"We're all ready for a roof, Verny, and don't know where to find any wood for rafters or ridgepole," said Joan, when the Captain walked over to pass judgment upon the structure.
"That's a dangerous looking lintel, girls."
"Best we could do with what we had," replied Ruth.
"The material is all right, but the construction is careless. Now I have finished my door, but I wouldn't dare swing it from that frame," continued the Captain.
"Oh, were you building a door of those boards?" asked the girls.
"Yes, and I feel quite proud of it, too. Come and see it."
The door was made of boards all the same lengths and thickness but of different widths. So Mrs. Vernon had grouped them to have all the wide boards at top and bottom of the door, and the others graduating in widths until a narrow center one was reached. This made a pretty effect.
They were all securely fastened to a frame made of rough planks, but this frame would be on the inside so it would not be seen. "We can hang a drapery, or some vines on this back to hide the unsightly frame," said the Captain.
Heavy leather hinges were secured to the back edge of the door, and a latch and handle made of some sheet iron, were bent and cut to fit.
"How did you ever do that without a blacksmith?" asked Joan.
"I played my own blacksmith while you were on your hike this morning. I heated an old piece of wagon-tire and hammered it flat, then heated it red-hot and cut it with tools I found in the box."
"All right, Verny! You shall take the prize this time," Julie commended heartily.
"But that doesn't give us a roof or rafters," said Ruth.
"I have them all ready for you. I remembered them to-day when I inspected your work," said Mrs. Vernon, leading the way down to the buckboard.
"Help me lift the seats off," ordered the Captain.
This was done, and the curious girls then saw Mrs. Vernon pry out some small wooden wedges and lo! a board came from the floor of the buckboard. But stay! It was not _from_ the floor, but one of the extra boards that had been laid down to form a double flooring.
Several boards were thus removed, and then it was found that the original floor of the buckboard was as good as ever.
"Why did you have another floor laid?" asked Julie.