“I know! She has a gondola ‘boat-bird’ to sail about the lake,” teased Miss Mason, who had read the story of the “boat-bird” written about the East Side children of New York.
In spite of all the coaxings Janet refused to share her secret, but told them all to wake up early enough in the morning to see the surprise she had ready for them.
They all walked slowly back to the porch after this, and having had such a strenuous day’s work, no one objected when Mrs. James suggested that they retire early that night.
Unknown to the other girls, Janet had taken Rachel’s alarm clock and set it to ring half an hour before the usual time. The clock was placed under her pillow so its alarm, in the morning, would be muffled enough to prevent the other sleepers from rousing.
Hence she was up and out before any one else in the house awoke. And she had managed to get Sam out of bed, in order to have him help her in finishing the surprise she had planned for every one. Two very good and fanciful coops had been made by Janet, at odd times during the week, the trimming and fancy touches being of rustic woodwork similar to the trim on the bridges, the difference being that Janet’s trim was of wild grapevine that twisted and curled artistically and the thin bark of which made it look much daintier than that of cedar or pine.
Sam helped to convey these two elaborate coops from the barn over to the shore near the dam where the day before Janet had cleared two places and poured soft concrete over the ground to make a dry floor for the coops to stand upon. They were both delighted to find the water had filled the lake. Janet told Sam to go back to the barn with her and help carry the goslings and ducklings to their new palatial residences.
As the little fellows had been shut in since their evening meal, they were clamoring for something to eat when Janet and Sam reached the old coops. It did not take long to coax them into a box with a hole made in the cover, for the corn meal they sniffed inside the box made them fight to get out of the coop and into the boxes. They were then speedily carried over to the new houses where plentiful breakfasts of mush and cracked corn were spread in the little lath-fenced yards, and here they were left to enjoy life.
Janet and Sam stood back to watch what the little water fowl would do when they went prospecting outside of the coops. The breakfast kept many too busy for a time to indulge in any curiosity, but a few ducks wandered forth and went bobbing their heads towards the lake.
Janet tiptoed anxiously after them, and when the little ducklings launched themselves forth upon the surface of the water, Janet almost screamed with delight. They looked so pretty and were so in keeping with the entire scene that even Sam laughed and rubbed his hands with satisfaction.
“Dear me, I wish I could wait to see the geese go swimming, too,” cried Janet, longingly. “But I’ve got to run to the house and get the rest out of bed to make them come and see the lake!”