“Well you’ve got it now, so let’s get busy and put it up,” was Belle’s sensible advice.
“You go over to the other end of the wire, Belle, and stand on it to keep it from flying back as it does every time I move it,” suggested Janet, because the netting rolled itself up just when it was not expected to.
Mrs. James supplied herself with a mouthful of nails, and a few extra ones in her hand that held the hammer, then went to the first post in the row. She turned to tell Janet what to do but the nails in her mouth kept her from being understood so she had to remove them before she could speak intelligibly.
“I said for you to drag the wire over to me so I could nail one end to this post,” she repeated.
Janet did as she was told, but Belle had stepped from the other end of the wire to get the box so that Mrs. James might put the nails back in the box instead of back in her mouth. Consequently, the moment Janet began to lift the end of the wire the rest of it rebounded like a live thing. It coiled so unexpectedly and suddenly that the opposite end flew up, the ragged ends of the wire scratching Janet’s face and then catching in her fluffy hair.
“Ouch! Someone come and get this out of my hair, please!” cried the girl, tears in her eyes.
“Hold perfectly still, for a moment!” called Belle, running over to her assistance.
“Ooh—oo—uch! That hurts, Belle!” cried Janet, as the wires tugged at her hair unmercifully when Belle tried to untangle them. Then she had to call upon Mrs. James to help.
Frances had returned and, from Rachel, heard that the three had gone to the barn to build a chicken run, so she joined them there. She was just in time to hear Janet wail pitifully, and see the free end of the wire twist and writhe. This, of course, made the other end pull the harder on Janet’s hair.
“Wait! I’ll stand on this end so it can’t move. Then you can work better,” called Frances, jumping upon the wire as she spoke.