"We have to find some straw to stuff him with," said Mrs. Johnson.   "Billy, please run out to the garden storage shed and get my wheelbarrow and meet me at the barn."

Billy ran off in the direction of the shed and Mrs. Johnson called, "Bring the rake too, okay?"

Mrs. Johnson walked to the barn.   She slid open the heavy doors and looked inside.   There was a lot of loose straw on the barn floor.   It had fallen off the bales that Mr. Johnson threw down each night to use as bedding in the horse stall and calves pen.   Billy came trundling up with the wheelbarrow and rake.

"Let me have the rake, Billy.   I'll rake up a pile of straw and you can pile it into the wheelbarrow."

When the wheelbarrow was full, Mrs. Johnson pushed it back toward the picnic table.

"Billy, why don't you stuff straw in his head for me.   Stuff it as full as you can."

Billy laughed as he stuffed straw into the pillow case.   It began to look just like a person's head.

"Look at him, Mom.   He's already looking just like a real person.   Doesn't he look happy, Mom?"

When the pillowcase was stuffed as full as it could get, Mrs. Johnson said, "Now, how in the world are we going to put this all together?   We have to stuff the shirt and pants too."

She sat down on the picnic table bench and thought out loud.

"I suppose I could pin it together, but that would take a lot of pins."

"Hm-mm.   Maybe I could sew his head onto his shirt.   But we need legs and arms and something to put him on to stand him in the garden.   Hm-mm, what can we use."

"Billy, remember those stilts that Dad made for himself a couple of years ago?" she asked.

"Yeah," replied Billy.   "He doesn't use them anymore and I don't play with them cuz they're too tall for me."

"Well," asked his mother, "Do you remember where they are?"

Billy thought for a moment.   "Yeah, I put them out in the garage."

"Can you go get them for me?" asked his mother.   "I think they will make wonderful arms and a strong backbone for this guy."

Billy ran toward the garage and Mrs. Johnson went into the house to get a needle and thread.   When she came out of the house, Billy was sitting on the picnic table, holding onto the stilts and wiggling in anticipation.

"Let's see now," said Mrs. Johnson.

She picked up one stilt and laid it along the length of the picnic table.   She pushed the stuffed pillow case onto the end of the stilt.

"I don't think this needle and thread will work, Billy.   What we really need is a piece of string or something to hold his head onto the stilt.   There are some short pieces of baler twine out in the barn...just inside the door.   Do you think you can find them for me?   I'll need about five pieces."

Billy brought back the pieces of twine.   Mrs. Johnson took one and tied it tightly around the end of the pillow case, securing it to the stilt.   Then she took the other stilt and pushed it through the arms of the shirt.   It stuck out of each shirt sleeve.   She tied two pieces of twine on the ends of the sleeves and around the stilt.

"I need a hammer and some long nails to fasten these two stilts together," she said.

"Where are they, Mom?   Can I get 'em?" Billy asked.  

"There is a hammer and some nails in the garden shed.   I better come with you.   The hammer is probably handing up on the wall and it would be too high for you to reach."

"Aw Mom, just let me try?"

Mrs. Johnson nodded her head. "Okay," she said.

She called as Billy ran toward the shed.

"The hammer is probably hangng on the wall over the bench.   The nails are in pail under the bench."

Billy waved his hand to let his mother know he had heard her.