Part 4

"Not very much, that I know of," replied Johnny; "and as I make up all my amusements, or almost all of them, I shouldn't know as well what is going on as Harrison Brown would."

"Who is Harrison Brown?" inquired Felix with interest.

"He's a boy who lives on State Street, opposite the north side of the park," replied Johnny.

"Has he got a bicycle? and does he wear a blue suit with a little plaid in it?" inquired Felix.

"Yes," said Sue: "that's his new suit, and I think it's real pretty."

"Why, he's the boy that I raced with," continued Felix: "I guess I'll go right over and see him, and ask him what is going on. Can't you come along, Johnny?"

"I'll ask mother," replied Johnny doubtfully.

"Can't I go too?" asked Sue.

"You?" replied Felix. "What does a girl want to go round with boys for? and what do boys want girls going around with them for?"

"But I go 'most everywhere with Johnny," replied Sue, looking rather hurt.

"But Johnny is different from other boys," said Felix.

As Johnny had gone to ask his mother about going with Felix, he did not hear this remark. "But Belle Miner goes with her brother Alec, and Terry Scott goes with her brother Dick, and we all go together; and ever so many boys and girls I know of, that are not brothers and sisters, play together, and have real good times. I like to play with boys very much, when they are not too rough and hateful; and I can run as fast, and play as well, as any of them, at most things."

Felix laughed loud and long.

"But you can't go fishing," said he, "nor ride a bicycle."

"I could ride a tricycle," said Sue, "if I had one; and if I had one to ride, I could go fishing."

Johnny came back, saying his mother would like to see Felix in the sitting-room. So they all went down to hear what she had to say.

"We are not in the habit of allowing our children to go out in the evening, unless by especial invitation, or with us, or by our advice or consent: and of course, Felix, since we are to do by you just as we do by our own children, we cannot allow you any more liberty than they have; it would not be right."

"But I don't see what harm there could be in my just going a little way, to ask a boy a question."

"We shall not expect you to see the reasons for all our rules, any more than we expect Johnny and Sue to see them, and we cannot take time and pains to explain them to you; for very likely you would not understand them any better then, since many of them can only be understood by grown persons," replied Mrs. Le Bras mildly, continuing her sewing, and not seeming to pay very much attention to Felix, who was looking decidedly cross.

"I wish I hadn't agreed to come here," he said: "I don't think much of such strict rules. My father and mother are not so notional."

Mrs. Le Bras made no reply: she seemed to be very much absorbed in her sewing. Felix got into a rocking-chair on his knees, and began rocking it violently back and forth. Johnny wished he could get up to his sky-room. Sue spread a newspaper on the floor, and, sitting down before it, began to cut a fine lady out of a colored fashion-plate, for a doll. Johnny took one of his books down, and turned over the pages mechanically; it was not the book he wanted, as that was in the sky-room; and he was afraid, too, that it would not be polite to read while Felix was unoccupied. But if Felix had not been there, he would have sat down with a book, and been happy, or amused himself in some other way.

"This is awful stupid!" said Felix.

"Here's an interesting story: don't you want to read it?" suggested Johnny. "It's about a family of children who lived up in Iceland."

"No! I hate books!" replied Felix: "they're awful stupid things. I never read if I can help it. I have more than all the reading I want at school; and I don't go to school when I don't want to, either."

Mrs. Le Bras smiled to herself.

"How often do you go to school, Felix?" she inquired.

"Two or three times a week. I go when I can't think of any thing else to do."

"Then, as you can't think of any thing else to do this evening, why not read a little while? that will help to pass away the time."

"No! I don't want to read! what do I care about folks in Iceland? It's summer now, and I want to know what folks are doing in summer."

"I've got a book that tells how some boys had a garden in summer, and sold vegetables enough to buy all the sleds and skates and caps and mittens they needed for the next winter," said Johnny.

"Oh, ho! I can have all such things without having a garden."

"But they couldn't, and it's real interesting to read how they managed their little farm."

"Farm? I thought you said it was a garden."

"It was such a large garden that they called it their farm: it was an acre of ground."

"How much is an acre?"

"You know how many acres there are in the park?"

"How should I know?"

"You know it is a quarter of a mile on each side, don't you?"

"What of that?"

"That makes a quarter of a mile square, don't it?"

"I don't know."

"And it makes a quarter of a square mile."

"Well, what of that?"

"You know how many acres there are in a square mile, don't you?"

"Of course I don't! Why should I?"

"Haven't you learned square measure at school?"

"Oh! I went past that long ago. I'm over in percentage."

"Then, you know that six hundred and forty acres make a square mile."

"No, I don't remember any thing about it. I don't expect to remember a thing after I've been past it a little while, and I never do: so I don't see what's the use of learning books at all."

"And if there are six hundred and forty acres in one square mile," continued Johnny, "in a quarter of a square mile there would be one-fourth of that, which is one hundred and sixty acres."

"Why, if there are that many acres in the park, one acre wouldn't be any thing," replied Felix. "It isn't a large park at all."

Johnny laughed as he replied, "Isn't our yard of pretty good size?"

"Yes."

"Well, our yard hasn't a quarter of an acre in it, I am sure. Let's measure it to-morrow, and see just what part of an acre there is in it."

"How can you tell?" replied Felix.

"Why, don't you know?" replied Johnny.

"No. How did you learn how?"

"Why, by studying square measure at school."

"I guess your schools are different from ours, then: I didn't learn any thing but the table, and how to do a few sums; and just as soon as I had learned that, I forgot all about it!--I say, I can't stand this! I'll go and call Clyde in, and have a good time with him."

Clyde had been in so many times, putting his muddy paws upon the furniture and her delicate dress, that Mrs. Le Bras was dismayed at this announcement.

"I think you will enjoy yourself better with Clyde out on the platform," she suggested.

"Come, Johnny, let's go out, then," said Felix. "I'll show you some of Clyde's tricks. He's a trained dog."

"Can't I go?" said Sue.

"Yes, come along if you want to; but I ain't used to having girls tagging me around."

At first Sue was a little provoked, and thought she would not go; but she was so fond of romping, that she soon followed the boys, saying to her mother,--

"Johnny will have to romp now, whether he wants to or not."

"Poor Johnny!" sighed Mrs. Le Bras.

Presently Mr. Le Bras came in; and his wife told him how restless and out of humor Felix had been, and said she could not imagine what they were to do with him, especially evenings, if they tried to be at all particular where he was, and what company he kept.

"We must manage it somehow," replied Mr. Le Bras thoughtfully; "and I cannot have you and Johnny fretted either."

"I don't know but I had better go to the cottage, whether you can go or not," continued Mrs. Le Bras; "for then he and Clyde will wear out and soil Louis' furniture instead of ours. Clyde has nearly ruined my dress already, by jumping up upon me in his good-natured way; and I have been around trying to get stains off of the upholstering of the chairs. As for Sue, I cannot pretend to dress her up at all nicely while the dog is around; and I know it frets Johnny very much to have the mud-stains on his new drab suit. If we were at the seaside, the children could dress in common clothes, and there would be more harmless outdoor amusements."

"It will never do for you to take the whole charge of that boy: it would make you ill. He must be under the eye of a man; I will see to him: and as for Clyde, I will soon settle him. I hope to be able to leave my business a while by the first of August, and then we will go to the cottage: by coming back for a few days at a time, now and then, I think I can stay some weeks; and whenever I come back, I shall bring Felix with me, unless he has greatly improved."

Just then Johnny came in, and asked his father if he would let him take his large tape-measure.

"What do you want it for?" replied Mr. Le Bras.

"I want to show Felix how to find out what part of an acre there is in our yard."

"Hasn't he learned enough arithmetic to do that himself?"

"No, sir: he's been over as far as I have, but he says he don't know any thing about square measure."

"I'll warrant!" replied Mr. Le Bras, taking the measure from one of the drawers under the library-shelves, and handing it to Johnny.

When Johnny reached the garden again, he found Felix on the roof of the shed.

"Come down, and help me measure, Felix," he said.

"No," replied Felix: "I'll sit up here, and see you do it."

"Oh! that's the kind of a surveyor you'll be," replied Johnny; "you'll survey from a distance: but this is ever so much more interesting. Come, Sue, you hold the measure for me, and I'll measure the width of the yard first. Stand back there, and keep the measure close to the fence; and when I say 'Come,' bring it to me."

As it was getting pretty dark, Felix could not see much except Johnny's and Sue's forms as they moved about. Having measured the width of the yard, Johnny measured the length.

"It is three times as long as it is broad," he announced.

"I could have told that without measuring," returned Felix scornfully. "Arithmetic isn't of any use at all."

"You had better come down before it gets any darker," said Johnny, "or you may fall."

"Fall! Oh, ho! I guess not! I ain't a baby."

"I'm going in now, to reckon this out," said Johnny. "Seventy-five feet wide, and two hundred and twenty-five feet long, or twenty-five yards wide, and seventy-five yards long. It will be easiest to find the square yards."

"How do you find the square yards," demanded Felix.

"Oh! I know that," remarked Sue; "just multiply the yards long by the yards wide: don't you, Prof.?"

"Of course," replied Johnny.

"'Of course!'" mimicked Felix. "Well, I guess I'll come down now, since the prospect isn't as good as it might be."

Johnny went in to get a pencil and a piece of paper: Felix began to come down from the roof by swinging himself off, and letting his feet rest upon the slender railing that passed along the outer edge of the platform. Just as he was putting his feet down, Clyde jumped upon him; and in trying to extricate himself from the dog, and touch the railing at the same time, he missed the railing in the darkness, and fell down, giving an impatient exclamation of pain as he reached the ground.

Sue was frightened, and ran in with the announcement that Felix had fallen off of the roof. Mr. Le Bras went out immediately, followed by Johnny and Mrs. Le Bras. Felix had arisen, but was limping up the steps, and half crying with pain. "Oh, dear!" said he, "I've sprained my ankle awfully; so I'm about sure I can't ride my bicycle for a week; and then I'd like to know what I'm going to do, staying around in the house all the time!"

Johnny's heart sank: he had counted on Felix's being off on his bicycle a good part of the next day, and what should he do if he were to be at home all the time expecting him to keep him company. Would he be able to enjoy his beautiful sky-room after all?

"Perhaps it is not as bad as you imagine, Felix," said his aunt encouragingly, while his uncle helped him up the steps and into the house; but the boy limped badly, and there was an expression of genuine pain upon his face. Mr. Le Bras seated him in an easy-chair, and placed another chair for him to rest his foot upon, while Mrs. Le Bras got the arnica to bathe the ankle. After the ankle had been bathed and bandaged, and the slippers which Sue had found in Felix's trunk substituted in place of shoes, to accommodate the swollen foot, Felix began to exclaim desolately at his forlorn condition. "I can't even do any thing to amuse myself this evening," he said; "and it's no use to go to bed, because my foot pains me so that I couldn't sleep, even if it were not early in the evening."

"Sit up here by the table," replied Johnny, "and let's figure out what part of an acre there is in the yard. Here's an extra pencil and sheet of paper. It will be real fun: let's see who gets it right first."

"It won't be any fun at all," replied Felix; "just as if there is any fun in figuring! you might as well say there is fun in going to school and studying old dry books."

Johnny made no reply. He had begun to cipher.

"What are you going to do first?" asked Felix languidly.

"Why, multiply the length by the breadth in yards, to get the square yards in the garden."

"What next?"

"Why, then reduce an acre to square yards, so as to know how many square yards there are in an acre."

"I can do that," said Felix, looking slightly interested; "but I never could see what use there was in it, and I don't see now."

"Come and do it, then," said Johnny coaxingly.

Felix hopped to the table slowly, on one foot, and sat down in the chair Sue placed for him; while Johnny brought the other chair for his foot.

"How many square yards were there?" said Felix, taking the paper and pencil, and resting the paper on a book he took from the table.

"You do it all yourself," replied Johnny; "seventy yards long, you know, and twenty-five yards wide."

Presently Johnny stopped figuring.

"Have you got through?" asked Felix.

"No: I'm waiting for you to catch up."

"1,875 square yards," said Felix.

"Yes; and now reduce an acre to square yards."

After figuring a few minutes, Felix announced 4,840 square yards in an acre. "What do you do next?" he said.

"One yard, then, would be what part of an acre?" asked Johnny.

After a moment's hesitation, Felix said, "1/4840 of an acre."

"Then, 1,875 square yards would be how many 4,84Oths of an acre?"

"Why," replied Felix, after a little further consideration, "1875/4840 of an acre."

"Now let's reduce that fraction as low as we can, by dividing both terms by five, and what does it give us?"

"375/968 of an acre."

"Now, is that about a fourth of an acre, or about a third of an acre?"

Felix looked at the figures a moment, and then said, "It's a good deal more than a quarter of an acre, and--it's more than a third of an acre too."

"Yes, it's a little more than a third of an acre: there's more ground in our house-lot than I thought there was. You know now about how large those boys' farm was,--nearly three times as large as our yard. Now let's see exactly how many roods and rods and yards and feet and inches there are."

"How do you do that?" asked Felix, looking very blank.

"Why, reduce your 1,875 square yards in the garden, to higher denominations."

"Oh, yes!" replied Felix, brightening: "I've done those sums lots of times, and those denominate fractions like 1875/4840, but I never could see any sense to it before. Let's see,--what do you divide by first? Oh! I remember, 30 1/4."

Felix figured away bravely; but when he gave his result, it differed considerably from Johnny's. After some expressions of impatience, he looked it over, and, with some assistance from Johnny, found his mistake; their answers then agreed; and he read the result aloud, with something of an air of pride in his achievement,--

"1 rood, 21 square rods, 29 square yards, 6 square feet, 108 square inches. And that's the first time I ever saw any sense in square measure, and all those things. I thought arithmetic was just to keep boys busy in school, and I could always find enough to do without it. I tell you, I've played more pranks on the teachers! and I didn't get found out very often neither; and when I did, they didn't dare punish me, for fear my folks would make a fuss; and they would too."

"It is eight o'clock now; and I always read to our children for an hour or so before they go to bed," said Mrs. Le Bras, "or have them read aloud to me."

"Let us all take turns to-night," said Johnny. "You or father begin."

"Very well," said Mrs. Le Bras, taking a book from one of the library-shelves. "We are to begin our new book to-night, which is fortunate on Felix's account."

"It'll be awful stupid, I know," said Felix: "all books are. I wish books had never been invented, and then a fellow would not have to go to school at all."

"You begin, Frank," said Mrs. Le Bras.

Mr. Le Bras put down his paper, and began to read in the book. It was an account of a pedestrian excursion made by two boys in the Alps: they were German boys, and this was the way they spent their summer vacation.

Felix did not intend to listen to the reading: he had begun to draw comic pictures on his sheet of paper; he was trying to represent himself and Clyde, as he was falling from the roof; his attempt, however, was not very artistic. But soon he became very much interested in the story, and sat quite still, listening. Mr. Le Bras, after reading about fifteen minutes, passed the book to Mrs. Le Bras. She read about the same length of time, and then passed the book to Felix. Felix said at first that he did not like to read aloud, and would have passed the book to Johnny. But his uncle said, "No, Felix, I want to hear you read;" and Felix, who stood rather in awe of his uncle Frank, did not like to disobey him. He made so many mistakes, and mixed his words up so badly by reading too fast, that Sue was about to say she could not understand his reading, when her mother shook her head at her.

When Johnny's turn came, he read remarkably well,--so much so, that Felix felt quite ashamed of his own reading, which he knew was not good, although he did not know exactly what was the matter with it, except that he could not pronounce all the words. Sue read exceedingly well for a little girl,--very much better than Felix.

"It is nine o'clock now," said Mrs. Le Bras at length, "and we must put the book aside until to-morrow night."

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Felix: "we are at the most interesting part now."

But Mrs. Le Bras explained that they never read more than an hour in this way; and, as she said this, she replaced the book on the shelf, remarking that it was time for the children to go to bed.

"I never go to bed till I get ready," replied Felix, "and generally I sit up until ten."

"What time do you rise in the morning?" inquired his uncle.

"Most any time,--about eight generally."

"We breakfast at half-past seven," replied his aunt: "so you see you will need to go to bed earlier than you do at home."

Mrs. Le Bras then bathed Felix's ankle again with the arnica, and Mr. Le Bras said he would help him up to his room.

So ended the first day of Felix's visit. The next morning Felix's ankle was so badly swollen that it was evident bicycle-riding was out of the question for the present.

"I wish now," said he, "that I had brought my pony and dog-cart; but I was tired of them at home."

"Where are they?" asked Johnny.

"They're at our summer place, with the other horses and carriages. Oliver has gone down there to take care of the horses and things while father is gone."

"If we go to the cottage, can I ride in your dog-cart?" asked Sue.

"Yes, if you want to; it's just fit for girls: but give me a bicycle or a boat. We've got a sail-boat; but father won't trust me without Oliver goes, and Oliver hates to go sailing with boys. I've got a row-boat of my own."

After breakfast, it was discovered that Clyde was missing. He had been put in the summer kitchen for the night, and the door had been left open. The whole household called him, and searched for him, except Mr. Le Bras; but nothing could be heard or seen of him. A sudden suspicion flashed upon the mind of Mrs. Le Bras; and she said, in a low tone, to her husband, "Do you know where Clyde is?"

"The fewer questions you ask me, the better," he replied; and she said no more.

"If he is not found by to-night," said Felix, "I shall have an advertisement put in the paper."

"That would be of no use," replied Mrs. Le Bras; "since his name, you say, was on his collar, with the words, 'Owned by F. Le Bras.' As your uncle is the only man by the name of Le Bras in town, and F. is his first initial, any one who found him accidentally would bring him here."

"While, if he was taken intentionally from the shed during the night, as I have no doubt he was, the person who took him does not mean to return him," added Mr. Le Bras.

"Then, I must have another dog," replied Felix.

"Very well," said his uncle: "if you do not find Clyde by the time we go to the seaside, you shall have another; but I think, while you are in town, you can get on very well without a dog, provided Clyde does not find his way back."

"He would have woke us all up if the thief had not muzzled him," said Felix.

"I presume he was muzzled," replied Mr. Le Bras. "This is a bad neighborhood for dogs; I have no idea that you could keep a dog safe here a week; there is a great prejudice in this neighborhood against dogs."

Mr. Le Bras then turned the conversation by saying to his wife, "You remember Pierre was to stay here while his folks are away?"

"Yes," replied Mrs. Le Bras: "I am quite willing he should come at any time; he makes scarcely any trouble at all."

"Trouble!" exclaimed Sue: "I think he makes a great deal of pleasure."

"So do I," said Johnny. "When is he coming?"

"Week after next, I believe," replied Mr. Le Bras, taking his hat, and going toward the door. "His father and mother have decided to spend the rest of the summer at the White Mountains, on account of his father's health: he is suffering seriously from malaria."

The next thing was, what was to be done with Felix that day, since he was contented with nothing but lively outdoor amusements. Johnny was too polite and kind-hearted to leave him to his own slender devices, while he was in such a helpless condition; but he thought sadly of the quiet and beauty of the sky-room, which he had not been able to visit since Felix arrived.

*CHAPTER V.*

*COMPROMISES.*

"How will you amuse yourself to-day, Felix?" asked Johnny, as they walked aimlessly into the sitting-room. Johnny was thinking to himself, "I wish school was not out, and then there would not be so much time in which I should have to think of being polite to Felix, instead of going about the things I like to do myself, and which he don't care any thing at all about."

"Oh! I don't know, I'm sure," replied Felix, yawning: "can't you think up something? I know it's going to be as stupid as can be. I wish I had insisted on going to Europe."

"I know what I would do, if I was only tall enough," said Sue: "I'd try to ride Felix's bicycle myself. I think it must be great fun."

This made Felix laugh. "It would be good as a play to see you try," he said; "I just wish you could; it would give us some fun to see you wobble about on it, and scream every time you thought it was going to fall over."

"Why don't you have Johnny try?" suggested Sue; "it would be pretty near as much fun; only Johnny wouldn't scream, if he did fall over; he never screams at any thing."

"That's an idea," said Felix. "Yes, Johnny, you try the bicycle: it's great fun to see a beginner."