and put back. It had two masts.
âItâs a ketch,â said Mauriceâs father, who was sitting on the floor next to him. âLook at those lines! Some boat!â
âWill it really sail?â asked Jacob.
âIt will,â said Mr. Henry.
âCan we take it to the lake right now?â asked Maurice.
âYes,â said Mr. Henry. âBut be very, very careful with it.â
Mauriceâs mother smiled. âItâs nice to see you so interested in something,â she said to Maurice.
The two boys carried the boat to the park. They dropped their jackets on the grass and sat down on the cement ledge that ran all around the lake. Then they rigged the sails.
A brisk wind was blowing. Maurice and Jacob slid the boat into the water. Instantly, it raced toward the center of the lake, its sails puffed out with wind. The boys ran around to the other side, but Jacob suddenly stopped. His hair was blowing almost straight up.
âCome on!â shouted Maurice.
âLook!â said Jacob, pointing at the water. Two or three feet out from the shore, something glistened as the breeze lifted the water into small waves.
âBedsprings,â said Maurice.
âHow can we get them?â asked Jacob.
Maurice sat down on the ground and took off his shoes and socks, but Jacob waded in after Maurice with his shoes on. The springs were heavy, and weeds were growing through them.
They dragged them onto the grass. Maurice put on his shoes and socks and jumped on the springs.
âWe can borrow wire cutters from Mr. Klenk and make coils to put on our shoes.â
âWe can hook it up so it stretches across the room,â said Jacob.
âI can pull it across the door so Patsy doesnât get through,â said Maurice.
They picked up the springs and started home. Jacobâs wet shoes squeaked.
Then Maurice stopped. âWe forgot something,â he said.
They dropped the springs and ran back to the lake. On the opposite side was the boat, its stern halfway up the cement ledge, its sails flapping.
âWhat are you going to tell them?â asked Jacob as they lifted the boat out of the water. The stern was smashed and the mainmast tilted.
âI donât know yet,â answered Maurice.
âCould we say there was a little storm?â
âNo, weâll have to tell them what really happenedâthat the boat went out of control,â said Maurice.
âBecause we werenât watching,â said Jacob.
They put the boat on top of the springs; then with Maurice holding the front of the springs and Jacob the back, they started home.
At first, Mauriceâs father didnât say anything. Mrs. Henry told Jacob to go home and change his wet socks and shoes; then she went to the kitchen. Maurice heard her rattling pots and pans.
âIf I had known you wanted bedsprings instead of a beautiful three-foot sailing ketch, I would have gotten you bedsprings,â said Mr. Henry at last.
Maurice said nothing.
âGo to your room and think about what happened,â said Mr. Henry.
Maurice put the sailboat under his bed next to the Victrola so he wouldnât have to look at it. He put a blanket on the bedsprings and sat down on them. One of the coils had come loose and was bobbing up beside him. He rested his arm on it.
He heard his parents talking the rest of the afternoon. His mother brought him a supper tray while it was still daylight.
Then Mr. Henry came and stood in Mauriceâs doorway. Maurice was still sitting on the springs.
âI have something to tell you,â he said. âWe have decided to move to the country as soon as school is over.â
âHow will I see Jacob?â asked Maurice.
âJacob can take the bus. Itâs not very far. You can have a dog.â
âNot Patsy!â asked Maurice.
âNo,â answered his father. âBut your uncle has a racing bike he is going to give you. Itâs a little old,