some."

"No danger of that, auntie, if you only give me something to do," was
the cheerful response.

"If that's all ye want, the land knows there's enough to be done," said
his aunt with a laugh.

"Well, then, what first?"

"Wal, what bothers me most jest now are them cattle walkin' round the
yard. T'want only yisterday Squire Mullins'es cow hed to eat up the top
of my pennyroyal geranium and trod down my eardrops and lady-slippers,
and now they ain't anything left but bachelor's-buttons that's worth
looking at. Ye might set somethin' alongside of the road, jest enough to
keep out the critters. Don't s'pose ye could build a fence, could ye?"

"Well, aunty," said Jem, "I never did build one, but I think I could.
What shall it be made of?"

"That's a question. I burned up all there was left of the old fence, for
kindlin' wood. You might find somethin' out in the old workshop nex' to
the barn. Father always use' to be tinkerin' around, an' there's lots of
rubbish up under the roof."

"What kind of a fence would you like?"

"Oh, anything. Anything to keep out the critters. Ef ye could think of
anything to git the best o' them cow-boys 'twould suit pretty well.
Them boys are gettin' to be a reg'lar nuisance. They go 'long drawin'
of their sticks on people's fences jist as if there was solid comfort in
that eternal rattle, rattle, rattle. What makes boys think they can't
never enjoy themselves unless they're a-makin' a noise? But I've had the
best of them for two or three years. They _had_ to stop in front of my
place. But now the cows is gittin' to be wus than the racket, an' ef ye
could think of any way to kill two birds with one stun, jest do it. I'll
leave you to plan it your own way. Ye might look 'round this arternoon
an' see what there is to do with."

So when dinner was over Jem began to "look 'round." In the old workshop
were some sticks of timber that might serve for posts, but there were
few boards and not half enough for pickets. Knowing that his aunt would
be indisposed to lay out any money he looked very thoroughly through
sheds and barn. In the latter place he moved a pile of rubbish in hopes
of finding something beneath. The heap consisted mostly of half-inch
iron rods of various sizes, and he was about to go elsewhere when he
stumbled against a short piece and set it rolling to the middle of the
floor. Picking it up he threw it back into the corner, where it clanged
with a noise that sent a hen ca