uch,
they break off. This is no disadvantage, provided that the wood to be
nailed is such that the nail is to be driven straight into the
substance of it to its whole length. In fact, this hardness and
stiffness is an advantage, for, in consequence of these properties,
the nail is less likely to bend under the hammer.

When, however, the nailing to be done is of such a kind that it
becomes necessary that the nail should pass through the wood so as to
come out upon the other side, to be clinched there, the stiffness of
the iron in a cut-nail constitutes a serious difficulty; for the end
of the nail where it comes through, instead of bending over and
sinking into the wood, as it ought to do, at first refuses to bend at
all, and then when the workman attempts to force it to bond by dint of
heavier blows with the hammer, it breaks off entirely.

To remedy this difficulty, it is found best to heat nails intended for
clinching before driving them. By heating the iron red hot, the metal
seems to expand to its original condition of ductile iron, and it
loses the extreme hardness and stiffness which was given to it by the
force and compression of the nail-making machine.

Stuyvesant had seen a carpenter in New York heating some nails on one
occasion, and he had asked him the reason. He, therefore, understood
the whole process, and his plan was now, after selecting his nails, to
go and heat them red-hot in the kitchen-fire.

He made a little calculation first in respect to the number of nails
that he should want. There were six cross-bars. These bars were to be
nailed at both ends. This would make twelve nailings. Stuyvesant
concluded that he would have four nails at each nailing, and
multiplying twelve by four, he found that forty-eight was the number
of the nails that he should require. To be sure to have enough, he
counted out fifty-two. Some might break, and perhaps some would be
lost in the fire.

Phonny felt a considerable degree of interest in Stuyvesant's plan of
softening the nails, and so he left Wallace to go on boring the holes,
while he went with Stuyvesant into the house.

"You never can get so many nails out of the fire in the world," said
Phonny. "They will be lost in the ashes."

"I shall put them on the shovel," said Stuyvesant.

When they got into the kitchen, Stuyvesant went to Dorothy, who was
still ironing at a table near the window, and asked her if he might
use her shovel and her fire to heat som