THE VILLAGE.
The next morning Frank harnessed Nell for Uncle Robert and Susie to
drive into the village to see the tinsmith.
It was a delightful ride through the woods and the fields washed clean
by the rain. The birds were singing gayly. The air was fresh and clear.
Long shadows lay along the road.
The tinsmith was sitting by his open door, tilted back in an old wooden
chair. As Nell stopped, he brought his chair down on its four legs and
said:
"Good morning."
Uncle Robert lifted Susie out of the wagon and hitched Nell to a post.
The tinsmith rose to his feet, smiling to Susie, who said:
"This is my Uncle Robert, Mr. Mills. We've come to have a rain-gauge
made."
"Good morning," said Uncle Robert, turning to Mr. Mills, who looked as
if he thought rain gauges were not exactly in his line. "Can you spare
us a little time this morning? Susie must have her rain-gauge before the
next shower."
"Come right in," said Mr. Mills, "and tell me what your rain-gauge looks
like. I never heard of such a thing."
With Uncle Robert's careful direction he soon understood what they
wanted. They saw him well started in the work, and then Uncle Robert
said:
"Come, Susie, let's go to the post office.--How long before the
rain-gauge will be finished?" he asked of Mr. Mills. "Shall we have time
to get dinner?"
"I think I can have it ready by two o'clock," answered Mr. Mills.
"Then we'll take Nell to the hotel," said Uncle Robert.
They drove slowly under the big cottonwood trees which shaded the
street.
"Isn't it nice that it takes such a long time to make a rain-gauge?"
said Susie. "Here we are at the hotel now, Uncle Robert. It's such a
little way."
From the hotel they strolled to the store, the center of life and
interest in the village.
[Illustration: The village street.]
One corner of the store was taken up by the post office. Back from that
ran long lines of shelves which reached to the ceiling. Beneath them
were bins for flour and sugar. On the lower shelves were canisters of
tea, coffee, and spices, and glass candy jars, which looked very inviting
to Susie. Some were filled with gay-striped sticks. There were also jars
of peppermint lozenges, star--and heart-shaped, with pink mottoes on
their white faces.
On the upper shelves were rows upon rows of cans covered with gay
pictures of fruits and vegetables.
Opposite the groceries were long shelves of dry goods. A glass case at
one end of the counter was filled with bright-colored ribbons.
In the darkness at the back of the store stood the barrels of vinegar,
molasses, and kerosene oil. Above them hung rows of well-cured hams and
sides of bacon. Near the barrels stood an old rusty stove which bore the
marks of long use.
Uncle Robert asked for the mail. Susie looked longingly at the glass
jars upon the shelf, trusting that Uncle Robert would understand her
even if she didn't say anything.
"We must have some candy," he said. "Tell Mr. Jenkins what you would
like, Susie, while I look at my letters."
Susie carefully picked out three sticks of peppermint, three sticks of
lemon, and three of cinnamon.
"If you please, I'd like some of the mottoes, too."
Mr. Jenkins handed down the jar, spread out a clean sheet of wrapping
paper, and turned out the candies.
Susie selected a dozen hearts, rounds, and stars, with different
mottoes, and then wondered if she ought to have lemon drops, too.
"Do you think I have enough, uncle?" she asked.
Uncle Robert knew pretty well what little girls like.
"No, Susie," he said, "you have forgotten the lemon drops, and, let me
see, nut candy--we must carry home enough for mother and the boys."
Just then a little girl in a pink sunbonnet, carrying an oil can in her
hand, came through the open door.
"How d' do, Susie," she said, with a shy glance at Uncle Robert.
"How d' do," said Susie. "Have some of my candy, Jennie?" holding it out
to her. "Uncle Robert bought it for me. There he is," in a loud whisper.
"Good morning, Jennie," said Uncle Robert, putting his letters in his
pocket. "You haven't been out to see Susie since I have been here."
"It's Jennie's mother who had the nasturtiums last year," said Susie.
"Have you any now Jennie?"
"Yes, but they don't grow well this year," answered Jennie.
"Perhaps you need new seeds," said Uncle Robert. "They are apt to do
better if they are raised on different soil."
"I have some nasturtiums this year, Jennie," said Susie. "They are just
beginning to blossom. I'll save you some seed if you want me to."
"Come out some day and see Susie's flowers, Jennie," said Uncle Robert
kindly, as they left the store.
"Good-by, Jennie," said Susie.
"Time for dinner," said Uncle Robert. "I'm hungry."
Susie's eyes danced.
They went into the dining-room and sat down at the long table. Through
the window they could see the hotel garden from which the flowers on the
table had been gathered.
"What shall we do now?" asked Uncle Robert as, after dinner, they stood
upon the porch, looking up and down the street.
No sound was heard but the sleepy noonday song of the grasshopper and
the occasional rattle of a wagon going down to the store.
"Let's go to the mill," said Susie.
"The mill wasn't running when we passed there this morning," said Uncle
Robert. "Suppose we wait until some time when the boys are with us. Then
we can go all through it, and see just how wheat is changed into flour."
"Oh, yes," said Susie, "that will be the nicest."
"We might go to the station and see the train come in," suggested Uncle
Robert, looking at his watch.
"Oh, that's fun! Come on, uncle," cried Susie, running down the steps.
"See, they are all going down now!"
"All right," said Uncle Robert, "but don't hurry; there's plenty of
time."
As they looked down the track they could see the steel rails gleaming in
the hot sunshine. The two shining lines stretched away until they seemed
to meet in the distance.
In the other direction a faint line of smoke appeared over the trees. It
grew more and more distinct, until at last an engine rounded the curve
and came puffing heavily up the track, pulling a long line of cars
behind it.
"That's a freight train," said Uncle Robert.
"It stops here to let the passenger go by," said the station master, who
stood near. "Expecting some one to-day, sir? The train isn't due for ten
minutes."
"Not to-day," replied Uncle Robert. "Do many trains stop here?"
"Not many," said the station master as he hurried away to the switch.
[Illustration: A freight train.]
The great engine, drawing its heavy load after it, turned into the side
track. When the small caboose at the end had passed the switch a man,
who was running upon the tops of the cars, waved his arms and the long
line stood still.
"The engine breathes hard--just like Barri after a long run," said
Susie. "I wonder what is in all these cars, uncle."
"Here is one marked 'Furniture,' from a large factory in Grand Rapids,"
said Uncle Robert, reading the white card that was tacked on the side.
"It is going to a town in Nebraska."
"What funny cars these open ones are!" said Susie; "the ones with the
shelves in. What are they for? They're empty, too. I shouldn't think
they'd want to drag empty cars about."
"These are the cars poultry is shipped in," explained Uncle Robert.
"Perhaps they have been to Chicago with chickens for the market, and are
on the way back to the place they came from for more."
"How many of these big yellow cars there are!" said Susie. "They all
have re-frig-re-frig--"
"Refrigerator," prompted Uncle Robert.
"Oh, I know what a refrigerator is," said Susie. "It's an ice box. Are
these cars ice boxes, uncle?"
"Yes; the great packing houses at the stock yards in Chicago ship beef
all over the country in them. The fruit from California comes in
refrigerator cars, too."
"There's the train!" cried Susie, "and here comes Mr. Jenkins with the
mail."
The train came rushing on. Susie thought it was not going to stop. But
suddenly it slowed up. The conductor leaped upon the platform. The train
stood still. Heads were thrust out of the windows. A few passengers
alighted. Brakemen ran along the platform.
"All aboard!" shouted the conductor, waving his hand to the engineer,
who was leaning out of the cab window watching for the signal.
"Ding-dong, ding-dong, puff, puff, toot, toot," and the train was off.
"Now we'll go and see if there is any mail for us," said Uncle Robert.
"Then we'll go to the tinsmith's."
[Illustration: Rain-gauge.]
The rain-gauge was just finished. So Susie waited in the shop while
Uncle Robert went to the stable for Nell, who pricked up her ears when
she saw him. She was beginning to think she had been forgotten.
It was late in the afternoon when they reached home. Mrs. Leonard and
the boys were looking for them when they drove in at the gate.
It took some time to choose just the right place for the rain-gauge, but
at last they decided upon a little rise of ground that lay between the
house and the orchard.
There was first the funnel-shaped receiver, one and one-half inches deep
and eight inches in diameter. Below this was a tube two and five-tenths
inches in diameter and twenty inches long. At the top of this tube,
close to the receiver, there was a small hole.
"What is that hole for?" asked Donald.
"So if it rains more than enough to fill this tube," explained Susie,
who knew all about it, "it can run out of the hole."
"Then it will be lost," said Donald.
"No," replied Uncle Robert, "it is to be set inside of this cylinder,
which is twenty-three and one-half inches long, but only six inches in
diameter, and so is smaller than the top of the receiver.
"The water that runs from that hole falls into this. By measuring it in
the small tube, and adding it to what the tube held before, we can know
how much there is in all. One inch in the tube would be one-tenth of an
inch in the receiver."
"Then twenty inches, or the tube full, would be two inches in the
receiver," said Frank.
"Yes," said his uncle; "but how shall we make this stand up?"
"We might pile stones around it," suggested Donald.
"That will be a good way," said Uncle Robert.
There were some stones in a pile near the orchard fence. Frank and
Donald picked them up and placed them about the rain-gauge until it
stood firm.
"Well, these stones are of some use after all," said Frank.
"I'm glad of it," said Donald. "It seemed as though we should never get
them all picked up. I believe stones grow."
"These stones tell a wonderful story," said Uncle Robert, smiling.
"Oh, uncle, when are you going to tell it to us? To-night?" asked Susie.
"Not to-night, my dear. You have had stories enough for one day," and
Uncle Robert took her by the hand and started for the house.
"We have a regular weather bureau of our own now," said Donald. "I hope
it will rain all day long to-morrow."