s now an excellent and
trustworthy boy. It was a part of his business to take care of Rollo,
and they always let him have what he asked for from the house, as they
knew it was for some good purpose, and that it would be well taken care
of. So when Rollo went in and asked for the spy-glass, and said that
Jonas wanted it, they handed it down to him at once.

Jonas took the glass, and they all three went up into the barn chamber.

Jonas opened the glass, and held it up to his eye. The boys stood by
looking on silently. At length, Jonas said,

"No, we have not caught him."

"How do you know?" said the boys.

"O, I can see the trap, and it is not sprung."

"Is not sprung?" said James, "what do you mean by _sprung_?"

"Shut. It is not shut. I can see it open, and of course the squirrel is
not there."

"O, he may be in," said Rollo, "just nibbling the corn. Do let us go and
see."

Jonas smiled, and said he could not go then, but he would look through
the spy-glass again towards noon. He then gave the glass to Rollo, and
it was carried back safely into the house.

James soon after went home, and Rollo sat down in the parlor to his
reading. Afterwards he came out, and went to building cities in a sandy
corner of the garden. He was making Rome,--for his father had told him
that Rome was built on seven hills, and he liked to make the seven hills
in the sand. He made a long channel for an aqueduct, and went into the
house to get a dipper of water to fill his aqueduct, when he met James
coming again. So they went in, and got the spy-glass, and asked Jonas to
go up and look again.

Jonas adjusted the glass, held it up to his eye, and looked some time in
silence, and then said,--

"Yes, it is sprung, I believe. Yes, it is certainly sprung."

"O, then we have caught him," said the boys, capering about. "Let us go
and see."

"Perhaps we have caught him," said Jonas, "but it is not certain;
sometimes the trap gets sprung accidentally. However, you may go and ask
your father if he thinks it worth while for me to leave my work long
enough to go down and see."

Rollo came back with the permission granted, and they all set off; Rollo
and James running on eagerly before.

When they came to the trap, they found it shut. Jonas took it up, and
tipped it one way and the other, and listened. He heard something moving
in it, but did not know whether it was anything more than the corn cob.
Then he said he would open the trap a v