Explore "Square and Compasses" by Oliver Optic on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
Mr. Brookbine stood on one of the timbers intended for the sills of the boat-house. In his hand he held a steel square and a pair of compasses.
"The pair of compasses I hold in my hand," he said, "are of the simplest construction. Those you have in the shop are fitted with a screw-stop so that you can fasten them in any required position. You will complain that it is hard to move the legs of these, but as they must stay in place without any screw, it is necessary that the joint be a tight fit."