A Home-made Lantern, such as is illustrated in Fig. 176, will be found very satisfactory. It is made out of a wooden box about ten by ten by twelve inches. Cut two openings six inches square in two sides of the box and cover one with one sheet and the other with two sheets of orange or red paper, spreading paste over the entire surface of the paper to make it stretch tightly over the openings as it dries. The orange and red wrappers of some makes of printing papers and developing powders can be used for the covering of these openings.

For a chimney, procure a long slender baking-powder can, remove the cover and bottom, and insert it in a hole cut for it in the top of the box. Then an arrangement must be made, as shown in Fig. 176, to prevent light from emitting from the top of the can. This consists of a tomato-can placed over the baking-powder can, bottom side up, with its edge fastened in kerfs cut in the ends of four wooden stilts (see illustration). Drive the stilts firmly into holes bored for them in the top of the box. The edge of the tomato-can should now be about an inch and one-half above the box, and its bottom an inch or more above the baking-powder can.

The lamp is now completed with the exception of the door, which should be made in three pieces, with the edges cut and bevelled as shown in Figs. 176 and 177. Nail strips A and C to the back of the box, and slip B between them. A screw-eye near the bottom of B will serve as a lift in opening the lantern. As the edges of the strips are cut on a slant and bevelled, a joint which cannot possibly leak light is obtained when B is slipped into place. All cracks in the box should be carefully filled with white lead.

In offering this lamp to his boy readers, the writer knows they will find it most satisfactory and a solution to the problem of making a perfect dark-lantern. The air admitted through the holes in the bottom of the box carries the heat and smoke straight into the chimney, and out through the space between the tin cans, making it impossible for the flame to ignite the wood.

If you use

A Plate-lifter you will find an old tooth-brush handle tapered at the end by means of a file one of the best that can be had.

It is well to have some scheme for

Classifying and Preserving Negatives.—To keep them in their original boxes is not a good idea, as there is always danger of scratching them and no satisfactory way of keeping track of their description, date of exposure, etc.

Manila Envelopes, with a printed form to be filled out, on the outside, are invaluable holders, as they not only make it possible to file away negatives in alphabetical order, but preserve them from dust, scratches, etc.

A Wooden Case to hold the envelopes is desirable, and such a one may be made similar to Fig. 178. For four-by-five negatives the inside of the box should measure twelve inches long, five and one-quarter inches wide, and three inches deep. It will hold about six dozen negatives.

Very light wood, about three-eighths of an inch thick, should be used for the construction of this case. Cut two pieces twelve and three-quarters by three and three-eighths inches for the sides, two pieces six by three and three-eighths for the ends, and one piece twelve by five and one-quarter for the bottom. In cutting the side-and end-pieces, mitre the edges of each so they will make neat corners. The mitre-box should be used for this purpose. Nail the pieces together with small finishing nails, after which fasten the bottom-piece between them, driving the nails through the side-pieces into it. The cover is made of a board twelve and three-quarters inches long by six inches wide, with a rim made of four inch-and-one-quarter strips nailed around its edge, as shown in the illustration. Two of the strips should be twelve and three-quarters inches long, and the other two six inches long. Their ends should be mitred and fitted together as the sides of the box were done, and the top should be nailed to their top edges. This cover fits over the plates, which project an inch above the sides. Hinge it to the back of the box, and attach a hook to the front.

If you do not keep your plates in envelopes, the sides of the box should be lined with corrugated straw-board to separate them. This may be tacked or glued to the wood.

By rubbing down the outside with emery-paper, oiling, shellacking, or varnishing the wood, a very pretty case will be obtained.

You will find it a simple matter to pick out a negative by having them filed in the order of their exposure, and catalogued alphabetically in a note-book.

CHAPTER XII

A WINTER ENTERPRISE

Boys who keep their eyes open for opportunities to make money are not long in finding that the coming of snow means money in their pockets if they are willing to do a little hustling.

A number of years ago a few boys undertook the job of keeping the walks of their neighborhood free from snow, and constructed

A Snow Plough with which to do their work. The plough proved so satisfactory that others were made, and before long every boy in the neighborhood had enlisted in the company.

By several boys joining forces in this way, and making contracts with property owners to keep their walks and steps free from snow, a good deal of ground can be covered in a short space of time, and a neat sum of money realized during the season. The work can be done before and after school, and be so divided that while several are ploughing the walks the others are cleaning the steps.

A plough such as is illustrated in Fig. 179 is made in two sections, four feet long by two feet wide. After battening the boards together at A and B, as shown in the drawing, fasten the sections in place, with two ends together and the other two ends two feet apart. Nail them firmly together at the angle and brace them at the open end with strips, as shown at C and D in the illustration.

A Scraper is about the best appliance that can be had for cleaning snow from the steps, especially when the snow has turned to slush. For the making of one of these, prepare a seven-eighths inch board sixteen inches long by four inches wide. Bevel the lower edge and nail a two inch strip below the top, as at A in Fig. 180. Bore a hole through both thicknesses of wood at B and fit a broom-handle in it, bracing the handle with a piece of wire run from a small hole bored in the handle at C to the ends of the scraper.

Figure 181 shows a scheme for

A Snow Shovel that is easy to make, and one which will stand a good deal of wear. For this, secure two barrel staves, cut them in two, and plane up the curved edges until they are straight. Then taking three of these pieces, lay them side by side and nail a two-by-two inch strip across the top edges, as shown at A, to bind them together. The bevelled ends of the staves should be placed at the lower end of the shovel and bound in place by a strip of galvanized iron bent over the edges and tacked to the staves (see B in drawing). Another iron strip should be nailed across the staves at C, to fasten them more securely together. Clinch the nails upon the under side of the shovel and drive their ends well into the wood. Procure a broom-stick for the handle and place it in a bevelled slot cut at D (Fig. 182), fastening down the end with iron pipe-straps, as shown in Fig. 181.

CHAPTER XIII

A BACK-YARD CLUB-HOUSE

For many years there stood in a city back-yard a shanty in which the boys of the neighborhood gathered after school and during vacation, to hold their club-meetings. Many a pleasant hour was spent within the walls of this little building, and it had to be enlarged year after year to hold the ever-increasing number of members.

If, during the week of school preceding the summer vacation, the boys were seen making plans and talking seriously about something evidently in connection with the house, it might well be imagined that the annual alterations were about to begin. At the close of school the neighbors were made aware of it by the appearance of half a dozen boys upon the roof of the shanty, who, with hammers and hatchets in their hands, were easily recognized as the wrecking crew.

Perhaps the roof was to be raised a foot or given a different pitch, a window changed here or a door placed there, a side extended or a partition built through the centre; but no matter whether the alterations bettered the building or not, they gave the owners a chance to use their ingenuity in working out their schemes, and practice in carpenter work.

The boys' greatest difficulty was found in obtaining large enough material with which to build. The woodshed was the lumber-yard, and as this contained only a few old boards, several packing-cases, and kindling-wood, a great deal of splicing was required and many pounds of nails were necessary to fasten the many small pieces in place.

After remodelling the club-house one year, the members in way of a joke placed a "For Rent" sign upon the door, and were greatly surprised to receive the following mysterious letter:—

Mister Agent: i sea u hev a house Fur rent what u want furit im a wider with 12 children six pigs 5 chickens a mule three dogs 7 cats and ten ducks i hop the house is big enuff it dont matter bout the children but i wont crowd the pigs. i soppose will paint outside an in and put awnins at the frunt winders i'd like terry cotty shades and a stun sidewalk iF u'll put a piassie on and reduce the rent till after wurlds Fair i'll take it what you want furit please let me know soon iF u dont find me hum im like to be at mis whatnots if u dont know the way to her house just ask mis jones next door but one to me she'll tell u Good by.

Mary Jane Johnstone.

The letter was answered immediately and sent to the general delivery but was returned from the Dead Letter Office, and no trace of the large family could be found.

Knowing that many boys who would like to build themselves a club-house have not the money in their treasury with which to buy new lumber, this chapter will describe the manner in which a rough-and-ready house may be built. It will not be attempted to show the correct methods of putting up a framework, such as would be built if the right-sized lumber were obtainable, but the simplest way in which boys can make use of the material at hand.

Draw the Plan of the building upon a piece of paper, and before commencing work figure out exactly what material will be required. If you haven't enough lumber you will find it a great deal easier to alter the plans at first than when the work is half completed. It is best first to place in one pile all

The Material you can find; then, after drawing the plans, sort out the boards according to their lengths. Use the short boards whenever possible, so that the long pieces may be kept for places requiring long boards. Several two-by-fours should be secured for the framework. If you do not happen to have these, you can easily get what you want at some alteration job or where some frame structure is being torn down. Short two-by-fours may be spliced, or, more correctly speaking, "fished." This is very often resorted to in building when studding of a sufficient length cannot be procured. Figure 183 shows the method of

Fishing Studs.—Two fish-plates, A and B, are nailed to the sides of the studs, covering the joints, while the face OD remains on a level to receive the siding.

By building the club-house in a corner of the yard, against the fence, house, or barn, it is necessary to build but two walls. Less material is required, and a much firmer structure obtained by doing this.

Stake out the length and width of the house upon the ground, and sink a stone or a couple of bricks at the corner to support the corner post. Then cut two two-by-fours the length of the greatest inside height of the house. Set one upon the corner stone, bracing it temporarily with boards run from it to the fence, and spike the other to the fence on a line with the corner post (see A and B in Fig. 184). Cut the end-plate C the correct length and spike it to A and B, after which cut a two-by-four the length of the shortest inside height, and spike it to the fence rails at D. Nail the boards E, F, G, H, and I to the places shown in Fig. 184.

The Studs should be placed from two to three feet apart, according to the length of boards used for siding, and additional studding should be set in where it is necessary. Fasten the ends of the studs to the boards E, F, G, H, and I. Studding should be placed around the window and door openings, as shown in the illustration.

After completing the framework,

Board up the Sides, fitting the boards around openings and corners as neatly as possible.

The Roof is a very important factor in a building of any kind, and care should be taken to make it of water-proof material, for a leaky roof will not only ruin the interior but make it damp and thus unhealthy. Tar-paper will be found a good roofing material, inexpensive, and easily put on. First cover the roof with boards placed about one inch apart. Then cut the tar-paper into lengths equal to the width of the roof. Commencing at the lower edge of the roof tack one strip in place. Lap a second strip two inches over the first, a third two inches over the second, and so on until the entire roof is covered. Figure 185 shows a tin cap and nail made especially for this kind of work. The cap is punched to fit over the nail, and prevents water from running into the hole made by the latter. It will be unnecessary to coat the paper with tar, as there is sufficient in its preparation to keep it water proof a long time—probably longer than the house itself will be allowed to stand.

The Floor should not be laid directly upon the ground, but be supported upon four-inch sleepers set as shown in Fig. 186, with cinders rammed in between them. The bed of cinders should not be more than three inches thick, so there will be an inch of air space between them and the floor. This will help to keep the floor free from dampness. Four-inch boards stood on edge will do very well for the sleepers.

A Window-sash.—They very often have a number taken from old buildings, which they will gladly sell for a small sum. There are two ways in which you can easily fasten the sash in place, either with hinges so it will swing in, as shown in Figs. 187 and 188, or in tracks, to slide as described for the dark-room window in Chapter XI and illustrated in Fig. 169. If the window is made in the front of the building, as shown in the sketch of the finished club-house, the sash will necessarily have to be hinged, as there would not be room for it to slide sideways. We will therefore hinge it to swing in as shown in Figs. 187 and 188. The studding which was placed around the window opening when you erected the framework of the house forms a frame for the sash to set in. The window-sill is made out of a seven-eighths-inch board cut the width of the opening, and should be nailed to the bottom piece of the frame so it pitches slightly outwards and its edges project a little beyond the wall inside and out (see Fig. 188). The pitch of the sill can be obtained by blocking the inner edge with a very thin strip of wood, as shown in the section drawing. The sash should fit the frame with but enough space around it to allow it to open freely. Place the sash in the opening with its inside surface on a line with the inside face of the two-by-four frame, as shown in Fig. 188, and nail a seven-eighths-inch window-stop around the frame outside of the sash to keep the rain and wind from entering.

By hinging the sash to the top of the frame as shown in the illustration, it can be swung up out of the way when opened. A spring-catch should be screwed to the bottom rail of the sash with the latch-pocket counter sunk in the window-sill, and from the knob of the catch a cord should be attached and run through a screw-eye placed in the wall near the ceiling. The sash can now be opened by pulling the cord, and may be held open by looping the end of the cord over a nail. Wooden buttons should be screwed to the inside edge of the jambs for additional locks (see Fig. 187).

A sill should be set in the bottom of the door frame, and a seven-eighths inch stop nailed to the top and to the jambs in the same way as you finished the window opening.

Make a Batten Door, fastening the boards together on the inside with battens as shown in Fig. 189, with the nails driven through from the outside face and clinched upon the battens. Hinge the door to the inside face of the jamb with strap-hinges, and either buy an iron latch for it or make the old-fashioned

Wooden Latch described and illustrated in the following chapter.

With the carpenter work of the house completed,

Calk up the Cracks, of which there will doubtless be a great number, unless matched boards have been used for the walls. This may be done by rolling pieces of newspapers into wads and wedging them into the cracks with a pointed stick. Several thicknesses of wrapping-paper tacked over the inside walls will help to prevent the wind from entering, and will also make a good foundation for wall-paper should it be placed upon the walls.

Earth should be banked up around the outside of the house to keep away the water. Vines trained over the outside will help to hide the roughness of the boards.

The club-house interior may be fitted up with furniture such as is described in Chapter IV, "Suggestions for a Boy's Room."

CHAPTER XIV

HOW TO BUILD A LOG-CABIN

The log-cabin marks what might be called the beginning of American architecture, for it was the first form of building built by white men upon American soil. The introduction of saw-mills was very slow, and lumber so scarce that cabins were the best shelter the colonists could build to withstand the cold winters and the merciless attacks of Indians. With the building of saw-mills, the cabin gradually gave way to the frame building, which could be more quickly built, and which was, of course, a more comfortable lodging. But this change first took place up and down the large rivers, where the mills were located, and did not extend into the interior until some time later, owing to the difficulty of hauling lumber to great distances from the mills.

To-day the log-cabin is still to be found in the timber regions and among the mountains, but mostly for temporary residences, such as summer homes, camps, and play-houses.

You boys who spend the summer in the woods should not miss the opportunity of building yourselves a small cabin. Several boys can join forces, and in this way make the work easier and quicker to perform.

Select a Site on high ground, as near to your source of timber as possible, and then decide upon

The Design and Size to build it, which will be determined largely by the size and amount of timber you can procure. A plan for a cabin simple in construction is shown in Fig. 190, and while the details have been carefully worked out in this chapter for a cabin of this size, you will find it a simple matter to make such alterations as you wish. For the building of more pretentious cabins, the writer would refer his readers to "Log Cabins and Cottages" as the most practical book published upon this subject. In this volume its author, Mr. William S. Wicks, has not only written upon the construction and treatment of cabins, but also brought together a number of sketches showing a great variety of clever designs that have been built in different sections of the country. In carrying out the details of construction for the cabin described in this chapter, the writer has made use of a number of ideas from this book, through the courtesy of Mr. Wicks and his publishers.

Of course the most of

The Material for the cabin will be secured near at hand, but for a good roof, and the finishing of the door and window openings, a few boards should be taken along, together with several pounds of nails.

While it is customary to lay up the walls of a cabin and then cut the door and window openings, you will find it a very much simpler matter to leave the spaces for them when laying up the logs, as it greatly decreases the number of long logs required to build the cabin. As the inside dimensions of the cabin shown in the plan of Fig. 190 are ten by twelve feet, the full-length logs—that is, those above and below the window and door openings—should be thirteen feet long for the ends of the cabin and fifteen feet for the front and rear walls.

To start the Cabin, stake out its length and breadth upon the ground, clear the space of all trees and brush, and make the ground as nearly level as possible. You will find it unnecessary to have a foundation for a cabin of this size, as it will not settle to amount to anything.

The Lock-joint.—As shown in Fig. 191, a notch is cut in the logs twelve inches from each end, so the surfaces of the logs will be brought together when the ends are fitted over one another, as shown in the drawing.

Select two fifteen-foot logs for

The Sills, and set them an inch or so into the ground, parallel to each other and ten feet apart. Then after cutting the notches in two thirteen-foot logs, fit them over the sills twelve inches from the ends. The opening for the fire-place must be left in one end of the cabin, so mark out upon the end log the width of this opening, which should be five feet, and cut out this section of it. Then cut two boards three feet long, the height of the fire-place opening, and nail them to the ends of the log just cut. These boards form the jambs of the opening. Locate a three-foot door opening in the centre of the front sill-log, and saw along these lines to within two inches of the ground, cutting out the piece between. The remaining two-inch piece will form the door-sill. Two pieces of board six feet six inches long, the height of the door opening, should now be cut for the door-jambs and nailed to the ends of the sill-log in the door opening.

After testing the jambs with a plumb, such as is shown in Fig. 14, Chapter I, to see that they are perpendicular, continue laying the side and end logs alternately. Fit the logs between the jambs and nail the latter to their ends, being careful not to get them out of plumb in doing so. Above the fire-place the logs will, of course, be of full length, and at a height of four feet four inches the windows will start. Locate the window openings twenty-six inches wide upon the logs laid at this height, the one opposite the fire-place in the centre of the wall, and the others twelve inches from the corners. Cut the jambs twenty-six inches long, and, after setting them in place, continue laying up the logs, fitting the shorter lengths between the jambs as before.

To construct the Roof.—There are several ways of doing this, but as simple as any is that shown in Fig. 192, and in the illustration of the finished cabin. In laying this form of roof the end logs are placed one above the other, but each tier of front and rear logs is set in a little farther than the preceding pair, until they finally meet at the peak of the roof. The roofs of cabins are generally thatched or covered with bark, shingles, or boards. The thatched roof is the most artistic, and will last from ten to fifteen years when properly made; but unless the straw is put on very thickly and closely woven, it is likely to leak. If you use shingles and expose each four and one-half inches to the weather, you will require about seven quarter-thousand bunches for a roof of this size.

Boards will make the most simple and inexpensive covering. They should be put on as shown in the drawing of the completed cabin, and in Fig. 192. A layer of boards is first nailed across the roof-supports four inches apart, and other boards then lapped over these spaces and nailed in place. The roof boards should project a few inches over the side walls and gable-ends of the cabin. When all of the boards have been put in place, it will be necessary to finish off the ridge with

Ridge Boards, to prevent water from leaking through the roof at that point. As shown in Fig. 192, these consist of two boards nailed along the ridge, and the edge of one nailed to the edge of the other.

It is not advisable to build

A Log Chimney and Fire-place with the intention of using it, for unless the work is very carefully done and kept in repair, there is always danger of setting fire to the cabin. But, nevertheless, it should be built, as it belongs to a cabin and adds greatly to its picturesque appearance.

With large logs build up the chimney to a height of five feet, or two feet above the fire-place opening, in the same manner as you did the cabin walls, fitting the ends against the logs of the main structure. When this has been done sink a number of stones in front of the fire-place for a hearth, as shown in Figs. 190 and 192, and also line the bottom of the fire-place with them. Then mix up some clay and line the back, sides, and jambs of the fire-place with it from ten to twelve inches thick, packing the clay until it becomes solid. The upper part of the chimney should be made of smaller logs and sticks, and the inside of the flue lined with clay as the work proceeds. The exterior of the chimney will be seen in the illustration of the finished cabin.

When the construction of the cabin has been completed,

Calk all the Spaces between the logs with clay and moss, to keep out the weather, using a pointed stick for this operation; and grade the ground up to a point just below the line of the door-sill all around the cabin, so that no surface-water will run within.

The finishing of the interior of the cabin now remains to be done. By omitting a wooden floor the cost of material will be reduced considerably, and there is really nothing objectionable to

A Mud Floor if it has been properly prepared. The earth should be thoroughly dried out and packed down until hard and compact, and slightly banked up around the walls.

The Window Openings and the head of the door opening should be cased with boards the width of the jambs. If you can secure sash for the windows, hinge them to the inside edges of the jambs as shown in Fig. 190, and nail a seven-eighths-inch window-stop around the jambs outside of them, to prevent the wind and rain from getting in around the sash (see Fig. 193). If sash cannot be obtained, wooden shutters made to fit the opening will do very well, as they can be used at night and whenever you wish to close up the cabin, and when you are within the cabin in the summer you will want the windows open.