The Little Oak-Leaf Dog
He has the funny expression of a real dog when he is making up his mind what to do next, even if he is only an oak-leaf. It was an ordinary leaf four inches long which was, by tearing a little here and bending a little there, transformed into his absurd dogship ([Fig. 75]).
Fig.75 - The little Oak Leaf Dog.
[Fig. 76] is the tracing of the leaf actually used for the dog. [Fig. 77] shows the same leaf with its stem nipped off and the other end torn up, not very evenly, where the dotted lines are in [Fig. 76]. This makes the little dog's tail. The tear on either side reaches to the mid-rib of the leaf, but does not cross it, and the mid-rib being unbroken holds the tail out stiff and straight.
| Fig.77 - This shows how the dog was made. | Fig.76 - The leaf the dog was made of. |
The two hind legs are bent down just where the tear ends in making the tail. The dotted line in [Fig. 77] shows this. The other two legs, formed by the side lobes of the leaf, are bent down as the dotted lines indicate. The tip of the lobe on the left side had to be torn off because that leg was longer than the opposite one.
In making the neck the narrow part of the leaf was bent up and then down, the two dotted lines show where. Then the ears were bent up and the little oak-leaf dog was placed standing as you see him in [Fig. 75], to have his picture drawn.
CHAPTER XII
GRAPE-LEAF DRINKING-CUP
A wild-grape leaf will do quite as well as a cultivated one for a drinking-cup if it is large enough. You want a large leaf, because a small one will hold only a sip of water, and when one is really thirsty that is certainly not enough.
Fig.78 - The drinking cup was made of a leaf like this.
Whether wild or cultivated, the grape-leaf should be washed in clean water to take off dust and any possible insects that may be on it. Where there is water to drink there is water for washing the leaf, so there can be no difficulty about that, and the large green leaf, freshened by the water, looks very cool and inviting.
It is simply a matter of folding, first one way, then the other, that turns the grape-leaf into a cup. [Fig. 78] is a tracing of the leaf from which the cup ([Fig. 79]) was made. It measured eight inches at its widest part, almost seven inches from tip to stem, and the cup held a good supply of water.
Fig.79 - A fine drinking cup made by folding a Grape leaf.
Begin to fold by bringing the two lower lobes of the leaf together in the way shown in [Fig. 80]. This makes the middle bend that is indicated by the dotted line in [Fig. 78]. Then bring the two lobes around to the left, or to the right if that comes easier, hold them close together and lap them over the upper lobe on that side. That makes the two side bends which join at the middle bend ([Fig. 78]), and rounds the cup into shape.
Fig.80 - Bring the two lower lobes of the leaf together.
The bottom of the cup is pointed, as you see, and, of course, will not stand; then, too, the cup falls apart when you loosen your hold, but neither of these things are of any consequence, for you can let your cup lie flat and fold it again very quickly when it is needed. As long as the folds are held tight in your fingers, the cup will keep its shape and hold water without leaking a particle. Use the upper, or green, side of the leaf for the inside of the cup; the under, or light, side is fuzzy and may harbor small insects even after it is washed. Be sure you look into the water before drinking it. This should be done no matter what you drink from or where you get the water.