It is better than a +basket." + +Rollo went into the house, and presently returned bringing two small +baskets. + +"One for me?" said James, interrogatively, holding out his hand. + +"Yes," said Rollo. + +"Give me the other," said Henry, "and you shall have my dipper." + +"Well," said Rollo. + +"_I_ should rather have a basket," said James. + +"No," said Rollo, "I think a dipper is better. I can get some drink with +it, if we come to any brook." + +"But you must give me some drink out of the dipper, if I want any," said +Henry-- + +"Well," said Rollo, "I will." + +"Though I can drink without a dipper," said Henry. + +"How?" said Rollo. + +"O, I can get a piece of elder, and punch out the pith, and that will +make a hollow reed; and I can draw up the water through that into my +mouth." + +By this time, Rollo and Henry had exchanged the basket and the dipper, +and they were all walking along together. Rollo told the boys of several +other reasons why he would rather have the dipper on such an expedition; +but Henry preferred the basket, and so all were satisfied. + +They went on down the lane. The berries were very thick. The boys ate a +great many, and they filled their baskets, and the dipper besides. When +they reached the bottom of the lane, Rollo proposed that they should go +on, through the woods, to the brook. They liked the plan. They +accordingly hid their baskets under the fence, heaping full of +raspberries. Rollo said that he should take his dipper with him, so as +to get a drink at the brook. + +"But you can't use it to get a drink," said Henry; "it is full of +raspberries." + +Rollo had not thought of this difficulty. He walked slowly along, with +the other boys, a few minutes, looking somewhat foolish; but in a moment +he said he meant to eat his raspberries up, and then his dipper would be +empty when he should get to the brook. + +So he began to eat them. The other boys wanted some of them, and he gave +them some, on condition that they should help him fill up his dipper +again, when they returned up the lane on their way home. They assented +to this condition, and so the boys walked along, eating the raspberries +together, in great harmony. + +They rambled about in the woods, for some time, meeting with various +adventures, until they reached the brook. Neither of the boys were +thirsty, not even Rollo; but still he took a drink from the brook, for +the sake of using the dipper. He then amused himself, for some time, in +trying to scoop up skippers and roundabouts, but without much success. +The skippers and roundabouts have both been mentioned before. The latter +were a sort of bugs, which had a remarkable power of whirling round and +round with the greatest rapidity, upon the surface of the water. While +Rollo was endeavoring to entrap some of these animals, the other boys +were picking up pebbles, or gathering flowers, until at length their +attention was suddenly arrested by a loud and long exclamation of +surprise and pleasure from Rollo. + +"What?" said Henry and James, looking towards Rollo. + +They saw that he was standing at the edge of the water, gazing eagerly +into his dipper. + +"What is it?" said the boys, running towards him. + +"I have caught a little fish," said Rollo. + +True enough, Rollo had caught a little fish. It was very small, and, as +it had been swimming about there, Rollo had, probably more by accident +than skill, got him into his dipper, and there he was safely imprisoned. + +"O, what a splendid little fellow!" said Henry, crowding his head in +between Rollo's and James's, over the dipper. "See his fins!" + +"Yes," said Rollo. "It is a trout,--a little trout." + +"See his eyes!" said James. "How he swims about! What are you going to +do with him, Rollo?" + +"O, I shall carry him home, and keep him." + +"O, you can't keep him," said James; "you have not got any pond." + +"Never mind," said Rollo, "I can keep him in a bowl in the house." + +"What shall you give him to eat?" said James. + +"Eat! fishes never eat; they only drink. I shall give him fresh water +every day, and that will keep him alive." + +"They do eat, too," said James. "They eat bait off of the hooks when we +fish for them." + +Rollo had forgotten this fact when he said that fishes never ate; and, +having nothing to say in reply to it, now, he was silent, and only +looked at his fish. + +"O, I wish I had a fish!" said Henry. "If I had kept my dipper, now, I +might have had one." + +"I don't believe you could have caught one," said Rollo. + +"Yes, I could; and I believe I will take my dipper, after all, and catch +me a fish." + +"No," said Rollo, "you lent me the dipper, and I lent you my basket +instead; and now I must keep it till we get home." + +"No," said Henry, "it is _my_ dipper, and I only lent it to you; and I +have a right to it whenever I want it. So you must give it to me." + +But Rollo was very far from being convinced that he ought to give back +the dipper then. He had borrowed it, he said, for the whole expedition, +and he had a right to keep it till he got home. Besides, he had a fish +in it, and there was nothing that he could do with him, if Henry took +away the dipper. + +But Henry said he did not think of catching a little fish in his dipper, +when he lent it to Rollo. If he had, he should not have lent it to him. +He only lent it to him to get raspberries in. But Rollo insisted that he +had lent it to him for the whole expedition, and to put any thing in it +he pleased. + +After some time spent in this discussion, Rollo finally yielded. He was, +in fact, somewhat ashamed of the part he had taken in the former +difficulty, and had secretly resolved to be more good-natured and +yielding in future. So he gave the dipper back to Henry. + +Before he did this, however, Henry said that he would be very careful +not to lose Rollo's fish. + +"I will only dip the dipper in again," said he, "very carefully, to +catch another fish, without letting yours get out. Then we can carry +both to your house, and put yours in the bowl; and then I can carry mine +home in the dipper." + +So Rollo gave the dipper back to Henry, though very reluctantly. + +Henry carried it carefully down to the bank of the brook. He stood upon +a little sloping shore of sand and pebbles, and began to watch for the +little minnows which were swimming about in the deep places. He immersed +his dipper partially in the water, being very careful not to plunge it +in entirely, lest Rollo's fish should escape. Whenever he made an +attempt, however, to catch a fish, he was obliged to plunge it in; but +he did it very quick, so as not to give the prisoner, already taken, +time to escape. + +At last, a fish, larger than any he had seen, came moving slowly along, +out from a deep place under a large log, which lay imbedded in the bank. +Henry made a sudden plunge after him. He drew up his dipper again, +confident that he had caught him; but, on looking into the dipper, no +fish was to be seen. The bird in the hand, and the bird in the bush, +were both gone. + +The boys tried for a long time, in vain, to catch another fish. Rollo +was sadly disappointed at the loss of the one he had caught, but there +was now no help for it; and so they all slowly returned home together. + + + + +THE BAILMENT CASES. + + +As the boys were slowly coming up the lane, towards the house, they saw +Mary and Lucy in the garden. They went round into the garden to see what +they were doing. + +They found them seated upon a bench in a pleasant part of the garden; it +was the same bench were Rollo had once undertaken to establish a hive of +bees. Mary was teaching Lucy how to draw pictures upon lilac leaves, and +other leaves which they gathered, here and there, in the garden. + +The boys came up and asked to see what the girls were doing. The girls +did not say to them, as girls sometimes do in such cases, 'It is none of +your concern,--you go off out of the garden, we don't want you here.' +They very politely showed them their leaf sketches,--and the boys, at +the same time, with equal politeness, offered them some of their +raspberries. In the course of the conversation, as they sat and stood +there, Rollo said to his sister, + +"Henry lost my fish, Mary, and ought he not to pay me?" + +"Your fish?" asked Mary. + +"Yes," said Rollo, "I caught a fish in a dipper." + +"And how came Henry to have it?" + +"O, I let him have it, to catch another. He made me." + +Henry had some secret feeling that he had not done quite right in the +transaction, though he did not know exactly how he had done wrong. He +did not make any reply to Rollo's charge, but stood back, looking +somewhat confused. + +"Ought he not to pay me?" repeated Rollo. + +"It seems to be a case of bailment," said Mary. + +"O yes," said Rollo, who now recollected his father's conversation on +that subject some days before. + +"And so, you know, the question," continued Mary, "whether he ought to +pay or not, depends upon circumstances." + +"Well," said Rollo, who began to recall to mind the principles which +his father had laid down upon the subject, "it was for _his_ benefit, +not _mine_, and so he ought to pay." + +All this conversation about bailment, and about its being for his +benefit, not Rollo's, was entirely unintelligible to Henry, who had +never studied the law of bailment at all. He looked first at Mary, and +then at Rollo, and finally said, + +"I don't understand what you mean." + +So Mary explained to him what her father had said. She told him, first, +that whenever one boy intrusted his property of any kind to the hands of +another boy, it was a _bailment_; and that the question whether the one +who took the thing ought to pay for it, if it was lost, depended upon +the degree of care he took of it, considered in connection with the +question, whether the bailment was for the benefit of the bailor, or the +bailee. + +"What is _bailor_ and the _bailee_?" said Henry. + +"Why, Rollo bailed you his fish," said Mary. "Rollo was bailor, and you +bailee." + +"No," said Henry, "he only gave me back my dipper, and the fish was in +it." + +Mary asked for an explanation of this, and the boys related all the +circumstances. Mary said it was an intricate case. + +"I don't understand it exactly," said Mary. "You returned him his +property which you had borrowed, and at the same time put into his hands +some property of your own. I don't know whether it ought to be +considered as only giving him back his dipper, or bailing him the fish." + +"I did not want the _fish_," said Henry. + +"No," said Mary. "It is a knotty case. Let us go and ask father about +it." + +"O, _I_ don't want to go," said Henry. + +"Yes, I would," said Mary. "I'll be your lawyer, and manage your side of +the question for you; and we will get a regular decision." + +"Well," said Henry, reluctantly. And all the children followed Mary and +Lucy towards the house. + +They found Rollo's father in his room, examining some maps and plans +which were spread out upon the table before him. When he saw the +children coming in, he asked Mary, who was foremost, what they wanted. +She said they had a law question, which they wanted him to decide. + +"A law question?" said he. + +"Yes," she replied; "a case of bailment." + +"O, very well; walk in," said he. + +There was a sofa at one side of the room, and he seated the children all +there, while he drew up his arm-chair directly before them. He then told +them to proceed. Rollo first told the whole story, closing his statement +by saying, + +"And so I let him have my fish; and that was a bailment, and it was not +for my benefit, but his, and so he ought to have taken very especial +care of it. But he did not, and lost it, and so he ought to pay." + +"But we maintain," said Mary, "that the _fish_ was not bailed to Henry +at all. Rollo only gave him back the dipper, and, though the fish was in +it, still the fish did not do Henry any good, and so it was not for his +benefit." + +"It seems to be rather an intricate case," said her father, smiling. + +Henry looked rather sober and anxious. The proceedings seemed to him to +be a very serious business. + +However, Rollo's father spoke to him in a very kind and good-humored +tone, so that, before long, he began to feel at his ease. After hearing +a full statement of the case, and all the arguments which the children +had to offer on one side or the other, Rollo's father began to give his +decision, as follows:-- + +"I think that Rollo's giving Henry the dipper, with the fish in it, was +clearly a bailment of the fish; that is, it was an intrusting of his +property to Henry's care. It is clear also that Henry took pretty good +care of it. He tried to avoid losing it. He took as much care of it, +perhaps, as he would have done of a fish of his own. Still, he did not +take _very extraordinary_ or special care of it. The loss was not owing +to _inevitable_ accident. If the bailment was for Rollo's benefit, the +care he took was sufficient to save him from being liable; but, if it +was for his own benefit, then all he did was at his own risk; and the +loss ought to be his loss, and he ought to pay for it." + +"But I don't see," said Mary, "that he was to blame in either case." + +"O, no," said his father; "he was not to blame for losing the fish, +perhaps. That is not the point in these cases. It is not a question of +who is to blame, but who ought to bear a loss, for which perhaps nobody +is to blame. + +"And you see," he continued, "that it is reasonable that the loss should +be borne by the person who was to have derived benefit from the risk. If +the risk was run for Henry's benefit, then he ought to bear the loss; +which he would do by making Rollo compensation. If the risk was run for +Rollo's benefit, then Rollo ought to bear the loss himself." + +"Yes, sir," said Rollo; "and it certainly was for Henry's benefit, for +he was trying to catch another fish for himself,--not for me. I had no +advantage in it." + +"That is not so certain," replied his father. "It depends altogether +upon the question, who had a right to the dipper at that time. If Henry +had a right to the dipper, then he might have even poured out the water, +fish and all; or he might have kept the fish in, to accommodate Rollo. +On the other hand, if Rollo had a right to the dipper then, and he let +Henry have it, as a favor to him, then, in that case, the bailment was +for Henry's benefit." + +"Well, sir," said Henry, "I had a right to the dipper, for it was mine; +and so it was for his benefit, and I ought not to pay." + +"No, sir," said Rollo; "he had let me have it, and I let him have my +basket." + +"I only _lent_ it to him," said Henry. + +"But you lent it to me for the whole walk," said Rollo, turning round to +Henry. + +"You must only speak to _me_," said his father. "In all debates and +arguments, always speak to the one who is presiding." + +"Well, sir," said Rollo, turning back to his father, again, "he lent it +to me for the whole walk, and so I don't think he had any right to take +it back again." + +"That is coming to the point exactly," said his father. "It all depends +upon that,--whether Henry had a right to reclaim his dipper at that +time, after only lending it to Rollo. And that, you see, is another +bailment case. Henry bailed Rollo the dipper. This shows the truth of +what I said before, that a great many of the disputes among boys arise +from cases of bailment. This seems to be a sort of doubled and twisted +case. And it all hinges on the question whether Henry or Rollo had the +right to the dipper at the time when Henry took it. For, as I have +already explained, if _Henry_ had a right to it, then his keeping +Rollo's fish in it was for Rollo's advantage, and Rollo ought to bear +the loss. But if _Rollo_ had a right to keep the dipper longer, then he +bailed the fish to him, in order to be able to let him have the dipper, +for he could not let him have the one without the other; and so it was +for Henry's benefit; and, as the loss was not from _inevitable_ +accident, Henry ought to bear it." + +"Well, sir, and now please to tell us," said Mary, "who had the right to +the dipper." + +"Rollo," said her father. + +"Rollo!" exclaimed several voices. + +"Yes," replied Rollo's father. "There is a principle in the law of +bailment which I did not explain to you the other day. It is this: +Whenever a person bails a thing to another person, for a particular +purpose, and receives a compensation for it, the bailor has no right to +take it back again from the bailee, until a fair opportunity has been +allowed to accomplish that purpose. For instance, if I go and hire a +horse of a man to make a journey, I have a right to keep the horse +until the journey is ended. If the owner of the horse meets me on the +road, fifty miles from home, it is not reasonable, you see, that he +should have the right to take the horse away from me there, on the +ground that it is his horse, and that he has a right to him wherever he +finds him. So, if one boy lends another his knife to make a whistle +with, he ought not to take it away again, when the boy has got his +whistle half done, and so make him lose all his labor." + +"Why, it seems to me he ought to give it back to him," said Rollo, "if +it is his knife, whenever he wants it." + +"Yes," replied his father, "he ought to give it up, no doubt, if the +owner claims it; and yet perhaps the owner might do wrong in claiming +it. Though I am not certain, after all, how it is in case a thing is +lent gratuitously." + +"What is _gratuitously_?" said Rollo. + +"Why, for nothing; without any pay. Perhaps the bailor _has_ a right to +claim his property again, at any time, if it is bailed gratuitously, +though I am not certain. I will ask some lawyer when I have an +opportunity. But when a thing is let for pay, or bailed on contract in +any way, I am sure the bailor ought to leave it in the hands of the +bailee, until the purpose is accomplished; or, at least, until there has +been a fair opportunity to accomplish it. + +"Wherefore I decide that, as Henry intended to let Rollo have the dipper +for the whole expedition, and as he took Rollo's basket, and Rollo +agreed to let him have some drink, as conditions, therefore, he ought +not to have reclaimed the dipper. Since he did reclaim it, Rollo did +perfectly right to give it up, fish and all; and as he did so, it was a +bailment for the benefit of the bailee, that is, Henry. And of course it +was at his risk, and, in strict justice, Rollo has a right to claim +compensation for the loss of his fish. But then I should hope he won't +insist upon it." + +"Well, sir," said Rollo, "I don't care much about it now." + +"You see, Henry," continued Rollo's father, "I haven't been talking +about this all this time on account of the value of the fish, but to +have you understand some of the principles you ought to regard, when any +other's property is in your possession. So, now, you may all go." + +"Well, uncle," said James, as the children rose from their seats, +"haven't you got some great box that we can have for our cabinet?" + +"Your cabinet?" asked his uncle. + +"Yes, sir, we want to make a museum." + +"Why, Rollo has got a cabinet. Jonas made him one." + +"Yes, sir; but he wants his for himself, and we want one for our +society." + +"You may have mine, now," said Rollo; "I am not going to have one alone. +I have concluded to let you have mine. Come." + +So Rollo moved on, as if he wished to go. In fact, he had an instinctive +feeling that his conduct in respect to the cabinet and the society would +not bear examination, and he wanted to go. + +But his father, afraid that Rollo had been doing some injustice to his +playmates, stopped the children and inquired into the case. The children +told him that they had formed a society, and had elected Jonas cabinet +keeper; and that Rollo had afterwards said he meant to be cabinet keeper +himself, and so would not let the society have his cabinet to keep +their curiosities in. + +"And did he first agree that the society might have it?" + +"No, sir," said Rollo, decidedly; "I did not agree to any thing about +it." He thought that this would exonerate him from all blame. + +"Was not there a _tacit_ agreement?" asked his father. + +"A _tacit_ agreement!" repeated Rollo. He did not know what a tacit +agreement was. + +"Yes," said his father, "_tacit_ means silent; a tacit or implied +agreement is one which is made without being formally expressed in +words. If it is only understood by both parties, it is just as binding +as if it were fully expressed. For instance, if I go into a bookstore, +and ask the bookseller to put me up certain books, and take them and +carry them home, and then he charges them to me in his books, I must pay +for them: for, though I did not _say_ any thing about paying for them, +yet my actions constituted an implied agreement to pay. By going in and +getting them, under those circumstances, I, in fact, tacitly promise +that I will pay for them when the bookseller sends in his bill. A very +large portion of the agreements made among men are tacit agreements." + +The children all listened very attentively, and they understood very +well what Rollo's father was saying. Rollo was considering whether there +had been a tacit agreement that the society should have the cabinet; but +he did not speak. + +"Now, Rollo, did you consent to the formation of the society?" + +"Yes, sir," said Henry, eagerly; "he _asked_ us all to form the +society." + +"And was it the understanding that the museum was to be kept in the +cabinet that Jonas made?" + +"Yes, sir," said Rollo, rather faintly. + +"Then, it seems to me that there was a tacit agreement on your part, +that if the children would form the society and help you make the +collection, you would submit to whatever arrangements they might make +about the officers and the charge of the cabinet. You, in fact, _bailed_ +the cabinet to the society." + +"Yes, sir," said the children. + +"And as the bailment was for your advantage, as well as theirs, you +ought not to have taken possession of the property again, until a fair +opportunity had been afforded to accomplish the purpose of the bailment, +that is, the collection of a cabinet by the society. So, you see, you +fell into the same fault in respect to the society, that Henry did in +regard to you in the case of the dipper." + +The children were silent; but they all perceived the justice of what +Rollo's father had said. + +"And the society have a claim upon you, Rollo, for compensation for the +disappointment and trouble you have caused them by taking away the +cabinet." + +Rollo looked rather serious. + +"O, we don't care about it," said Lucy. + +"Well," said his father, "if the society release their claim upon you, +as you did yours upon Henry, very well. I hope, at all events, you will +all go on pleasantly after this." + +The children then went out, and Rollo, followed by the other boys, went +to find Jonas, to tell him he might be cabinet keeper. They tried to +tell Jonas the whole story, and about Rollo's giving the fish to Henry, +and its being a bailment. But they could not make Jonas understand it +very well. He said he did not know any thing about bailment, except +bailing out boats--he had never heard of bailing fishes. + + + + +THE CURIOSITIES. + + +Jonas accepted the office of cabinet keeper. He inquired particularly of +the children about the meeting of the society, and, as they stated to +him the facts, he perceived that Rollo had been a good deal disappointed +at not having been chosen to any office. Jonas was sorry himself that +Rollo could not have had some special charge, as it was his plan at the +beginning, and the others had only joined it at his invitation. When he +observed, also, how good-naturedly Rollo acquiesced,--for he did at last +acquiesce very good-naturedly indeed,--he was the more sorry; and so he +proposed to Rollo that he should be _assistant_ cabinet keeper. + +"I shall want an assistant," said Jonas, "for I have not time to attend +to the business much; I can give you directions, and then you can +arrange the curiosities accordingly; and you can help me when I am at +work there." + +Rollo liked this plan very much; and so Jonas said that he might act as +assistant cabinet keeper until the next meeting of the society, and then +he would propose to them to choose him regularly. He told Mary of this +plan, and she liked it very much indeed. + +The children had various plans for collecting curiosities. They had +meetings of the society once a week, when they all came into the play +room, bringing in with them the articles which they had found or +prepared. These articles were there exhibited and admired by all the +members, and then were put upon the great work-bench, under the care of +the assistant cabinet keeper. They remained there until Jonas had time +to look them over, and determine how to arrange them. Then he and Rollo +put them up in the cabinet, in good order. + +Mary did not collect many articles herself; but she used to tell the +children what they could get or prepare. They made some very pretty +collections of dried plants at her suggestion. They would come to her, +as she sat in the house at her work, and there she would explain to +them, in detail, what to do; and then they would go away and do it, +bringing their work to her frequently as they went on. In respect to +collections of plants, she told them that botanists generally pressed +them, and then fastened them into great books, between the leaves, +arranged according to the kinds. + +"But you," said she, "don't know enough of plants to arrange them in +that way,--and, besides, it would be too great an undertaking for you to +attempt to prepare a large collection. But you might make a small +collection, and select and arrange the flowers in it according to their +beauty." + +Lucy said she should like to do this very much, and so Mary recommended +to her to go and get as many flowers as she could find, and press them +between the leaves of some old book which would not be injured by them. +Lucy did so. She was a week or two in getting them ready. Then she +brought them to Mary. Mary looked them over, and said that many of them +were very pretty indeed, and that she could make a very fine collection +from them. + +"Now," said she, "you must have a book to keep them in." + +So Mary went and got two sheets of large, light-colored wrapping paper, +and folded them again and again, until the leaves were of the right +size. Then she cut the edges. + +"Now," said Mary, "I must make some false leaves." + +"False leaves!" said Lucy; "what are they?" + +"O, you shall see," replied Mary. + +She then cut one of the leaves which she had made into narrow strips, +and put these strips between the true leaves at the back, where they +were folded, in such a manner, that, when she sewed the book, the false +leaves would be sewed in with the true. But the false leaves, being +narrow strips, only made the back thicker. They did not extend out into +the body of the book between the leaves; but Mary showed Lucy that when +she came to put in her flowers between the true leaves, it would make +the body of the book as thick as the back. They would make it thicker, +were it not for these false leaves. + +"Yes," said Lucy, "I have seen false leaves in scrap books, made to +paste pictures in. I always thought that they made the leaves whole, +first, and then cut them out." + +"No," said Mary, "that would be a great waste of paper. It is very easy +to make them by sewing in narrow strips." + +Mary then asked Lucy to sit up at the table, and select some of her +prettiest flowers,--some large, and some small,--enough to fill up one +page of her book; and then to arrange them on the page in such a way as +to produce the best effect; and Lucy did so. Then she gummed each one +down upon the page, by touching the under side, here and there, with +some gum arabic, dissolved in water, but made very thick. When she had +done one page, she turned the leaf over very carefully, and laid a book +upon it, and then proceeded to make selections of flowers for the second +page. In this manner she went on through the book, and it made a very +beautiful book indeed. Mary put a cover and a title-page to it; and on +the title-page, she wrote the title, thus:-- + + A + + COLLECTION + + OF + + COMMON FLOWERS, + + BY + + LUCY. + +When it was all ready, it was presented to the society, and put into the +cabinet, where it was long known by the name of "_Lucy's Collection_." +She wrote the name of each plant under it, as fast as she could find out +the names; and, whenever visitors came to see the museum, she would ask +them the name of any of the flowers in her collection which she did not +know, and then wrote the name down. Thus, after a time, nearly all the +names were entered; and so, whenever the children found any flower which +they did not know, they would sometimes go and look over Lucy's +collection, and there perhaps they would find the very flower with its +name under it. + +This museum lasted several years; and the next spring, Rollo made his +collection of flowers, which was larger than Lucy's. Mary helped him +about it. At first, he was going to have it in a larger book; but Mary +thought it would be better to have all the books of a size, and then +they would lie together very compactly, in a pile; which would not be +the case if they had several books of different sizes. She said if any +one wanted to make a larger collection, he had better have several +volumes. Rollo made volume after volume, until at last his collection +consisted of six. + +There was one collection of _leaves_; Henry made it. His object was to +see how many different-shaped leaves he could get. He did not regard the +little differences which exist between the leaves of the same tree, but +only the essential differences of shape; such as between the leaf of the +oak and of the maple. Two or three pages were devoted to leaves of +forest-trees, and they looked very beautiful indeed. Leaves, being +naturally flat, can be pressed very easily, and they generally preserve +their colors pretty well. One page was devoted to the leaves of +evergreens, such as the pine, fir, spruce, hemlock; and they made a +singular appearance, they were so small and slender. A little sprig of +pine leaves was put in the centre, and the others around. Then there +were the leaves of fruit-trees and plants, such as the apple, pear, +peach, plum, raspberry, strawberry, currant, gooseberry, &c., arranged +by themselves; and there were half a dozen pages devoted to +bright-colored leaves, gathered in the autumn, after the frost had come. +These pages looked very splendidly. The names of the plants to which all +these leaves belonged were written under them, and also the name given +by botanists to indicate the particular shape of the leaf; these names +the children found in books of botany. Such, for instance, as +_serrated_, which means notched all around the edge with teeth like a +saw, like the strawberry leaf; and _cordate_, which means shaped like a +heart, as the lilac leaf is, and many others. + +There was also a collection of brakes that Rollo made, which the +children liked to look over very much. There is a great variety in the +forms of brakes, or ferns, and yet they are all regular and beautiful, +and are so flat that they are easily pressed and preserved. But of all +the botanical collections which were formed and deposited in this +museum, one of the prettiest was a little collection of _petals_, which +Rollo's mother made. Petals are the colored leaves of flowers,--those +which form the flower itself. Sometimes the flower cannot be pressed +very well whole, and yet, if you take off one of its petals, you find +that that will press very easily, and preserve its color finely. So +Rollo's mother, every day, when she saw a flower, would put one of the +leaves into a book, and after a time she had a large collection,--red, +and white, and blue, and yellow, and brown, in fact, of almost every +color. Then she made a little book of white paper, because she thought +the colors and forms of these delicate petals would appear to better +advantage on a smooth, white ground. She then made a selection from all +which she had preserved, and arranged them upon the pages of her little +book, so as to bring a great variety both of form and color upon a page; +and yet forms and colors so selected that all that was upon one page +should be in keeping and harmony. + +But it was not merely the botanical collections in the museum which +interested the children. They had some philosophical apparatus. There +was what the boys called a sucker, which consisted of a round piece of +sole leather, about as big as a dollar, with a string put through the +middle, and a stop-knot in the end of it, to keep the string from coming +entirely through; then, when the leather was wet, the boys could just +pat it down upon a smooth stone, and then lift the stone by the string; +the sucker appearing to stick to the stone very closely. Rollo did not +understand how the sucker could lift so well; his father said it was by +the pressure of the atmosphere, but in a way that Rollo was not old +enough to understand. + +Then there was what the boys called a circular saw, made of a flat, +circular piece of lead, as large as the top of a tea cup. Jonas had +hammered it out of a bullet. There were saw-teeth cut all around the +circumference, and two holes bored through the lead, at a little +distance from the centre, one on each side. There was a string passed +through these holes, and then the ends were tied together; and to put +the circular saw in motion, this string was held over the two hands, as +the string is held when you first begin to play cat's-cradle. Then, by a +peculiar motion, this saw could be made to whirl very swiftly, by +pulling the two hands apart, and then letting them come together +again,--the string twisting and untwisting alternately, all the time. +There were various other articles of apparatus for performing +philosophical experiments; such as a prism, a magnet, pipes for blowing +soap bubbles, a syringe, or squirt-gun, as the boys called it, made of a +reed, which may be said to be a philosophical instrument. + +Jonas made a collection of specimens of _wood_, which was, on the whole, +very curious, as well as somewhat useful. As he was at work sawing wood +from day to day, he laid aside small specimens of the different kinds; +as oak, maple, beech, ash, fir, cedar, &c. He generally chose small, +round pieces, about as large round as a boy's arm, and sawed off a short +piece about three inches long. This he split into quarters, and reserved +one quarter for his specimen, throwing the others away. This quarter +had, of course, three sides; one was covered with bark, and the other +two were the split sides. As fast as Jonas got these specimens split out +in this manner, he put them in the barn, upon a shelf, near the bench; +and then, one day, he took them one by one, and planed one of the split +sides of each, and then smoothed it perfectly with sand paper. + +Rollo, who was standing by at the time, asked him why he did not plane +them all around. + +"O, because," said Jonas, "they are for specimens, and so we want them +to show the bark on one side, and the wood on the other side, in its +natural state; and the third side is enough to show its appearance when +it is manufactured." + +"Manufactured!" said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Jonas; "planed and varnished, as it is when it is made into +furniture." + +"Are you going to varnish the sides that you plane?" + +Jonas said he was; and he did so. He planed one side, and one end. He +varnished the planed side, and pasted a neat little label on the planed +end. On the label he wrote the name of the wood, and some very brief +account of its qualities and uses, when he knew what they were. For +instance, on the end of the specimen of walnut, was written in a very +close but plain hand-- + + Walnut, very tough and hard. Used for handles. + +After Jonas had got as many specimens as he could, from the wood pile, +he used to cut others in the woods, when he happened to be there, of +kinds which are not commonly cut for fuel. In this way he got, after a +time, more than twenty different kinds, and when they were all neatly +varnished and labelled, it made a very curious collection; and it was +very useful, too, sometimes; for whenever the boys found any kind of a +tree in the woods which they did not know, all they had to do, was to +cut a branch of it off, and bring it to the museum, and compare it with +Jonas's specimens. In this way, before long, they learned the names of +nearly all the trees which grew in the woods about there. + +There was a curious circumstance which happened in respect to Rollo's +hemlock-seed. It has already been said that this supposed hemlock-seed +was really a chrysalis. Now, a chrysalis is that form which all +caterpillars assume, before they change into butterflies; and the animal +remains within, generally for some time, in a dormant state;--all the +time, however, making a slow progress towards its development. Now, +Rollo's great chrysalis remained in a conspicuous position, upon the +middle shelf in the cabinet, for some weeks. Rollo always insisted, when +he showed it to visitors, that it was a hemlock-seed. Jonas said he knew +it was not; and he did not believe it was any kind of seed. But then he +confessed that he did not know what it was, and Rollo considered that he +had his father's authority for believing it to be a hemlock-seed, +because his father had said he thought it might be so, judging however +only by Rollo's description, without having seen it at all. Rollo always +asserted very confidently that it was a hemlock-seed, and that he was +going to plant it the next spring. + +In the mean time, the humble caterpillar within, unconscious of the +conspicuous position to which he had been elevated, and the +distinguished marks of attention he received from many visitors, went +slowly on in his progress towards a new stage of being. When the time +was fully come, he very coolly gnawed a hole in one end of his glossy +shell, and laboriously pushed himself through, his broad and beautiful +wings folded up compactly by his side. When he was fairly liberated, he +stood for two hours perfectly silent and motionless upon the shelf, +while his wings gradually expanded, and assumed their proper form and +dimensions. It was rather dark, for the doors were closed; and yet +sufficient light came through the crevices of Jonas's cabinet, to enable +him to see the various objects around him, though he took very little +notice of them. It was a strange thing for him to be shut up in such a +place, with no green trees, or grass, or flowers around; but having +never turned into a butterfly before, he did not know that there was any +thing unusual in his situation. + +He began, however, in the course of six hours, to feel decidedly hungry; +so he thought he would creep along in search of something to eat. He +tried his proboscis upon one curiosity after another, in vain. The +magnet, the sucker, pebbles, shells, books, every thing was hard, dry +and tasteless; and at length, discouraged and in despair, he clambered +up upon Jonas's specimen of maple, poised his broad, black, leopard-like +wings over his back, and hung his head in mute despair. He would have +given all his newborn glories for one single supper from the leaf which +he used to feed upon when he was a worm. + +It was just about this time, that Rollo, Lucy, and Jonas happened to +come together to the cabinet, to put in some new curiosity which they +had found. As soon as Rollo opened the doors, he perceived the hole in +the end of the chrysalis, which lay directly before him. He seized it +hastily. + +"There now," said he, in a tone of sad disappointment, "somebody has +been boring a hole in my hemlock-seed!" + +He took up the empty shell, and looked at the hole. + +"Why, Jonas," said he, "how light it is!" + +Jonas took the chrysalis, weighed it in his hand, looked into the hole, +and then said, quickly, + +"It is a chrysalis, I verily believe; and that is where the butterfly +came out." + +"What!" said Rollo, in a tone of utter amazement. + +"That hole is where a butterfly came out," said Jonas, "I have no +doubt;--and if we look about here a little, we shall find him." + +They immediately began to look about; and the butterfly, as if he +understood their conversation, and perceived the necessity of a movement +on his part, just at that instant, expanded his wings, and floated off +through the air into the middle of the room, towards the bright sunshine +which came in at the door. He alighted upon the edge of a barrel, which +stood there. Rollo was after him in a moment, with his cap in the air. +The butterfly, however, was too hungry to wait. He was again upon the +wing. He soared away across the yard, towards the garden, and +disappeared over the tops of the trees. Rollo and Lucy looked for him +for some time among the plants and flowers, but in vain. + +"Never mind," said Jonas, when they returned. "The butterfly had rather +be free; but he has left you the chrysalis shell, and that, +notwithstanding the hole, is a greater curiosity now, than it was +before." + + + + +THE SEA-SHORE. + + +Rollo's father and mother were very much pleased with the children's +plan of collecting a cabinet. They often went out, at Rollo's request, +to look at the curiosities. + +One evening, about sunset, when they were walking in the garden, Rollo +proposed that, before they went into the house, they should go out and +look at the museum. They accordingly walked along, Rollo and Mary taking +hold of hands before, and their father and mother walking arm in arm +after them. Nathan was behind, riding a stick for a horse, and blowing a +trumpet which Rollo had made for him out of the stem of a pumpkin vine. + +"I am a trooper," said Nathan to himself, "blowing a bugle." Then he +would whip his horse, sound his trumpet, and gallop along. + +When they reached the door of the barn which led into the place where +their museum was kept, Rollo turned round and said sharply, + +"Thanny, be quiet! Don't make such a noise." + +"Speak pleasantly, Rollo," said Mary. + +"Well, Thanny," said Rollo, taking hold of his arm, and gently turning +him away from the door, "go and blow your bugle somewhere else, because +we want to see our curiosities." + +Thanny made no reply; but, being spoken to pleasantly, he turned around +and went galloping off, and seeing the cat upon the fence, he ran up and +began trumpeting at her to frighten her away. + +In the mean time, Rollo's father and mother looked over the curiosities, +as they had done many a time before. Rollo explained the wonders, and +his parents looked and listened with great satisfaction, though they had +been called upon to admire the same things for the same reasons, twenty +times before. + +"But, Rollo," said his father, at length, "it appears to me that your +cabinet has not increased much, lately." + +"Why, father, we can't find any more curiosities. I wish we could go to +some new place." + +"What new place can we go to?" said he. + +"I don't know," said Rollo; "some place where there are some +curiosities." + +"We might go to the sea-shore, and get some shells," said Mary. + +"So we could," said her father; "that would give you a fine addition." + +"Well, father," said Rollo, looking up very eagerly, "I wish you would +let us go." + +"I will think of it," said his father. + +Rollo knew that when his father said this, he meant as he said, and that +he would really think of it;--and consequently that he himself ought not +to say any thing more about it. He accordingly soon began to talk to +Mary about other things, and by and by they went into the house. + +The next day, Rollo's father told him that they had concluded to make a +party to go to the sea-shore. There was a shore and a beach about twelve +miles from where they lived, and he said that they were going the next +day in the carryall. Rollo's father and mother, with Mary and her cousin +Lucy, were to ride in the carryall, and Rollo and Jonas in the wagon +behind. + +"We want cousin Lucy to go with us," said Mr. Holiday, in explaining the +plan, "and so there will not be quite room for us all in the carryall. +Besides, we shall want Jonas's help, probably, in the expedition, and +then the wagon will be a good thing to bring back our treasures in." + +"O father," said Rollo, "we shall not get more than a carryall full." + +"No, I suppose not," said his father; "but the wagon will be better to +bring stones, and sand, and shells. You must put baskets in behind, to +pack them in." + +The next afternoon, all was in readiness at the appointed hour. The +carryall was at the door, waiting to receive its portion of the party, +and the wagon was fastened to a post behind. Jonas stood at the head of +the carryall horse, to hold him still while the people should be getting +in. Rollo was near the wagon horse. + +"Shall I unfasten him, Jonas?" + +"_You_ can't unfasten him," said he. + +"O yes, I can, if you will only let me try." + +Rollo approached the horse, and cautiously reached out his hands to +unhook the chain from the ring at the horse's mouth, standing a good way +back, and leaning forward on tiptoe, as if he thought the horse would +bite him. + +"What are you afraid of, Rollo?" said Jonas. + +"Nothing," said Rollo; "only I can't reach very well." + +"Stand up nearer." + +"But perhaps he might bite me." + +"Poh! he never bites," said Jonas. "There is only one danger to guard +against, in unfastening such a horse as that." + +"What danger?" said Rollo. + +"Danger that he may step and tread on your foot." + +Rollo looked down at his feet, and began to consider this danger; but +just then his father and mother came out, followed by the two girls, and +took their seats in the carryall. Jonas then came to the wagon, and, +after helping Rollo in, he got in himself, and away the whole party +went, very happily. + +After riding for some time, Rollo's mother, upon looking back towards +the wagon, saw that Rollo was making signs as if he wanted them to +stop. She told Mr. Holiday, and he accordingly stopped his horse, and +waited until the wagon came up. Rollo had a plan to propose. + +"Father," said he, "I wish you would let Jonas come into the carryall +and drive you and mother, and let Mary and cousin Lucy come and ride +with me." + +"But who will drive?" said his father. + +"I'll drive," replied Rollo. + +"O no," said his mother, "he can't drive; he will overturn the wagon." + +"Why, mother, I can drive," said Rollo. "I have been driving some time." + +"I rather think there will be no danger," said Mr. Holiday to his wife, +turning towards her as she sat upon the back seat. "The road is pretty +level and retired, and he will keep close along behind the carryall." + +Rollo's mother looked rather doubtfully, and yet she could not help +feeling a certain degree of pleasure at thinking that Rollo was old +enough to drive alone. She accordingly consented, and the change was at +once made. Rollo's father and mother sat on the back seat of the +carryall, and Jonas before, to drive them; while Rollo, Mary, and Lucy +took possession of the wagon. + +Rollo drove very well. He kept near the carryall, and was so attentive +to his business as a driver, and so successful in avoiding stones and +jolts, and in turning out for the various vehicles they met upon the +road, that his father let him drive so all the rest of the way. + +They gradually approached the sea-shore. The country grew wild and +hilly, and great ledges of rocks were seen in the fields and by the road +side. At length, upon the summit of a long ascent, the broad sea burst +into view, stretching along the horizon before them, smooth and glassy, +with here and there a small white sail almost motionless in the +distance. Below them was a long, sandy beach. The surf was breaking +against it. A swell of the sea, of the whole length of the beach, would +rise and advance, growing higher and more distinct as it approached, and +then it would break over upon the shore in one long line of foam, white +and beautiful, and gracefully curved to adapt itself to the curvature of +the shore. At the extremities of the beach, points and promontories of +ragged rocks extended out into the water, white with the breakers which +foamed and struggled around them. From the whole there arose a continued +and solemn roar, like the sound of a great waterfall. + +Mr. Holiday stopped his horse by the side of the road, and Rollo, when +he reached the place, stopped also. + +"Here we are," said Rollo. "That's the sea." + +"Where's the beach?" said Lucy. + +Mary was silent. + +"Come," said Rollo, "let's drive on." + +"O no," said Mary, "wait here a few minutes." + +"Jonas, what are you waiting for?" said Rollo. + +"I wished him to stop here a few minutes," said Rollo's father, "to let +us look at the prospect." + +Rollo said no more, though he could not understand what his father was +waiting for. They all sat still, looking at the view, and saying very +little; Rollo was impatient and restless. In a short time, however, +Jonas drove on, and Rollo followed him. They went down into a sort of +valley, where they lost sight of the water again, and then, after +winding around for some time among the rocks and sand hills, they came +at length to a high ridge of pebble stones, which ran along the shore; +and surmounting this, they found the white beach spread out close before +them, while a long line of wave was just curling over and dashing into +foam upon the sand. They fastened the horses to some heavy pieces of +timber, the remains of a wreck, which lay up high upon the sand. + +"O, what a wide beach!" said Rollo. The truth is, that when he saw the +beach from the hill, it looked like a mere line of sand, extending along +the shore. But now he found it was a broad and smooth area, gently +descending towards the water. It was firm, so that the children could +run about upon it. Rollo went down pretty near to the water's edge, and +amused himself by watching the surf. Each wave would recede after it +broke, and run off, leaving a broad piece of the beach dry; until, in a +moment more, another wave would come curling on, and break over the +retreating water of the former; and then it would rush up the sand, in a +broad and rapid stream, all along the shore, almost to Rollo's feet. + +Rollo asked his father to let him take off his shoes and stockings; and +he did so. Rollo put each stocking into its shoe, to keep them dry, and +then laid them down upon the sand beyond the reach of the waves. Then he +would watch the waves, and whenever the water retreated, he would follow +it down until he met the new wave coming curling up at him, when he +would turn and run, the wave after him, to the shore; and when the wave +broke, it would throw the water all around his feet. + +Lucy and Mary walked along the other shore at a greater distance, +looking for shells. They found a great many. Rollo could hear their +exclamations of delight at every new shell they found, and they were +continually calling upon him to come and get some too; but he was too +much occupied with the surf. + +At length, Rollo's attention was excited by hearing Lucy call out, + +"O Mary, Mary! I have found a piece of sponge." + +Rollo turned around to look. He had just run up from the water, and was +standing beyond the reach of the surf, though the water which each wave, +as it broke, sent up upon the shore, played around his feet. + +"How big is it?" said Rollo, + +"About as big as my finger." + +"Ho!" said Rollo; "that is not very big." + +Just at this instant, a wave larger than usual burst just behind Rollo, +and it sent up a torrent of water all around him, which rose almost up +to his knees. Rollo was frightened. He started to run; but so much water +confused and embarrassed him. He staggered. + +"Stand still, Rollo," said his father. + +Rollo then stood still; but by this time the water was receding, and his +eyes fell upon his two shoes, which had been taken up by the wave, and +were now running rapidly down from the shore, each loaded with its +stocking. Rollo ran to seize them, and had just time to get them before +the next wave advanced and was ready to dash over them. He ran up upon +the sand, and put his shoes several yards from the highest place that +the water had come to. + +"There," said he, looking back at the waves, "now get my shoes if you +can!" The waves said nothing, but went on breaking and then retreating, +just as before. + +Rollo then went to where Mary and Lucy were, and began to collect +shells. They found quite a number of different kinds, all along the +shore. Some were large and coarse,--broken and worn by the water. Some +were so thin and delicate that he had to wrap them up carefully in a +paper, and put them into his waistcoat pocket, in order to get them home +safely. The children found several other curiosities besides shells. +They collected pebbles, and specimens of sand, of different colors. Mary +found an old iron spike, perhaps part of a vessel, with the sand and +gravel concreted around it. It looked like stone growing upon iron. +Rollo also found a small piece of wood, battered and worn by the +long-continued action of the waves, and he thought it was very curious +indeed. In fine, the children filled their baskets with wonders, and, +after about three quarters of an hour, they set out on their return +home. When Rollo went to get his shoes, he found the water almost up to +them. If he had staid away a little longer, they would have been washed +away again. The truth was, the tide was rising. + + + + +THE CLIFFS. + + +As the party slowly rode away from the beach, Rollo's mother asked if it +was too late to go to the cliffs. There was a splendid prospect from the +cliffs. They were rocky precipices overhanging the sea, at the extremity +of a point of land, about a mile from the beach where they had been. The +two girls wanted to go very much; but Rollo did not care so much about +it. He was in haste to get home and arrange his curiosities. + +His father, however, after looking at his watch, said that he thought +there would be time to go. So he turned his horse's head in the right +direction, and they went to the cliffs. + +The precipices were very high, and the swell of the sea dashed and +roared against them at their foot; and yet the water looked very smooth +at a little distance from the land. Rollo wondered why there should be +waves along the beach and against the rocks, when there were none out in +the open sea. + +"I should think, father," said he, "that it would be calmer near the +shore, and more windy out upon the water." + +"It is," said his father. + +"Then, why are not the waves bigger?" + +"They _are_ full as big." + +"Why, father," said Rollo, "there are no waves at all out from the +land." + +"You can't see them very well," said his father, "because we look down +upon them. When we are upon a mountain, the small hills below almost +disappear. Besides, the waves out in the open sea, in such a still time +as this, are in the form of broad swells; but these swells are broken +when they roll against the shore, and so this makes the surf." + +"I mean to look over and see," said Rollo, and he walked cautiously +along towards the precipice. + +"O Rollo," exclaimed Mary, "don't go so near!" + +"Why, there is no danger," said Rollo. + +"Rollo! Rollo!" exclaimed Mary again, as Rollo went nearer and nearer. + +His father had turned away, just as he had finished what he said above, +and so had not observed what Rollo was doing. In fact, he did not go +near enough to the brink to be in any danger, though Mary was afraid to +have him so near. + +His mother, hearing Mary's call, turned to see what was the matter, and +she, too, felt afraid at seeing Rollo so near. She called him to come +away; but Rollo told her that he was not near enough to fall. + +"But I had rather that you would come away," said his mother; and she +looked very anxious and uneasy, and began to hurry along towards him. + +"You see that large island off to the right," said Rollo's father, +directing her attention in the right quarter. + +"Yes, I see it--Rollo!" + +"Well, that is George's Island. There is a rock lying just about south +of it." + +"Yes," said Rollo's mother, "I believe I see it," beckoning at the same +time to Rollo. + +Her mind was evidently occupied with watching Rollo. She looked first +at the rock and island, where Mr. Holiday was pointing, and then back at +Rollo, until at length Mr. Holiday, perceiving that her mind was +disturbed by Rollo's motions, said to him, + +"Rollo, keep outside of us." + +"Outside, father!" said Rollo; "how do you mean?" + +"Why, farther back from the brink than we are." + +So Rollo walked reluctantly back until he was at about the same distance +from the brink with his father, and then began to take up some little +stones, and throw them over. His father and mother went on talking, +though Rollo's stones disturbed them a little. At length, Rollo came and +stood near his father to hear what he was saying about a large ship +which was just coming into view behind the island. + +As he stood there, he kept pressing forward to get as near to the brink +as he could, without actually going before his father and mother. She +instinctively put out her hand to hold him back, and was evidently so +uneasy, that Mr. Holiday looked to see what was the matter. Rollo had +pressed forward so as to be a very little in advance of his father, +though it was only very little indeed. + +"Rollo," said his father, "go and sit in the carryall until we come." + +Rollo looked up surprised, and was just going to ask what for. But he +perceived at once that he was in advance of his parents, and that he had +consequently disobeyed his father's orders. He went away rather +sullenly. + +"I was not more than an inch in advance of where they were," said he to +himself; "and, besides, it was far enough from the brink. I don't see +why I need be sent away." + +However, he knew that he must obey, and he went and took his seat in the +carryall. It was turned away from the sea, and he had nothing before him +but the inland prospect. + +"What dismal-looking rocks and hills!" said he to himself. They had +appeared wild and picturesque when he first came in view of them, but +now they had a very gloomy expression. He who is dissatisfied with +himself, is generally dissatisfied with all around him. + +Rollo waited until he was tired, and then he had to wait some time +longer. At length his father and mother appeared, and Rollo jumped out, +and asked his father if he might ride in the wagon, and drive the girls +again. + +"No," replied his father, "I have made another arrangement. Jonas," he +continued, "you may get into the wagon, and drive on alone." + +Rollo's father then helped Mrs. Holiday and Mary into the back seat, +while he put Lucy and Rollo on before, and he took a seat between them. +When they had rode on a little way, he said, + +"I was very sorry to have to send you away, Rollo." + +"Why, father, I was not more than an inch before you." + +"That's true," said his father. + +"And I don't think I was in any danger." + +"I don't think you were myself," said his father. + +"Then, why did you send me back?" + +"For two reasons. First, you disobeyed me." + +"But I don't think I came before you more than an inch." + +"Nor I," said his father; "very likely it was not more than half an +inch." + +"And was that enough to do any harm?" + +"It was enough to constitute _disobedience_. I told you to keep back, +_outside_ of us, and by coming up even as near as we were, you showed a +disposition not to obey." + +"But I forgot," said Rollo. "I did not observe that I was so near." + +"But when I give you a direction like that, it is your duty to observe." + +Rollo was silent. After a short pause, he added, + +"Well, father, you said that there were two reasons why you sent me +away." + +"Yes, the other was that you were spoiling all the pleasure of the +party. You kept Mary and mother continually uneasy and anxious." + +"But I don't think I went into any danger." + +"Perhaps not; that is not what I charge you with. I did not send you +away for going into danger, but for making other persons anxious and +uneasy." + +"But, father, if there was not any danger, why need they be uneasy?" + +"Do you suppose that persons are never made uneasy and anxious, except +by actual danger?" + +"Why--I don't know, sir." + +"If you observe persons carefully, you will see that they are." + +"Then they must be unreasonable," said Rollo. + +"Not altogether," said his father. "If you were lying down upon the +ground, and I were to come up to you with an axe, and make believe cut +your head off, it would make you very uneasy, though there would be +really no danger." + +"But this is very different," said Rollo. "That would have been as if I +had made believe push mother off." + +"That would have been more like it, I confess. But I only meant to show +you that it does not always require real danger, to make any one uneasy +and anxious. When we see persons in situations which strongly suggest +the idea of danger to our minds, it makes us uneasy, though we may know +that there is no actual danger in the case. Thus it is painful to most +persons to see a carpenter upon a very lofty spire, or to go very near a +precipice, or see any body else go, even when there is a strong railing; +and so in all other cases. Therefore, our rule ought always to be, when +we are in company with others, not only not to go into actual danger, +but not to go so near as strongly to bring up the idea to their minds, +and thus distress them." + +"I never thought of that before," said Rollo. + +"No, I presume not. And I had not time to explain it to you when we were +upon the cliffs, and so I simply directed you to keep back of us. That +would have prevented all trouble, if you had only obeyed." + +Rollo was silent and thoughtful. He was sorry that he had disobeyed. + +"However," continued his father, "I am very glad I have had this +opportunity to explain this subject to you. Now, I want you to +remember, after this, that the best way, in all such cases, is to +consider, not what the actual danger is, but what the feelings and fears +of those who are with you may be. It is not your own safety, but the +comfort of others, that you have to look out for." + +"Yes, sir," said Rollo, "I will." + +"Once there were two young men," continued his father, "taking a ride in +chaises. Each had his sister with him. They came to an old bridge that +was somewhat decayed, and it led across a very deep ravine which looked +very frightful, though in reality the bridge was perfectly strong and +safe. Now, when the first chaise came near, the girl who was in it cried +out, + +"'O brother, what a bridge! O, I must get out and walk over it. I don't +dare to ride over such a bridge.' + +"'Poh, nonsense!' said Henry. Her brother's name was Henry. 'The bridge +is strong enough for a four-ox team. I have been over it a dozen times.' +So he drove on. His sister looked very much terrified when they came +upon the bridge, but they went over safely. + +"'There,' said Henry, when they had got over, 'I told you it was safe.' + +"When the other chaise came down, the young lady said the same thing to +_her_ brother, whose name was Charles. She said she was afraid to ride +over. + +"'Very well,' said Charles. 'The bridge is safe enough, but I think, +perhaps, it may be pleasanter for you to walk over. It will rest you to +walk a little, and besides, you can stop to look at the pleasant +prospect, up and down the river, from the middle of the bridge.' + +"So his sister got out, and he drove the chaise over carefully, while +she walked behind. Now, which do you think took the best course, Charles +or Henry?" + +"I--don't know," said Rollo. + +"The way to determine," said his father, "is to apply the Savior's rule, +'Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.'" + +"Well, I think," said Rollo, "that I should rather get out and walk." + +"I am sure I should," said Lucy. + + * * * * * + +The whole party, after this, got safely home, though it was too late, +that night, to arrange their curiosities. They, however, looked them all +over the next day, and they made a very large and valuable addition to +their cabinet. The specimens of sand of different colors they arranged +in little, square, pasteboard boxes, which Mary made, covering them +neatly with blue paper upon the outside, and with white paper within. + + + + +THE THREE NORTHMEN. + + +The summer and autumn passed away, and the winter came on. Rollo was +having a new great-coat made. He had grown too big for the old one, and +so his mother had laid it aside, waiting for Nathan to grow up to it. + +When Rollo's coat was done, he went out to show it to Jonas. It was +thick and warm, with large cuffs, and there was a good warm collar to +come up about his ears. + +"And see," said Rollo, throwing the coat back, and slipping one of his +arms out, "see how easy it comes off and on!" + +"Yes," said Jonas, "and that is a great convenience in a great-coat. It +is a very fine great-coat, indeed. I think, with that on, you will be +able to make your stand against all three of the Northmen." + +"All three of the Northmen!" repeated Rollo. "Who are the Northmen?" + +"Don't you know who the three famous Northmen are," said Jonas, "who do +so much mischief?" + +"No," said Rollo, "I never heard of them before." + +"Well," said Jonas, "I will tell you some time, but now I must go away +with the cart." + +Jonas had been harnessing the horse into the cart, in the yard, while +Rollo had been talking with him, and now was about ready to go away. +Rollo determined to ask his mother to let him go with him. + +"Where are you going, Jonas?" said he. + +"Down into the woods," said Jonas. + +"Wait a minute for me." + +So away Rollo ran to ask his mother. She said, yes; and he accordingly +came out and took his seat, by the side of Jonas, upon a board which was +placed across the cart, from one side to the other. + +Jonas was going down into the woods to bring up a load of wood which he +had obtained from the trimmings of the trees. It was a cold, frosty +morning, and the winter was near; and Jonas wished to get the wood in +before the snow should come and cover it up. Rollo was so much +interested in driving the cart down, and then in loading it with wood, +that he forgot to ask Jonas about the three famous Northmen. + +About a month after this, there were a few very cold mornings. The ice +froze very hard in a tub of water before the pump, and Jonas had to cut +a hole in it with the axe, for the horse to drink. + +Rollo saw him through the kitchen window, and he opened the door and ran +out a moment to see him. Jonas was cutting away very carefully all +around the sides of the tub, so as to get the whole mass of ice out +together. Rollo stood looking on, shivering. He had no hat on, and only +slippers upon his feet. He stood leaning a little forward, his arms +hanging off from his sides as if they were driven off by electric +repulsion. + +"A'n't you cold?" said Rollo to Jonas. + +"No," said Jonas, "not at all." + +"I am; and I can't stay out here any longer, I am so cold." + +"You are not prepared for it; that is the difficulty. Go and put on your +boots, and your cap, and your mittens, and button up your jacket, and +come out here and go to work with me, and you won't be cold." + +Rollo ran in and got his boots; and after warming them by the kitchen +fire, he put them on. He also buttoned his jacket up to his chin, and +drew on his mittens, and put on his cap. He then went out again to find +Jonas. + +He found him in the barn, pitching down hay. + +"Now," said Rollo, as he came up the stairs, "what shall I do?" + +"Ah, you have come out to work, have you?" said Jonas. "Well, take this +pitchfork, and mount up upon the loft there, and pitch me down some +hay." + +Rollo found it very hard to get up upon the loft. There were only some +pegs, driven into a post, to climb up by. However, with Jonas's help, he +got up, and then clambered over upon the hay; and Jonas threw the +pitchfork up after him. + +"Now work moderately," said Jonas, "and I'll insure that the Northmen +can't touch you." + +"O, there!" said Rollo, "you have never told me about the Northmen." + +"Well," said Jonas, "I will tell you now, when you come down." + +After pitching the hay down a little while, Rollo descended, though it +was not necessary for Jonas to help him, for he jumped down upon the +heap of hay which he had made. They then went together, attending to +Jonas's work about the barn, while Rollo stopped occasionally to look +out the open door or window, where the sun was shining in very +pleasantly. Rollo began to think it was a warm, pleasant morning. + +"There is one of the Northmen," said Jonas, "that you are somewhat +acquainted with already." + +"What is his name?" said Rollo. + +"Captain Jack Frost," replied Jonas. + +"O, yes," said Rollo, with a smile, "I have heard of that gentleman +before." + +"Yes," said Jonas, "he is pretty well known. He is a great +mischief-maker. He lives in an ice castle at the North, and in the fall +of the year he comes creeping along in the still nights, and early in +the mornings. He builds bridges over the ponds, and brooks, and plants +little gardens of hoar frost; and where he sees a stone in the ground, +he stamps his foot upon it, and crowds it down a little way. Then it is +his great delight to go about pinching boys' toes and noses. He is a +sly rogue." + +"And who are the other Northmen?" said Rollo. + +"The next is General Boreas," said Jonas. + +"General Boreas!" repeated Rollo; "and who is he?" + +"O! he is a terrible fellow," replied Jonas. "He comes roaring and +thundering along the tops of the forests at midnight, in snowstorms and +hail. He buries up the whole country, he breaks down the trees, and +sometimes unroofs the houses. Then, if he finds any poor traveller out, +he whistles and roars about his ears, and tries to frighten him; and he +throws snow into his face, and heaps it up all about him in order to +bury him up if he can. + +"Then, besides," continued Jonas, "the old stormer has another way of +making mischief. After he has got the valleys and streams covered and +filled with ice and snow, he brings on a tempest of wind and rain, and +fills the land with torrents, which raise the streams, and tear up the +ice, and carry it down in vast, broken, and jamming blocks, which break +down the bridges, and carry away dams, and spread all over the meadows, +frightening a good many families out of their beds at midnight." + +"Is that the way that General Boreas acts?" said Rollo. + +"Yes," replied Jonas, "that's the way." + +"And who is the third Northman?" said Rollo. + +"His name is Old Zero," replied Jonas. "He is more than threescore years +and ten, a great deal; his head is hoary, and his beard is long and +gray. He creeps softly along after General Boreas has worked himself out +of breath, and gone away. He curtains over all the windows with frost +work in the night. He likes the night, when it is calm and still, and +the stars are shining bright and cold all over the sky. And he kills +more people than Boreas does." + +"Kills them?" said Rollo. + +"Yes," replied Jonas. "He makes no blustering, but he stings bitterly, +and the poor traveller has his ears, and hands, and feet frozen before +he knows what a cruel enemy is around him. Captain Jack Frost you may +laugh at,--but as to Old Zero, you had better beware of him." + +Rollo laughed a good deal at Jonas's account of the three Northmen, and +Jonas told him that they sometimes made some splendid curiosities, which +would be beautiful for a shelf in his museum, if they would only keep. + +"What are the curiosities?" said Rollo. + +"O, all kinds of stars, and spangles, and snow-flakes, of a great many +beautiful forms,--and icicles, and frost work. But they will not keep +very long, unless you make a cabinet expressly for them." + +"_I_ can't make a cabinet," said Rollo. + +"O, yes, you can,--a frost-cabinet," said Jonas. + +"How?" asked Rollo. + +"Why, you must go down near the brook, in the middle of the winter, and +make a little room of snow. Then you must get a large piece of thin, +clear ice from a still place in the brook, and fix it in for a window. +You must also get some sheets of white ice, or snow crust, for shelves, +and put your frost curiosities upon them. If you make it in a cold +place, they will keep for some time." + +"I _will_ make a frost museum," said Rollo. "I mean to go down to-day +and look out a place." + +"Yes," said Jonas, "and you can keep it a secret until it is done, and +then take your father and mother down to see it, and surprise them." + +"Yes," said Rollo, clapping his hands, "so I will." + +[Illustration] + + + + +ROLLO BOOKS. + +BY JACOB ABBOTT. + + + _Rollo at Work_, _Rollo at School_, + _Rollo at Play_, _Rollo's Vacation_, + _Rollo Learning to Read_, _Rollo Learning to Talk_. + + BOUND IN UNIFORM STYLE. + +The publishers request the attention of the friends of the young to this +popular series of books, which have been pronounced, by competent and +judicious persons, the best works for children published, not even +excepting the best English writers. Mr. Abbott's style is peculiarly +interesting to children, being natural and simple, and portraying the +trials and temptations of childhood, just as they occur in every day +life, and giving them clear and distinct ideas of the right and wrong in +their actions. + + _From the Christian Examiner._ + +As a whole, they make the most important series of juvenile books that +have appeared, to our knowledge, since Miss Edgeworth. They are very +unlike those, and yet they resemble them in some prominent features; +especially in making it their chief object to be _pleasing_, and thus +gently and imperceptibly opening a way for _instruction_ to the mind and +morals, without obtruding or forcing it in the least. For this the books +before us are remarkable. They are entertaining throughout. The interest +never flags, and yet there is no seeming attempt to sustain it. There is +little continuous story, and no plot or romance, or grown-up folly, such +as fills half of the _young_ novels now made for children. Here is a +little boy, who is first induced to learn to _talk_; and in order to do +this, he is made to see objects for himself, and think about them, and +ask questions. Next he is taught to _read_; to effect this, he is +candidly told that learning to read is not play, but work, and at first +dry and hard work. It soon becomes easy, however, because it is +undertaken in earnest, and then it becomes pleasant; and parents may +take a hint from this, when they are afraid to allow letters and +learning to wear any form but that of playthings and pastime to their +children. In the third volume, Rollo is at _work_; in the fourth, at +_play_; and the morals of both play and work are as easily and +pleasantly insinuated as we have often seen. There is constant +occupation in both, and constant natural opportunities of learning the +duty and the advantage of feeling and doing right, and thus seeing the +evil of feeling and doing wrong; for Mr. Abbott fully carries out, in +these books, the great principle which we rejoice to see advanced in the +Preface to one of them, namely, "that it is generally better, in dealing +with children, to allure them to what is right by agreeable pictures of +it, than to attempt to drive them to it by repulsive delineations of +what is wrong." The fifth volume presents Rollo at _School_, and the +last his _vacation_. They keep up the interest, and advance in maturity +of thought and illustration, as the boy advances. + + _From the Mother's Magazine, edited by Mrs. Whittlesey._ + +Mr. Abbott possesses, in a very high degree, the faculty of awakening +the interest of children. His writings have that absolute requisite for +securing permanent popularity--_truth to nature_. His boys and girls +talk and act _like_ boys and girls, not like miniature men and women. + +There are a thousand minute touches in his descriptions, which are +evidently drawn from the life, and which betoken a habit of close and +accurate observation of the ways and manners of children. In reading his +books, you hardly believe that it is not your own little Charles or +Henry, whose doings and sayings he is reporting. It is this truth and +freshness in minute touches that constitutes _picturesqueness_ in +writing; a quality which renders Miss Edgeworth and Mr. Abbott +attractive not only to _little_ readers, but to some older persons that +we know. We have spoken of these books as _interesting_; we can also +recommend them as adapted to be exceedingly _useful_--and for the very +same reason. Instead of _general_ exhortations to certain things, and +dehortations from others, children here find vivid pictures of the very +faults they are to strive against, and are shown how to strive--of the +good habits they are to acquire, and _how_ they may be acquired. Parents +will find them a valuable aid in the instruction and amendment of their +children. + + _In Press_, + + ROLLO'S EXPERIMENTS. + ROLLO'S MUSEUM. + + + + +BOOKS FOR THE YOUNG, + +PUBLISHED BY + +WEEKS, JORDAN, & CO. + + +WEEKS, JORDAN, & CO. are engaged in publishing books for young persons, +in the preparing of which particular attention will be given to +furnishing reading which shall combine rational and innocent recreation +with good moral influence. Those published are, + +CHARLES HARTLAND, or THE VILLAGE MISSIONARY. By the author of "The +House I live in." A work full of incident, illustrating Christian +principles in the young by example. + +UNCLE THOMAS'S STORIES OF SHIPWRECKS. By THOMAS BINGLEY, author of +"Stories about Dogs," &c. With five engravings. + +LITTLE DOVE, by KRUMMACHER, and LITTLE DOWNY, or THE FIELD MOUSE. + +THE WARNING. By MRS. FOLLEN. New Edition. + +HAPPY DAYS. By the author of "Happy Valley." + +MARY HOWITT'S TALES IN PROSE. + +---- IN VERSE. + +---- NATURAL HISTORY. + +PICTURES AND STORIES FOR CHILDREN. By a Lady. + +VICTIMS OF GAMING, or PASSAGES FROM THE DIARY OF AN AMERICAN +PHYSICIAN. + +THREE WEEKS IN PALESTINE AND LEBANON. + +STORIES AND RHYMES FOR CHILDREN. By a Lady. + +ALNOMUC, or THE GOLDEN RULE; A Tale of the Sea. 18 engravings. + +TEACHER'S PRESENT. With a copperplate. + +OLD IRONSIDE. By the author of "Alnomuc." 24 engravings. + +PETER PARLEY'S METHOD OF TELLING ABOUT THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE BIBLE. + +THE BOY AND THE BIRDS. + +ROSE AND HER LAMB. + + + + +TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES: + + +1. Minor changes have been made to correct usage of punctuation; +otherwise, every effort has been made to ensure that this etext is +faithful to the original book. + +2. The original Table of Contents incorrectly listed the first chapter +as beginning on page 11; this has been corrected to reflect the first +page as page 9. + +3. The footnote in the first chapter refers the reader to the +Frontispiece; in fact, the Frontispiece refers to an event in seventh +chapter. The Transcriber believes that the footnote should read "See +page 23." + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Rollo's Museum, by Jacob Abbott + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ROLLO'S MUSEUM *** + +***** This file should be named 25548.txt or 25548.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/2/5/5/4/25548/ + +Produced by D Alexander and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was +produced from images generously made available by The +Internet Archive) + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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