THE WATER GARDEN COMPLETED.
Farmer Ames brought another cartload of manure the next morning, so
the muck heaps could all be mixed and finished that day. The scouts
from camp had asked to be allowed to help the work along this last
day, and Mrs. James gladly accepted their offers.
Breakfast was early, so a long day could be given to the various tasks
to be done before the water could be turned into the reservoir. The
cement was waiting beside a wooden trough that Sam had quickly
constructed, the gravel that had been carted the day before was in a
pile, and the sand for the concrete work had also been brought from
the pit down the road.
Mr. Ames had selected such lumber at the barn as he could use and
hitched the boards to Ben’s harness; the horse was driven over to the
site for the new dam and the planks were then roughly framed up to
make two standing partitions with about a foot of space between.
As breakfast was over at such an early hour, Rachel felt justified in
taking the spare time to visit the scene of work, and give her opinion
on the water garden which was to be. She stood with her hands on her
large hips and surveyed the wide depression for a while, then spoke to
Mrs. James and any one who was concerned.
“’Pears to me you-all is goin’ to a hull lot of trouble jus’ to fill
dis holler wid water. Diden you-all know dat you cud stop up the crick
down by the barn and back all the water you want into this place?”
“But the reeds and briars had to be removed, Rachel,” said Mrs. James.
“Jus’ chop ’em down wid a sickle—da’s all,” was the lofty reply.
“We had to get the roots out, too,” added Mrs. James.
“Diden you know dey woul’ rot ef dey was under water a long time?”
asked the maid, with astonishment at such ignorance.
“They would sprout before they would decay, and we had to clean off
the bog so the roots would come out with the marsh muck,” was Mrs.
James’s patient reply.
Rachel made no further comment for she was too intent on watching the
girls carrying the well-mixed soil from the banks back into the hollow
again. Here they carefully spread out the enriched soil to the depth
of about twenty inches.
“Well—sus!” ejaculated Rachel. “Dem gals is carryin’ all dat muck back
where Ames tuk it from all dis week!”
“It has been so thoroughly mixed with manure that it is now ready to
use for plants. All the roots and rocks have been cleared out of it
while it was spread out upon the banks.”
Rachel felt that her valuable advice had been ignored in this
direction, so she walked along until she came to the piles of rocks.
Some had been rolled into place where they were to be left, but many
were piled up waiting to be artistically arranged in various spots.
“I ain’t never hear tell of plantin’ rocks fer a garden, but nuttin’
is queer dese days, ’cause the hull world is gone clean crazy!”
commented Rachel scornfully.
Norma and Natalie overheard her remark and laughed. Then Rachel looked
back at Mrs. James and said: “I s’pose growin’ rocks is one of dese
gals’ crazes—and you let ’em do such stunts?”
“You wait until the garden is finished and then judge if the rocks
look crazy where we intend putting them,” laughed Mrs. James, hoping
to quiet Rachel’s fault-findings.
But the maid took offense at being told to waive judgment for the time
being and turned away to stride back to the house without another word
or look for the gardeners.
There was too much to be done, however, for anyone to pay the least
attention to Rachel’s wounded pride, and soon the scouts were bustling
about like bees at a hive. The wooden mold, or frame, for the dam was
completed and Ames now gave his attention to the islands.
“You show me about where you want them made,” said he to Norma and
Mrs. James. “I sent Sam to the barn to bring some more small boards
for more frame-ups.”
The three most interested ones now descended to the floor of the
hollow and prospected carefully before locating the main island which
was to be in the wildest part of the pool. The distance from the bank
to the desired spot, had to be taken into consideration, as the rustic
bridge must not have piers or supports in the center of it—the
foundations on either end were to be sufficient to uphold it. When the
location was finally decided upon, Mr. Ames drove his crowbar into the
hard ground to mark the site.
The sites for the two smaller islands were next considered and
located, before the farmer paid any attention to Sam who had been
trying to attract notice from the three in the depression.
“Now—whad do you want?” bawled Farmer Ames, going toward Sam as he
spoke.
“I ain’t found no board what’s big enough for making islands,” shouted
Sam.
“I told you to fetch all the strong boards you could find, ’cause I’ll
make them big enough!”
Sam went back to do as he was told, and Mr. Ames came up out of the
hollow to start mixing the materials for the concrete. The scouts all
stood around during this interesting process, as they wished to learn
how to do the work in order to be able to build whatever they needed
in the future.
A temporary floor of heavy planks was laid and upon this the farmer
proposed mixing the cement. He took a bag of cement, added a barrow
full of fine sand, another barrow full of gravel and scrap junk,—such
as bits of iron, trap-rock, slate and other hard sharp splinters—and
mixed all thoroughly together. Before he began adding water to this
preparation, he called to Sam to carry the boards he had brought from
the barn down to the place where the largest island was to be built.
A number of boards were adjusted to form a frame about the size of the
basis for the island, and these were braced and fastened in place to
keep them from being pushed outwards once the concrete was poured into
the mold. Then the farmer called to Sam to help him in mixing the
cement and other materials. The water was slowly added and Sam kept
mixing with a steel hoe, until the composition was the required
consistency to easily pour.
When Mr. Ames gave the word, every one helped filling buckets and pans
and boxes and carrying them over to the island. They were quickly
emptied into the large mold, and the scouts ran back for more
concrete. Here and there Mr. Ames pressed a rock or a number of
smaller stones into the soft preparation, and as this hardened and
set, the rocks became embedded as firmly as if cast that way by
Nature.
When the concrete reached the top edge of the board mold Mr. Ames
topped it off with a rim of rocks, and into this hollowed center, more
concrete was poured until the mold was filled still higher. Its full
height from the floor of the basin now reached to about thirty inches,
and this was considered high enough. The large rocks were now placed
as Mrs. James directed, so that the effect was one of Nature’s
handiworks. In between the crevices and hollows made by the large and
jagged rocks, the soil would be filled when the concrete was set. And
in this soil the vines and plants or shrubs would be planted.
The side of the island nearest the shore had been kept smooth and flat
as the concrete rose higher about the rocks, and upon this wide flat
wall the end of the rustic bridge was to be laid.
The two smaller islands were now formed in the same way, Mrs. James
being careful to superintend the sides which had to be left smooth for
the bridges to rest upon.
It took all morning and into the middle of the afternoon to finish the
concrete work on the islands, but once they were done, the scouts felt
that the hardest part of the water gardening was completed. Mr. Ames
then began work on the concrete dam, but was concerned to discover
that all the sand had been used for the islands.
“Somebody’s got to drive Ben to the sand pit and fetch a load of sand
for the dam. And then git more for the covering of that soil, ’cause
you said you wanted at least an inch of white sand spread over the
muck to keep the water clear and clean,” said Farmer Ames.
“Let me drive Ben and get the sand!” exclaimed Janet.
“Norma and you can drive Ben, and we girls will use the car to reach
the place. Then all hands can shovel and fill the cart the sooner. We
can then fill baskets or bags and put them in the car and bring them
here to help out for the concrete work. By that time you can have Ben
back at the pit again, and fill the cart a second time,” suggested
Frances eagerly.
This was a very good plan and the scouts all approved heartily of it,
especially so because it offered a possibility of sport. So Norma and
Janet climbed to the seat of the cart and made Ben quit his feast on
the luscious lawn grass.
Mr. Ames stood smiling while he watched the merry scouts jump into the
automobile and call for Frances to hurry and get off. Then he turned
to Janet who was chirping to Ben to make him go faster to keep up with
the car.
“If you saw away at Ben’s mouth like that he will balk and never move
a step. He knows a woman is drivin’ when you do that way, and he takes
a mean advantage of you for it,” laughed Ben’s owner, as the two girls
in the cart endeavored to inspire the easy-going horse with more
ambition.
Then he turned to Mrs. James and said: “While I have to wait for that
sand, Sam and I may as well begin placing the posts for the bridge
ends. I brought my post-hole digger over this morning in case we had a
need of boring holes in the ground.”
Mrs. James had never seen a post-hole digger at work, so she watched
curiously while the wonderful tool bored the holes the required size
of the posts. It worked after the manner of an augur, but it bored the
hole in the ground instead of through wood. The holes were made so
rapidly that Mrs. James was amazed, and Mr. Ames laughed at her
expression.
“I don’t s’pose anyone brought the railroad ties I told you of the
other day?” ventured Farmer Ames.
“Yes, Si Tompkins had them given him by the station agent who said he
was glad to have them moved out of his way. He even offered to help
get them over to the farm, as they had cluttered the ground ever since
the new ties had been laid down a few months ago. So they were left by
the fence just outside the front gate,” explained Mrs. James.
Ames and Sam then brought in several posts—or ties—and fixed them
securely in the holes; earth and gravel were tamped down in the holes,
and when it was well filled, the posts were as firm as if they had
grown there.
Still no sight nor sound of the cart with sand could be had, so Mrs.
James suggested that Ames and Sam help her build an artistic flight of
steps from the clump of pines down to the place where the bridge would
span the water to the first island.
As there were enough railroad ties for this purpose, as well as for
bridge supports, Mrs. James felt that she need not stint herself in
the use of them. So she marked out the line she wished the steps to
follow. They were to curve gracefully down to approach the bridge
indirectly, and not straight down from the high knoll of pine trees to
the lake edge.
Sam and Mr. Ames cut out the solid ground where the steps were to be
set, beginning at the bottom near the bridge posts. The ties were set
for treads, the flat side facing upward and when it was fitted in
place, Sam took it up again while Ames poured a smooth foundation of
concrete on the ground. Then the log was replaced and pressed down to
make the cement bite into the rough wood. At the final securing of
each log, enough concrete was filled in back of it, to form a solid
wall of cement when it hardened, and this made the basis of the back
of the step, or riser, for the next tread.
As Mrs. James wanted the steps to be shallow in order to use the more
and curve the flight more artistically before coming to the bridge, it
was easier to build the concrete risers at the back of each log. The
moment the two men had finished with a step, Mrs. James carried large
stones and rocks to the spot and pressed them firmly in at the sides
where the concrete oozed up and out, and these would not only keep the
logs from loosening and moving out of position, but also help the
rustic appearance of the entire flight. Back of these rocks she
purposed having vines and shrubs to grow and droop over the rocks and
ends of the logs.
The building of the picturesque steps took the rest of the afternoon,
and when Mrs. James realized how late it was, with no report from the
sand-diggers, she began to feel anxious about them.
Then, just as she ordered Sam to hurry away and learn what had
happened to detain them, the car came in sight, far down the road.
“Oh, Jimmy! Such a time as we have had with that Ben!” exclaimed
Norma, the moment the girls were within calling distance.
Mrs. James, Ames and Sam stood leaning over the fence, anxiously
awaiting further news, but so many scouts wanted to tell the story
that nothing could be made of the account. Finally Norma was appointed
to tell the experiences, so she began.
“All the way to the sand pit that lazy Ben had to be coaxed and
_coaxed_, because he kept turning his head backward to look at the
lawn just as long as the place was in sight. Then he got a little pep
into his ‘Amity Ketchum manners’ and gamboled for a little distance.”
The laughter which greeted Norma’s description of Ben’s style of
laziness interrupted her for a moment.
“Well, after all the scouts had been digging sand and filling every
receptacle we had taken with us Ben arrived at the pit. We began
filling the cart and soon had it full, but then he refused to start
back. We coaxed and pulled and pushed with might and main, but all to
no good. Ben just stood and _balked_.
“Then Janet got a willowy hickory and cracked him soundly to induce
him to change his mind. He started suddenly and ran three paces, and
as suddenly stopped short, almost breaking my neck, because I was
driving. I was sitting on top of the sand heaped in the cart and at
the sudden start and stop, a lot of the sand slid off the back of the
cart, toppling me backwards with it.
“Of course, I let go of the reins and will you believe it! At the
moment Ben felt the reins dangle about his feet he gave a jump that
rolled more sand, and me with it right off the back of the cart into
the road. Then he galloped on down the road with no one driving, or to
stop him.
“Frances jumped in her automobile and started to speed after Ben. She
never waited for any one of the scouts to jump in to help coax Ben
back to duty again, but tore along the road until she had passed him
and then turned to block the road with the car.
“Ben must have laughed in his sleeve—or whatever a nag uses for a
covert laugh—when he saw Frances waiting for him. He stopped where he
was, turned about so abruptly that the cart upset and almost threw him
from his feet, too.
“Now there he was! The cart couldn’t right itself, and he wouldn’t
budge again to try to turn it right side up. The whole side road was
blocked by the cart and horse so that Frances could not pass the
obstruction and come back for us to help turn the cart up again. So
she had to _walk_ back to call on us to go and help Ben out of his
troubles.
“All the sand was dumped when the cart went over, so we led Ben back
to the sand pit and filled the cart again. This time the horse made no
attempt at balking, but started humbly along the road until we came
out on the main road. He ambled slowly along and we were all rejoicing
in the vain belief that soon we would be at Green Hill, with enough
sand for you to work with, while we could return to the pit for
another load.
“But Ben knew of a nice ford down by the wooden bridge, and before I
knew that he intended turning down there for a drink, he had left the
main road and was descending the steep bank. I tried to keep my
balance on the sand pile in the cart, but the unexpected angle made me
slide and I alighted on Ben’s broad back instead of remaining seated
where I had been.
“A great deal of the sand slid out and fell into the stream, when Ben
tilted the cart so sharply on the bank. I wish you could have heard
those unsympathetic scouts laugh when they came up in the car and saw
me straddling Ben and clutching on to his old harness for all I was
worth!”
The scouts shouted with laughter at remembrance of the funny sight,
and the three adults who had anxiously awaited the coming of the
sand-diggers, also laughed heartily at Norma’s story.
“But that is not all, Jimmy! When Ben finished drinking he refused to
go on again. We began coaxing and threatening again, but all to no
avail. So there we were. I could not slide back to the cart because I
would have fallen into the water. And Ben would not go on, because he
liked the running water about his feet. The girls could not help us
because the cart was pitched at such an angle that the least shove to
urge Ben onward would have thrown it over again and perhaps thrown Ben
and me with it.
“Suddenly Frances had a brilliant idea—or she thought it was. She
drove the car across the bridge and then backed it down the other side
of the ford until it reached the water. Then she carefully steered
until it should reach Ben’s nose. It was her plan to tie a rope to
Ben’s head and let the scouts in the back seat hold the leading hold.
Then start the car up the slope on the side opposite Ben, and thus
haul him across the stream whether he wanted to go or not.
“Well! Ben would not budge, but the car did. And both the scouts who
held for dear life to the end of the rope in order to drag Ben along,
were dragged half way out of the car and were left dangerously near to
being pulled over into the water, but they let go of the rope. It had
stripped the skin from their palms, and left Ben just where he had
been before the attempt at coercion had been made.
“After a conference held with the girls in the car and me seated on
Ben’s back eager to abdicate in honor of anyone who wanted my throne,
Frances said we would have to use the chain and tackle which had been
left in the box under the rear seat of the automobile. This could be
hooked to the cart and then the cart would start through the ford,
dragging the cart upon Ben’s heels so that he would _have_ to move!
“Just as we had everything ready to give the signal for the engine to
be started, Ben suddenly reconsidered his ultimatum and started
through the water of his own accord.
“But the chain pulled the cart so far off his proposed trail that the
rear wheel clutched with the rear side wheel of the car, and there we
were, hard and fast, with Ben trying to go forward and only causing
the wheels to lock the tighter. Frances had to get out of the car,
into the stream, and get hold of Ben’s bit to try and back him again.
Meantime I took advantage of my golden opportunity and jumped from my
perch into the front seat of the automobile.
“Well, Jimmy! Had it not been for a nice good man who drove past in
his runabout at this time, we would still be marooned in the creek.
But, thank goodness, here we are with as much sand in the cart as
could stand all this pitching and sliding.”
When Norma ended her tale, Mrs. James and her companions laughed
heartily at the tricks played by Ben. Mr. Ames laughed loudest of any,
because he understood his horse so well. But enough sand was brought
in to supply the first mixture of concrete in the morning, and Mr.
Ames promised to furnish a bait for Ben to prevent another such delay
in carting more sand.
The next morning when Ames appeared with Ben and another cart full of
manure for the lake soil, he also produced a feed bag of oats. “If Ben
acts up again, just hold this bag under his nose and he will go for
it. Don’t let him get any, but just tease him along the road until you
bring him where he is to stop.”
“My goodness!” laughed Frances. “Do you have to get out and walk ahead
of him when you are alone and he balks?”
“He never balks when I drive. He seems to know the minute a female
gets hold of the reins and then he balks,” explained Ames.
So the scouts started for the sand pit again, but Ben was on his good
behavior that day, and no one needed to use the oats bag under his
nose to induce him to run. In fact, he was over-eager to reach the
farm when the girls were ready to return, and all the sand piled up
high on the cart was thrown off before the horse turned in at the side
gate of Green Hill.
When Mrs. James took account of stock of sand, she said: “We will save
time and labor by leaving Ben to mow the grass on the lawns, and use
the baskets and the empty cement bags to bring in the sand in the
automobile.” So another load was brought in that fashion, always
carefully protecting the inside of the car by covering it well with
old sheets and newspapers to keep it clean.
The concrete work of the dam was now finished and left to harden
within the side walls of timber. Farmer Ames had made a door opening
at the bottom of the wall so the water could be drained out of the
lake at any time. Now he devoted all of his time, and thought, to the
building of a good stout door for this opening, and had Sam help him
build two grooves in which it was to slide. When this particular kind
of work was finished, Sam was sent to the store at Four Corners for a
heavy chain and rings, such as were generally used to hold a bull in
the pasture lot. Ring bolts and screws and nuts had been brought from
Ames’ own tool house that day. So that afternoon the sliding door of
the dam was completed and hung so that it was readily raised and
lowered at will. The heavy chain was secured to a sturdy chestnut post
set in concrete at one side of the dam, and Mrs. James was shown just
how to use the outfit that worked the door at the bottom of the dam.
While Ames and Sam had been making the door of the dam, the scouts had
dug up various shrubs and plants in the woods and had planted them in
groups about the lake shore. Mrs. James and Miss Mason had turned
their attention to finding and digging up small pines, spruce and
cedars, and bringing them to the garden where they were planted in the
heavy metal pails and sunken in between the rocks on the islands, and
at various places on shore.
Most of the planting and arrangement of rocks and other picturesque
details was now completed, and all the following day was to be devoted
to the construction of the bridges. For this purpose, the heavy planks
that had been used in the molds for the concrete, were to be utilized
for the flooring of the bridges. The largest planks for the longest
bridge and the other shorter boards for the smaller and shorter
bridges.
The rustic rails and decorative brackets for the bridges were to be
made of knotty pine or cedar trees found in the woods.
As the next day would be Saturday, the enthusiastic lake gardeners
were very anxious to have the work all completed and the water
diverted into the lake proper, so it might fill up by Sunday, when Mr.
Marvin and their parents were expected to motor to the farm for a
short visit.
It was dark on Friday night, before the scouts could be persuaded to
stop work and come in for supper. Rachel had called many times, that
everything was being ruined by waiting so long for someone to eat
supper, but such warning had no effect until night virtually halted
all further work.
While talking eagerly, as they all sat about being served by the
attentive Rachel, one of the scouts spoke of the time it would need to
find proper trees and then cut them down and lop off the branches to
leave a rustic effect on the trunks.
“What a pity we don’t know of a rustic furniture maker where we might
be able to buy our material ready trimmed,” said Norma, thoughtfully.
At this suggestion, Mrs. James sprang up and ran over to her desk. She
hastily scanned the pages of a Business Directory for White Plains,
and then laughed joyfully. “I’ve found it!”
The girls waited eagerly for her to explain. “I’ve found the name and
address of a man who builds rustic lawn furniture to order. He is
located at North White Plains, and his shop is back of his home, so
that I can telephone him now and find out if he can supply us with any
such material as we want for our bridges. If he can, Frances can drive
me over there early in the morning and we can carry back as much as
will go in the car.”
“I’ll see to it that all we may have need of will go in the car, all
right!” declared Frances, to the satisfaction of her audience.
Mrs. James soon had the man on the wire and told him what was needed
at once, for the bridges. He replied that he had had a new supply of
rustic wood delivered the day before, and he was sure that everything
she desired in the way of posts for the hand-rails, large brackets to
fasten to the supporting posts underneath the foot-bridge, and also
all kinds of trim for the edges and ends of the bridge, could be found
in the carload which came from the pine forests in Middle New York
State.
This was such encouraging news that the scouts could not restrain
themselves, and such a babel followed that Rachel ran from the room
with both hands placed over her ears. When she reached the kitchen
where Sam sat eating his supper, she said: “My sakes! Them scouts is
enough to make me deef!”