CONFUSION.
Rollo explained his plan of collecting a museum of curiosities to his cousins Lucy and James, and to his sister Mary, who was a good deal older than he was. He also informed Henry, a playmate of his, who lived not a great way from his father’s house. All the children took a great deal of interest in the scheme, and promised to help him collect the curiosities.
At length, after a few days, Rollo, to his great joy, observed one evening signs of an approaching storm. The wind sighed through the trees, and thick, hazy clouds spread themselves over the sky.
“Don’t you think it is going to rain?” said Rollo to his father, as he came in to tea.
“I don’t know,” said his father. “Which way is the wind?”
“I’ll go and see,” said Rollo.
He went out and looked at the vane which Jonas had placed upon the top of the barn.
When he came in, he told his father that the wind was east. Then his father said he thought it would rain, and Rollo clapped his hands with delight.
And it did rain. The next morning, when Rollo awoke, he heard the storm driving against the window of his chamber. After breakfast, he took an umbrella, and went out into the barn, and found Jonas already at work upon the cabinet. In the course of the morning he finished it. He put three good shelves into it, which, together with the bottom of the box, made four shelves. He also put the two covers on, with hinges, so as to make doors of them; and put a little hasp upon the doors, outside, to fasten them with. He then put it up in one corner of the play room, all ready for the curiosities. Rollo put in his hornets’ nest, his pebble stones, and his hemlock-seed, as he called it; and then went to the barn door, and began to be as eager to have it clear up, as he had been before to have it rain. He wanted to go out and collect some more curiosities.