“And when we go to the store, remember to get some more wire netting to nail these projecting stakes in order to keep the birds in their prison until the family is started,” reminded Norma.
When the cote was dry and the wire was fastened about it to keep the inmates from flying away, Sam was called upon to climb the long ladder and saw off the end of the telegraph pole, so the cote would be about twenty feet above the ground.
This was no trouble for him, for he had been sawing so much since the day he tried to square off the clothes pole that he soon had the high pole evenly sawed and ready for the cote.
Several heavy iron brackets had been secured at the store to insure the safety of the cote once it was on top of the pole. Then Sam climbed the ladder again and the girls hoisted the barrel cote up to him by means of a rope and pulley.
At last the nice-looking cote was up and it looked very good, too. Sam suggested that the old grey pole be painted a dove color but Janet discovered that there was no paint left in the can. Some one had kicked it over in their zeal to pull the barrel up to the top of the pole, and the remaining paint had trickled out upon the ground.
“Oh, that pole is near enough the grey color of the cote,” called Natalie impatiently.
“We can give it a coat of paint next year, if we think it will look better,” added Janet.
“But Norma wanted it to look good for the rest of this summer,” ventured Mrs. James.
“Yes, it is in my garden, and I don’t want any old things to ruin the appearance of my flowers,” admitted Norma.
“Why won’t a lot of vines look fine, if you train them to climb up the pole?” asked Belle. “I’ve seen the poles in country gardens covered with morning glories and other vines!”