"Bill's" Skate Sail.

The old sheet which Mother furnished us was laid out on the floor and two
corners were folded over to the center as shown in the drawing, making a
triangle with base 7 feet long and sides each about 4 feet 6 inches long.
The surplus end piece was then cut off, and a broad hem turned and basted
all around the edges of the triangle. Bill wanted to work the sewing
machine himself, but Mother was afraid he would break something, so she
sewed down the hem for us. Then, under Bill's supervision, she re-enforced
the corners by sewing on patches of cloth. Along the diagonal a
strip of heavy tape was sewed, leaving loops at intervals, which afterward
were cut and provided means for tying the sail to the mast. Tie strings of
tape were also sewed at the corners, as shown in the illustration, and
then a trip was made to the garden in search of suitable spars. A smooth
bean pole of about the right weight served for the mast, and another stick
with a crotch at one end served as the boom or cross-spar. The spars were
cut to proper length, and the sail was then tied on, as illustrated, with
the crotch of the cross-spar fitted against and tied to the center of the
mast. A light rope, long enough to provide plenty of slack, was tied to
the ends of the mast to assist in guiding the sail when in use. In the
meantime I had procured another sheet from one of our neighbors, and Bill
helped me make a sail for myself. It was not until long after dark that we
finished our work.


[Illustration: Fig. 4. The Tape Tie Strings.]

[Illustration: Fig. 5. "Bill's" Sail Complete.]