So he did.  He came home with the Noah’s Ark.  It was a moderate-sized ark, painted blue, as usual, with red streaks, and a slanting roof, held down with a crooked wire.  It was brought to Jedidiah, one evening, just as he was going to bed; so the crooked wire was not lifted, for Mrs. Dyer thought he had better go to bed at his time and get up early and look at his ark.  But he could not sleep well, thinking of his ark.  It stood by his bedside, and all night long he heard a great racket inside of it.  There was a roaring and a grunting and a squeaking,—­all kinds of strange noises.  In the moonlight he thought he saw the roof move; if the wire had not been so crooked it surely would have opened.  But it didn’t, not till he took it downstairs, and Mrs. Dyer had got out her ironing-board, that the animals might be spread out upon it; then Jedidiah lifted the roof.

What a commotion there was then!  The elephant on the top, and his trunk stretched out; in a minute or two he would have unfastened the wire; the giraffe’s long neck was stretched out; one dove flew away directly, and some crows sat on the eaves.  Mr. and Mrs. Dyer and Jedidiah started back, while the elephant with his trunk helped out some of the smaller animals, who stepped into rows on the ironing-board as fast as they were taken out.

The cows were mooing, the cats mewing, the dogs barking, the pigs grunting.  Presently Noah’s head appeared, and he looked round for his wife; and then came Shem and Ham and Japheth with their wives.  They helped out some of the birds,—­white, with brown spots,—­geese, and ducks.  It took the elephant and Noah and all his sons to get the horses out, plunging and curvetting as they were.  Some sly foxes got out of themselves, leaping from the roof to the back of a kneeling camel.

Jedidiah’s eyes sparkled with joy.  Mrs. Dyer sat with folded hands, and said, “Why, Mr. Dyer!” And Mr. Dyer occasionally helped a stray donkey, whose legs were caught, or a turkey fluttering on the edge.  At last a great roaring and growling was heard at the bottom of the ark.  The elephant nodded his trunk to the giraffe; the camel was evidently displeased; Noah and his sons stood together looking up at the roof.

“It’s the wild animals,” said Jedidiah.

“If they should get out,” thought Mrs. Dyer; “all the wild tigers and the lions loose in the house!” And she looked round to see if the closet door were open for a place of retreat.

Mr. Dyer stepped up and shut the roof of the ark.  It was in time; for a large bear was standing on his hind legs on the back of a lion, and was looking out.  Noah and his family looked much pleased; the elephants waved their trunks with joy; the camels stopped growling.

“I don’t wonder they are glad to get out,” said Jedidiah.  “I do believe they have been treading down those wild animals all night.”

Mrs. Dyer wondered what they should do with the rest.  Come Tuesday she would want her ironing-board,—­perhaps baking-day, to set the pies on.