Nor was the driving of nails as simple
as he had supposed. At the end of the first hour Theo, feeling very
awkward and clumsy, and rubbing a finger that had been too slow to get
out of the path of the hammer, left the workshop.
"I never dreamed it would be so hard!" he muttered, viewing his
bleeding knuckle with chagrin.
The lesson of the following day did not prove much easier, and its
difficulties aroused the lad's fighting spirit.
"I am going to learn to saw and drive nails properly if it takes me
the rest of my life!" he declared resolutely. "The very idea! Why,
some of those little chaps in the sloyd room can chisel and plane like
carpenters. I'll bet I can do it, too, if I stick at it."
Therefore it came about that instead of missing tennis and basket-ball
as he had expected, Theo became completely absorbed in his new
interest--so absorbed that his father soon began to fear that his
studies would suffer. Early and late Theo was at his bench with his
tools. He tried faithfully not to slight his books, but there was no
use pretending he did not enjoy his carpentry. He was making a
footstool now, a little wooden piece with turned legs which he was to
stain with orange shellac and give to his mother.
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