e boards, but
I will tell you; it was Esquire Blake, and he was intending to use them
to repair his office, which stood not far from the schoolhouse.

"'Twill be our ownty-doanty house, and nobody must come into it but us,"
said Flaxie, gazing with satisfaction at the clean boards.

"The boys must come," suggested Milly.

"Well, yes, I s'pose they'll have to, if they help make it."

"And Ada Blake."

"You always want Ada Blake to go everywhere," pouted Flaxie. "We can
invite her for company, if you want to, but 'twill be _our_ house."

Johnny thought it all nonsense, but consented to undertake the business.
He drove four stakes into the ground, near a beautiful maple-tree, and
then nailed boards on the stakes all around, making a pen about three
feet high. Everybody looked on deeply interested. After that he and
Freddy went fishing. The little girls felt very impatient.

"Oh dear," said Milly, "it doesn't look much like a house. You'd think
it was for pigs to live in."

Next day it rained; but the day after, as Johnny could get no peace of
his life, he nailed on more boards, till the pen was so high you
couldn't see over it, unless you stood on tiptoe. That was high enough;
but where was the roof?

"Oh, bother, what do you want of a roof? Hold up your umbrella."

"Next house I make I'll make it myself!" cried Flaxie, stamping her
foot.

That amused good-natured Johnny, and he called together some of the
boys, to help him put on a sloping roof. Then he sawed a door in the
side next the river; and when all was done the building looked so much
like a "truly house" that the little girls screamed for joy, and Johnny
felt rather proud of his work.

"Tell you what," said he, looking around at the boys, "this is the house
that Jack built. Now let's saw a hole in the roof and put in a
stove-pipe."

Ah, Johnny! Johnny! it was thoughtless enough to use those boards
without leave; but to put in a stove-pipe was downright madness!

The girls were charmed, and wanted a fireplace immediately. Why not?
That wasn't much to make, and they made it themselves with the loose
pieces of brick they picked out of the old hearth in the
recitation-room.

Squire Blake knew nothing of this; neither did the teacher. The new and
elegant building was located on the bank behind the schoolhouse, and as
the windows that way let in the sun, the blinds were kept closed, and
Miss Pike did not look out. If she had only looked out! But then