Tattine | Page 7

made of
a circle of stones on the ground, with a crane hanging above it. The
crane was quite an elaborate contrivance, for which Joseph the gardener
was to be thanked.
The long branch on which the pot hung was pivoted, if you know what
that is, on an upright post fastened firmly in the ground, and in such a
way that you could "higher it," as Tattine said, or lower it, or swing it
clear of the fire on either side. At the end of the branch away from the
fire hung a chain, with a few blocks tied into it, for a weight, so that
you lifted the weight with one hand when you wished to change the
position of the branch with the other, and then let it rest on the ground
again at the spot where you wanted the pole to stay. You see, the great

advantage of this was that, when you wished to see how things were
going on inside of the kettle, or to stop its boiling instantly--you could
just swing it away from the fire in no time, and not run the risk of
burning face or hands, or petticoats, if you belong to the petticoat
family.`
"Now," panted Tattine, for it was her turn to be breathless with running,
"I'll break the sugar if you two will make the fire, but Rudolph's to light
it and he's the only one who is to lean over it and put the wood on when
it's needed. Mamma says there is to be a very strict rule about that,
because skirts and fluffy hair like mine and Mabel's are very dangerous
about a fire," and then Tattine proceeded to roll the maple sugar in the
brown paper so as to have two or three thicknesses about it, and then,
laying it upon a flat stone, began to pound and break it with the
hammer.
"Yes," said Rudolph, on his knees on the ground, and making balls of
newspaper for the foundation of the fire; "it's lucky for Mabel and me
that fire is one thing about which we can be trusted."
"I shouldn't wonder if it's the only thing," laughed Tattine, whereupon
Mabel toppled her over on the grass by way of punishment.
"No, but honest!" continued Rudolph, "I have just been trained and
trained about fire. I know it's an awfully dangerous thing. It's just
foolhardy to run any sort of risk with it, and it's wise when you make a
fire in the open air like this, to stand on the same side as the wind
comes from, even if you haven't any skirts or fluffy hair to catch."
"Here's some more wood, grandfather," said Mabel solemnly, dumping
an armful down at his side; "I should think you were eighty to hear you
talk," and then Mabel had her punishment by being chased down the
path and plumped down rather hard in the veriest tangle of brambles
and briars. It chanced, however, that her corduroy skirt furnished all the
protection needed from the sharp little thorns, so that, like "Brer
Rabbit," she called out exultingly, " 'Born and bred in a briar-patch,
Brer Rudolph, born and bred in a briar-patch,'" and could have sat there
quite comfortably, no one`knows how long, but that she heard the
maple sugar go tumbling into the kettle. And then she heard Tattine say,
"A cup of water to two pounds, isn't it?" Then she heard the water go
splash on top of the maple sugar. Now she could stand it no longer, and,
clearing the briars at one bound, was almost back at the camp with

another.
By this time the fire was blazing away finely, and the sugar, with the
help of an occasional stirring from the long-handled spoon in Rudolph's
hand, soon dissolved. Dissolving sometimes seems to be almost a day's
journey from boiling, and the children were rather impatient for that
stage to be reached. At last, however, Rudolph announced excitedly, "It
boils, it boils! and now I mustn't leave it for a minute. More wood,
Mabel! don't be so slow, and, Tattine, hurry Philip up with that ice," but
Philip was seen at that moment bringing a large piece of ice in a
wheelbarrow, so Tattine was saved that journey, and devoted the time
instead to spreading out one of the pieces of wrapping-paper, to keep
the ice from the ground, because of the dead leaves and "things" that
were likely to cling to it.
"Now break off a good-sized piece, Tattine," Rudolph directed, "and
put it on a piece of paper near the fire," but Tattine knew that was the
next thing to do, so what was the use of Rudolph's telling her? It
happens quite frequently that people who are giving directions