Just what I would have said, had you not found it out first! declared Mrs. Vernon.
But I dont know where to find any dyes, admitted the scout.
Ill tell you of some later. Now I wonder if you girls want to use the large barrel and copy my chair. Yours will be larger, however, as my chair was only a half-barrel size, you know.
Being only too anxious to copy Vernys chair, the four girls began work with a will. They took turns in sawing through the staves, even as they had been advised to do in building the hut, and this spared their muscles feeling lame or tired from the movement of the arm while sawing the hard wood.
Ill leave you now to finish the chair, while I hunt along the mountain trail to find certain dye materials, said the Captain, as the work on the chair progressed finely.
But the barrel-chair was finished before Mrs. Vernon returned. I couldnt find a thing that would do. I hunted most thoroughly, too. You see, it is too early for walnuts if they were ripe we could stain the wood and burlaps a fine brown. Then I looked for different wild plants that will dye things, but there were none.
Verny, Eliza colors our Easter eggs with onion peel. I see you have a lot of onions in the store-room, but I am not sure they will color burlap, said Betty.
Just the thing, Betty! How wonderful of you to remember it. We will boil the skins until the water is a deep brown-orange and then we will try it on the burlap.
The onions had to be peeled, and this was not a pleasant task, as eyes began to weep and the girls had to sniffle as they skinned the onions, but they were determined to finish their upholstery work as long as they had started it.
The onion peels were placed over a fire to simmer slowly and the girls then went to work on the excelsior filling for the cushions. Meantime, Mrs. Vernon cut the burlap the required sizes to fit the seats of the chairs, and also cut oval panels for the backs.
Well, the onion peel dyed the material a soft ochre color, and was tried on the barrel-wood too. But it failed to stain that. The cushions were tacked down with small tacks, and the chairs looked most inviting to the manufacturers.
Each scout took a turn in trying the chairs, and each pronounced them most luxurious, but Mrs. Vernon withheld such high praise as luxury, saying instead Theyre hard as rocks!
Now what can we build? asked Ruth, showing intense interest in this form of occupation.
Mrs. Vernon laughed. Do you want to begin something else?
Might as well, Verny. The hut has to be furnished now, as long as you have launched us along that line, Julie replied, laughingly.
A table is easy to build, but you have to cut down the material for the legs.
Where do table-legs grow well cut them down, returned Joan, comically.
Wherever you find small birch-trees growing thickly together, you can cut one out. Never chop down a tree that stands alone, as it will mean shelter and shade in time to come. But a small tree can always be spared, if there are several growing in a group. The others will fare better for the thinning out.
How many shall we cut? now asked Betty.
Bring four, each one about two inches in diameter. We will use the thickest end of each trunk for legs, the middle sections for chair-backs, and the smallest ends for arms.
Provided with the ax, hatchet, and woodsman knife, the scouts started on
their quest. After they had gone, Mrs. Vernon detached one side of a packing-case and removed any nails left in the wood. As this section of the case had reinforced pieces along the outer edges, it would be a strong table-top.
The rest of the day was used in building the table, and a queer looking object was the result. It was a cross between a stool and a four-legged pedestal. It was rather wobbly, too, as Ruth had sawed one leg shorter than those made by her three scout companions.
It might tip over, Ruth, if a visitor leans upon it, said Mrs. Vernon.
Well keep a stone under that leg. It wont joggle if its boosted up, explained Ruth.
But the stone may slip out, or should one wish to move the table about, the stone will have to be carried about too.
Goodness me, Verny! What can I do? I cant stretch it! cried Ruth, distractedly.
Every one laughed, but the Captain said: No, it wont stretch, but cant one of you scouts suggest a remedy?
When they realized that they all were called upon to share the responsibility of the tilting table, they puckered their foreheads and put on their thinking-caps.
I know! Well tack a little end of the wood to the bottom of the leg, called Joan, excitedly.
Ruth cast a scornful look at Joan, as much as to say: Id like to see any one sticking a block under that leg!
Verny, we might take the leg off and saw a new one, suggested Betty.
We could, and I suppose that would be the only correct way to do it, but I am thinking of another and easier way, replied the Captain.
Oh! I guess I know! How will it do to saw all three legs off so they will be the same length as Ruths short one? exclaimed Julie, slapping her knee.