that Stuyvesant should go with him to find a box, and
then help him make a cage, and after that, he would go, he said, and
help Stuyvesant about the repairs of the hen-house.

"I must go and _look_ at the hen-house first," said Stuyvesant. "I can
do that, while you are finding the box, and then I will help you."

"Well," said Phonny. "But--on the whole, I will go with you to look
at it, and then you can go with me to find the box."

So the boys walked along toward the hen-house together.

When they came to the place, they went in, and Stuyvesant proceeded to
examine the premises very thoroughly. There were two doors of
admission. One was a large one, for men and boys to go in at. The
other was a very small one, a square hole in fact, rather than a door,
and was intended for the hens.

This small opening had once been fitted with a sort of lid, which was
attached by leather hinges on its upper edge to a wooden bar or cleat
nailed to the side of the house, just over the square hole. This lid
formed, of course, a sort of door, opening outward and upward. When
up, it could be fastened in that position, by means of a wooden
button. The button and the bar of wood remained in its place, but the
door was gone.

"Where is the door?" asked Stuyvesant, after he had examined all this
very carefully.

"Why, I took it off," said Phonny, "to make a little stool of. I
wanted a square board just about that size."

"And did you make a stool?" asked Stuyvesant.

"No," said Phonny. "I found that I could not bore the holes for the
legs. I _tried_ to bore a hole, but I split the board."

"Then I must find another piece of board, somewhere," said Stuyvesant.

Stuyvesant next turned his attention to the great door. He swung it to
and fro, to see if the hinges were in order. They were. Next he shut
it, but he found there was nothing to keep it shut.

"There used to be a button," said Phonny.

"Where is the button now?" asked Stuyvesant.

"I don't know," said he. "Let me see;--it must be about here
somewhere."

So saying, Phonny began to look around upon the ground. There was some
litter upon the ground, formed of sticks, straws, &c., and Phonny
began to poke this litter about with his foot.

"I saw it lying down here somewhere, once," said he, "but I can't find
it now."

"Why didn't you pick it up and put it away in some safe place?" said
Stuyvesant, "or get it put on?"

"Why, I don't know," said Phonny. "You see we don't