Читать книгу: «Rollo in the Woods», страница 6

HEARTS RIGHT AGAIN

James stood still a minute, thinking, presently he said,

"Well, Rollo, I suppose my half dollar is lost, but I am glad yours is safe, at any rate."

"I am sorry yours is lost," said Rollo, "but then I can give you half of what I buy with mine."

"Where did you put the half dollars?" said Jonas.

"On that rock," said Rollo.

They walked along towards the rock. It was by the edge of the water; Jonas thought that as they had been dragging boughs of trees along near the rock, some little branch might have reached over and brushed off one of the pieces of money into the water. So he walked up to it and looked over.

In a minute or two, he pointed down, and the boys looked and saw something bright and glittering on the bottom.

"Is that it?" said James.

"I believe it is," said Jonas. Jonas then took off his jacket, rolled up his shirt sleeve, lay down on the rock, and reached his arm down into the water, but it was a little too deep. He could not reach it.

"I cannot get it so," said he.

"What shall we do?" said James. "How foolish I was to put it so near the water!"

"I think we shall contrive some way to get it," said Jonas.

He then sat down on the rock and looked into the water. "We can go home and get a long pair of tongs, and get it with them at any rate," said he.

"O, yes," said Rollo, "I will go and get them;" and he ran off towards the bridge.

"No," said Jonas, "stop; I will try one plan more."

So he went and cut a long straight stem of a bush, and trimmed it up smooth, and cut the largest end off exactly square. Then he went to a hemlock tree near, and took off some of the gum, which was very "sticky." He pressed some of this with his knife on the end of the stick. Then he reached it very carefully down, and pressed it hard against the half dollar; it crowded the half dollar down into the sand, out of sight.

"There, you have lost it," said James.

"I don't know," said Jonas; and he began slowly and carefully to draw it up.

When the end of the stick came up out of the sand, the boys saw, to their great delight, that the half dollar was sticking fast on. They clapped their hands, and capered about on the stone, while Jonas gently drew up the half dollar, and put it, all wet and dripping, into James's hands.

The boys thanked Jonas for getting up the money, and then they asked him to keep both pieces for them until they went home. Then they began to think of the wigwam again.

"We will make the window as you want it, James," said Rollo; "I am willing."

"No," said James, "I was just going to say we would make it your way. I rather think it would be better to make it towards the land."

"Why can you not have two windows?" said Jonas.

"So we can," said both of the boys; and they immediately went to work collecting branches and weaving them in, leaving a space for a window both sides. Their quarrelsome feelings were all gone, and they talked very pleasantly at their work until it was time for them to go home to dinner.