Stuyvesant: A Franconia Story

“Are you willing to agree to forfeit him, if you fail to feed him?”

“Why – I don’t know,” said Phonny. “But I certainly shall feed him, I know I shall.”

“Then there will be no harm in agreeing to forfeit him if you fail,” rejoined Wallace; “for if you certainly do feed him, then your agreement to forfeit him will be a dead letter.”

“But I might accidentally omit to feed him some one day,” said Phonny. “I might be sick, or I might be gone away, and I might ask Stuyvesant to feed him, and he forget it, and then I should lose my squirrel entirely.”

“No,” said Wallace, “you are not to forfeit him except for neglect. It must be a real and inexcusable neglect on your part, Beechnut being judge.”

“Well,” said Phonny, “I agree to it.”

“And I will give you three warnings,” said Wallace, “both for making trouble and disturbance with your squirrel, and for neglecting to feed him. After the third warning, he is forfeited, and I am to do what I please with him.”

“Well,” said Phonny, “I agree to it.”

A short time after this conversation, the road in which Wallace and Phonny were riding emerged from the wood, and there was opened before them the prospect of a wide and beautiful valley. A short distance before them down the valley, there was a stream with a mill. By the side of the mill, under some large spreading elms, was a red house, which Phonny said was the one where Espy lived.

They rode on rapidly, intending to go to the house and inquire for Espy. Just before reaching the place, however, Phonny’s attention was arrested by his seeing some boys fishing on the bank of the stream, just below the mill. It was at a place where the road lay along the bank of the stream, at a little distance from it. The stream was very broad at this place, and the water quite deep and clear. The ground was smooth and green between the road and the water, and there were large trees on the bank overshadowing the shore, so that it was a very pleasant place.

There were two boys standing upon the bank in one place fishing. Two other boys were near the water at a little distance, trying to make a dog jump in, by throwing in sticks and stones.

Just as Wallace and Phonny came along, one of the boys who was fishing, called out in a loud and authoritative tone to one of those who were trying to make the dog jump in, saying,

“Hey-e-e, there! Oliver, don’t throw sticks into the water; you scare away all the fish.”

“Ned!” said Phonny, calling out to the boy who was fishing.

The boy looked round, without, however, moving his fishing-pole.

“Is Espy down there anywhere?” said Phonny.

Here the boy turned his head again toward the water, without directly answering Phonny, though he called out at the same time in an audible voice,

“Espy!”

In answer apparently to his call, a boy came suddenly out of a little thicket which was near the water, just below where Ned was fishing, and asked Ned what he wanted.

“There’s a fellow out here in the road,” said Ned, “calling for you.”

Hearing this, the boy came out of the thicket entirely, and scrambled up the bank. He stood at the top of the bank, looking toward Wallace and Phonny, but did not advance. His hand was extended toward a branch of the tree which he had taken hold of to help him in climbing up the bank. He continued to keep hold of this tree, showing by his attitude that he did not mean to come any farther.

He was in fact a little awed at the sight of Wallace, who was a stranger to him. He did not know whether he was wanted for any good purpose, or was going to be called to account for some of his misdeeds.

“Come here a minute,” said Phonny.

Espy did not move.

“Is that your trap up in the woods?” asked Phonny.

“Yes,” said Espy.

“There is a squirrel in it,” rejoined Phonny, “and I want to buy him.”

Hearing this, the boys who had been playing with the dog began to move up toward Wallace and Phonny. Espy himself taking his hand down from the tree, came forward a few steps. Wallace and Phonny too advanced a little with their horses toward the stream, and thus the whole party came nearer together.

“There is a squirrel in your trap,” repeated Phonny, “if he has not gnawed out; – and I want to buy him. What will you sell him for?”

“What kind of a squirrel is it?” asked Espy.

“I don’t know,” said Phonny. “I couldn’t see any thing but his eyes.”

“If it’s a gray squirrel,” said Espy, “he is worth a quarter. If it’s a red squirrel you may have him for four pence —

“Or for nothing at all,” continued Espy, after a moment’s pause, “just as you please.”

Wallace laughed.

“What will you sell him for just as he is,” asked Wallace, “and we take the risk of his being red or gray?”

“Don’t you know which it is?” asked Espy.

“No,” said Wallace, “I do not. I did not go near the cage, and Phonny did not open it. He says he could only see his eyes.”

“And his nose,” said Phonny, “I saw his nose, – but I don’t know at all, what kind of a squirrel it is.”

“You may have him for eighteen cents,” said Espy.

“But perhaps he has gnawed out,” said Phonny. “He was gnawing out as fast as he could when we saw him.”

“Why, if he has gnawed out,” said Espy, “you will not have anything to pay, of course; because then you won’t get him.

“Or,” continued Espy, “you may have him for ten cents, and you take the risk of his gnawing out. You give me ten cents now, and you may have him if he is there, red or gray. If he is not there, I keep the ten cents, and you get nothing.”

“Well,” said Phonny. “Would you, Wallace?”

“I don’t know,” said Wallace. “You must decide. There is considerable risk. I can’t judge.”

“I have not got any ten cents,” said Phonny – “only a quarter of a dollar.”

“Oh, I can pay,” said Wallace, “and then you can pay me some other time.”

“Well,” said Phonny, “I believe I will take him.”

“You must lend me the trap,” said Phonny, again addressing Espy, – “to carry the squirrel home in, and I will bring it back here some day.”

“Well,” said Espy.

So Wallace took a ten cent piece from his pocket, and gave it to Espy, and then he and Phonny rode away.