sure; but what? At last the secret came out. They were building a
boat!

Jack and Rob did it all. "The little boys"--as they were accustomed to
call Jim and Leo, much to the chagrin of the latter--were not permitted
to have anything to say. They were to keep their eyes open and learn
by observation. This they did, though not with exactly the result that
had been intended. Before long they understood very well what not to
do in building a boat. But we are all liable to make mistakes; and are
we not continually teaching others, at least by our experience?

In season and out of season the work went on. Little Barbara Stuart
was constantly coming over to ask: "Is Rob here? Mother wants him; he
hasn't half finished what he had to do at home." Leo kept getting into
trouble because he would stop at his cousin's, instead of going
directly home from school as his father wished him to do. Jim, who had
a decided, but, alas! entirely uncultivated, taste for drawing, spoiled
his new writing-book with extraordinary sketches meant to represent
every kind of boat, from a punt or dory to an ocean steamer; and in
consequence was not on good terms with the schoolmaster, who did not
appreciate such evidences of genius.

Jack--well, everything seemed to go wrong with him. "Where is
Jack?"--"Oh, bother, over at the barn!" The answer soon became a
byword. The barn was at some distance from the house, and what a time
there was in summoning the boy! The method was sufficiently telling,
one would think, since it informed the whole neighborhood when he was
wanted. It consisted in blowing the horn for him. Now, this was no
common horn, but the voice of a giant imprisoned in a cylinder. Jack
could have explained it upon the principle of compressed air, for he