Before you start to read part 5 of this story, I would like to thank Topaz_Took for doing a bit of research for me on antique tools.  She has helped me a great deal by suggesting some tools that the hobbits might have had access to in the Shire.  (Lucky for Sam, there were no power tools.)  Her help is greatly appreciated.  Any tools mentioned in this, and the chapters that follow, are thanks to her research.  The hammer was my idea but the rest are thanks to Topaz_Took.

_GW

Part 5

“So, we won’t be using the hammer?” Pippin frowned looking longingly at the tool.

“Not just now,” Sam said. “I’ve decided that we ought to make them wheels ‘o yours first.” He would avoid giving Master Pippin that hammer for as long as was possible. They had finished drawing out their plan for the wheelbarrow and Master Pippin had done a much better job than Sam had been expecting. While Master Pippin had been working on the drawing, Sam had decided that the wheels would come first. True, they would be the last things put onto the wheelbarrow, but it was a quiet beginning without the hammer.

“Well, I already have wheels,” Pippin said, pulling two almost round pieces of wood out of the pile of pieces that had once been his carpentry project. He handed one to Sam and grinned. “They’re pretty good don’t you think?”

Sam looked at the wheel in his hands and sighed. There was nothing for it but the truth. The lad wouldn’t learn anything if Sam lied to him. “Master Pippin, I’m afraid that this wheel is lopsided,” Sam said.

“Only a wee bit,” Pippin argued.

“If you had this on your own wheelbarrow and you loaded that wheelbarrow with stones and then you was to push it up that hill we talked about before,” Sam paused as he watched Master Pippin’s expression change.

“I guess it wouldn’t go too smoothly, would it?” Pippin said looking at the wheel in his hands. He ran a thin finger over the edge of the little wheel and then looked at Sam. “This isn’t a proper wheel, is it?”

“No,” Sam said. “That’s why we have to make three new ones.” He patted Master Pippin on the shoulder and asked, “When you made these wheels, what tool did you use?”

“I took a thick piece of wood so that it would have a sturdy edge and then I drew the closest thing that I could to a circle on it and I took a saw and cut it out,” Pippin said.

“You used a saw?” Sam asked.

“They sort of came out more square than I wanted them and so I had to take a knife and whittle the sides down until they were round,” Pippin explained. “The saw won’t cut in a circle very well and also it’s hard to draw a circle. I had several blisters on my fingers from the whittling which took a long time, but I decided they were round enough after a while.” He looked at the wheel again. “I guess I was just tired of whittling on them and my fingers hurt so I decided they were just fine.”

Sam grinned. “Let’s start with that circle you drew. How’d you do it?”

“Well, like anyone would I guess,” Pippin said. He picked up a piece of charcoal and started to draw a rather wobbly circle. Sam sighed and reached over and stopped Pippin’s hand.

“Didn’t that Mister Tunnely tell you anything a’fore he set you on your own?” Sam asked.

“He told me that I probably wouldn’t be able to build a box without killing someone,” Pippin said weakly. “That I don’t pay attention to instruction and that of all the hobbits that he’s taught carpentry to over his long years in the Shire I am the bottom of the barrel.” The lad looked down at the foot guards he was wearing.

“I meant didn’t he tell you nothin’ about carpentry,” Sam said gently.

“Carpentry, my lad, is hard work and it takes skill and talent that most folks simply don’t possess,” Pippin began reciting. “Most folks think that they can just give me their lads for a few short months and that I can turn them into carpenters and woodworkers but that simply can’t be done. If you don’t have a talent for this sort of thing then I cannot instill it in you. Carpentry is-”

“Anything useful about carpentry,” Sam broke in.

“Not that I remember but I am told that I don’t always pay attention,” Pippin reminded Sam in an embarrassed tone.

“Well you seem to have paid enough attention to his speech on carpentry and his opinion ‘o your talent,” Sam said in a controlled voice. “If there’d a been any important information like the proper way to hold a hammer or how to measure out a proper circle, I suspect you might ‘o heard it.” Sam fished around in his trouser pocket and brought out a small ball of string. “Now, watch and learn,” Sam said. “This is how you draw a circle.”

Pippin leaned over the table and watched as Sam stretched out a piece of the string and placed his finger against it in at one point. “Now, you decide how big you want your largest wheel,” Sam said. “How would you do that?”

Pippin looked lost for a second and then he said, “Can I measure the wheel on Frodo’s wheelbarrow and use that?”

Sam grinned. “Do it.” He handed Pippin the string. “Hold the ends tight and measure the wheel from the center to the edge.”

“Not the whole wheel?” Pippin frowned.

“Trust me,” Sam said.

Pippin bent down and used the string to measure half of the wheel. He then stood up and extended the length of string to Sam. Sam took it, put his finger on one end of it and then wrapped the other end around a piece of charcoal at just the point where Pippin’s measurement stopped. Sam held the string in place on the board with his finger and then moved the charcoal in a circle around his finger being careful to keep the string taut. Pippin’s eyes widened as Sam finished. “You made a perfect circle!” Pippin crowed.

Sam grinned and moved over on the board with his charcoal and drew a lopsided circle without the aid of the string. “And that’s how it would look if I didn’t use the string,” Sam said.

“That one looks like mine did,” Pippin said.

“You can’t build nothin’ if you don’t know how it’s done,” Sam said. “Now, how ‘bout you measure that wheel again and you draw a circle?”

Before Pippin could do this, Sam reached underneath the table and pulled out some sort of tool. “Here, you can give this a try now that you have an idea of how to do it the old fashioned way,” Sam said, handing Pippin a slightly heavy, metal tool.

Pippin studied it intently. It was circular in shape with a long bar that extended from its center and which would move in a circle. Pippin looked up at Sam and said, “What is this?”

“That there is called a wheelwright’s traveler,” Sam said. “Not every hobbit is lucky enough to own one, but as it turns out, this one here belongs to Mister Frodo.”

“This is Frodo’s?” Pippin asked. “How do I use this?”

________________________________________________________

“Put down that book, Cousin,” Merry ordered as he stormed into the parlor.

Frodo groaned. “I thought you’d gone to town for your lunch.”

“I did and you aren’t going to like what I heard in town,” Merry said.

“No, I suppose that I won’t,” Frodo said in a resigned voice. He laid his book aside and looked up at Merry. “Sit down, Merry.”

“But Frodo I-“

“Sit down,” Frodo said sternly. “I am not going to try and talk to you while you pace again. Now, if you have anything to say to me, I suggest you sit down this instant.”

Surprised by Frodo’s sharp tone, Merry sat down in the rocker by the fireplace. “Excellent beginning,” Frodo said. “Now, please tell me what you heard in town that has you worked up yet again.”

“Yet again? I was fine when I left for town,” Merry objected.

Frodo looked at the ceiling of the parlor and sighed deeply. “Just get on with this, will you?”

“I will and you aren’t going to like it,” Merry said.

“I suspected that much,” Frodo said.

“Tobias Tunnely was in the Ivy Bush this morning and he had breakfast with the Gaffer,” Merry began. “Seems that old goat-“

“Meriadoc!” Frodo said sternly. “You do not refer to your elders as old goats.”

“He’s quit as Pippin’s instructor,” Merry said ignoring Frodo’s lesson on manners. “He told the Gaffer that he wasn’t coming anywhere near Pippin ever again, that he’d sent Uncle Paladin’s money back to him for the lessons and that he was through with the entire business.”

Frodo stood and looked down at Merry. “Who told you this?”

“I got it from the Gaffer himself over apple cobbler at The Ivy,” Merry said.

“That old goat!” Frodo exclaimed.

“I don’t think you should talk about Sam’s father like that,” Merry objected.

“I meant Tobias Tunnely!” Frodo roared.

“Oh,” Merry nodded. “But what do we do now?”

“That old fraud lied to me,” Frodo said as he paced the parlor.

“Frodo-“ Merry tried as he watched his older cousin pace back and forth.

“He said that he was allowing Pippin to work on his own as a learning experience,” Frodo muttered to no one in particular. “Said it would be good for the lad to work unhindered without someone looking over his shoulder at every turn! Said that he felt his presence was making Pippin nervous. Too much pressure working with someone of his advanced skills on the lad’s first attempt!”

“Well that’s certainly arrogant of him,” Merry said in disgust.

“He said that he’d be back in a week and if I didn’t mind, would I allow the lad full access to my barn and all of the privacy that I was able to reasonably give him,” Frodo said, ignoring Merry.

Merry was becoming a bit dizzy now but he continued to follow Frodo furious path with his eyes as he listened to his older cousin rant.

“He actually told me that Pippin showed some minor potential for carpentry in spite of everything!”

“Pippin?” Merry gaped.

“Minor potential that needed nurturing but might just be worth the time,” Frodo shouted. “He said to leave Pippin to work on his own and he’d be back to inspect the results in a week!” Frodo stopped in his tracks and looked at Merry intently. He was just recalling an earlier remark of Merry’s that had completely slipped by him. “Did I hear you say that Tobias Tunnely is arrogant just a minute ago? You of all hobbits, called someone else arrogant?” Frodo said as if this was the only thing he’d heard all day of any consequence.

Thinking quickly and knowing he needed to refocus Frodo’s anger again, Merry said, “That old goat called Pippin a jinx!”

___________________________________________

“And then we took this tool that Sam showed me how to use called a “spokeshave” and you can trim things with it like the handles if one needed any handles that is,” Pippin enthused as he tried to tell Frodo some of the details of his work with Sam without giving away exactly what he was working on. “But first we used this thing called a “wheelwright’s traveler”. I didn’t know you had one, Frodo.”

“I suppose that Bilbo has a great many tools out in the barn though I’m not altogether sure what he did with them,” Frodo admitted. He did not admit that he had no idea what a wheelwright’s traveler was. “I never actually saw him make anything.”

“Well, Sam says that this “wheelwright’s traveler” is the very sort of tool that a good carpenter has in his tool selection,” Pippin continued. “Oh, and you can measure with it too!” Pippin had barely taken a breath since he started telling Frodo about his work in the barn. “Sam showed me how to cut circles in the wood. Not crooked circles, but real ones that are actual circles and then he got out this “wheelwright’s traveler” and showed me all over again. He said it was good to know how to do it proper and to also have more than one way to do a thing if possible because not everyone has a “wheelwright’s traveler”, but they really should.”

Frodo smiled at Pippin. “You seem to be enjoying your lessons with Sam,” Frodo said trying not to think about his earlier conversation with Merry about Tobias Tunnely.

“Sam has really helped me,” Pippin grinned. “We spent all afternoon working on the wh-“ Pippin stopped and grinned up at Frodo. “I almost said what it is that we are building and I do want it to be a surprise after all but there is so much to tell about it that it’s getting hard to keep it a secret.”

“You really should eat your dinner you know,” Frodo smiled. Pippin had been sitting at the table in front of a big dish of mushroom stew for nearly ten minutes now and had yet to take a bite of it. That was some sort of record for Pippin. “That is one of your favorite dishes isn’t it?” Frodo asked, grinning.

Pippin grinned back at him. “You know it is, Frodo. I didn’t know you’d be making this today but I’m glad you did. I figured since we had it last night that I’d not get it again for several days.” He leaned over the bowl and began to eat.

Frodo hadn’t planned to make mushroom stew again this evening, but after his talk with Merry he began to worry about how all of this might effect Pippin’s self-confidence and he’d found himself making the lad’s favorite meal. He watched as Pippin began to eat with the same energy that he had given to his description of his work with Sam. Frodo wondered how Merry’s conversation with Sam was going.

Merry had insisted on being the one to talk to Sam and Frodo had thought that was a good idea. After all, there were things to be worked out between the two lads and this latest development with Tobias Tunnely might just make that easier. Merry had insisted that Sam let him buy him a drink at the Green Dragon while Pippin ate his supper. Sam had been a bit reluctant, but had finally agreed.  Pippin had been washing up for dinner and so he had no idea that Sam had gone off with Merry to The Green Dragon.  It was probably just as well, Frodo reasoned.  Pippin had been rather touchy lately and he might mistake Merry's invitation to Sam for interference.

__________________________________________________

Merry sat the two mugs of ale down on the table and then pulled up a chair. Sam was sitting there frowning at him. He wasn’t looking forward to this and if Mister Frodo hadn’t insisted that he go he wouldn’t be here. This sort of meeting could lead to trouble and Sam wasn’t sure if he would be able to hold his tongue.

Merry pushed one of the ales over to Sam and cleared his throat. “We have a problem,” Merry said feeling a bit uncomfortable.

“We don’t have no problem, Mister Merry,” Sam said trying to head off the trouble that he was sure was coming his way. “I do think that maybe you and Master Pippin have a problem but you don’t have no problem with me.”

“Yes, I do,” Merry said embarrassed. “You see, I’m afraid I haven’t exactly been fair to you the last couple of days, Sam. I know you’ve noticed it even if you are too nice to admit it.”

Sam took a drink of ale and then said, “Did you ask me here so’s you could tell me to stop helpin’ Master Pippin with his buildin’ project? If you did then, beggin' your pardon, I suspect we do have a problem. I wouldn’t like for it to come to that, but I would have to disagree with that if you was to ask me not to help Master Pippin.”

Merry’s eyes widened. “No, I don’t want you to stop helping Pippin. That isn’t it at all. I have two reasons for inviting you here. First of all I want to apologize to you.”

Sam hadn’t expected this. Mister Merry hadn’t been all that friendly the last couple of days but he hadn’t really said anything to Sam that would have required an apology. “It’s not my place to say so but the one you owe an apology to is your little cousin, Mister Merry,” Sam said. “You ain’t said nothin out of line to me.”

“All the same,” Merry said. “You’ve been nice enough to help Pippin and I, well, I haven’t been nice to anyone. I feel like I owe you an apology for the things I’ve been thinking almost as much as for not supporting your efforts to help Pippin.” Merry looked into his mug and then said, “I was a bit jealous.”

Sam was startled again. “Of what?”

“Of you,” Merry smiled. “I was jealous of the way you just stepped in and knew exactly what needed to be done to help Pippin. You see I know I didn’t offer to help him in the proper way, but lately he’s been pulling away from me for some reason. He doesn’t seem to want my help with anything even when I offer to help him in a nice way.”

“You don’t need to be jealous of me, Mister Merry,” Sam said blushing a bit at the very thought that someone like Mister Merry Brandybuck might actually be jealous of him. “Master Pippin looks up to you and you’re his older cousin and his friend. Nothin’ that I do will change any o’ that.”

“I never thought that you were trying to change things between me and Pip,” Merry smiled. “The trouble is that things have already changed and I don’t know what happened or how to fix it. I think Pippin is angry at me for some reason.” Merry cleared his throat again. He hadn’t meant to say this much and so he quickly changed the subject. “The other reason that I asked you to join me here is that I wanted to let you know about a conversation that I had with your father at lunch today.”

Sam frowned. Now what could the Gaffer have to do with anything? Sam didn’t have to wonder about this for very long because Mister Merry got right to it.

“It seems Tobias Tunnely told your father that he has no intention of finishing Pippin’s carpentry lessons,” Merry said grimly.

Sam sat his mug down on the table and looked at Merry for a moment. “Well, I don’t like to say nothin’ about folks without I know it for a fact, Mister Merry,” Sam said. “The thing is that if you was to ask me, I’d say that Mister Tunnely never started Master Pippin’s lessons.”

Merry furrowed his brow. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean that it don’t seem to me as if Mister Tunnely gave your little cousin any instruction at all,” Sam said. “Seems to me that he just turned him loose without so much as a single lesson.”

“I know that Pippin probably isn’t very good at carpentry, Sam,” Merry said. “But surely Mister Tunnely tried right up until Pip hit him with that hammer.”

“The only thing Mister Tunnely done was to criticize Master Pippin.” Sam said allowing his anger to surface. “Why if Mister Frodo or Mister Paladin Took knew the things that Mister Tunnely told that lad I don’t suspect they’d be too pleased about it.” Sam finished off his ale and leaned forward so as not to be overheard by anyone else. “That Mister Tunnely is right full ‘o himself, Mister Merry. Master Pippin would do better with someone else as his teacher. You'll pardon my sayin' this Mister Merry but Master Pippin is better off without the likes ‘o him.”

to be continued.....

GW     09/09/2005