Connecticut western news., 1880-08-24
THE LOAD OF WOOD.

of business they would choose, when Uncle Asa came into the room. As Uncle Asa, had tried several kinds, and been prosperous in all, they appealed to him for advice.
 "What I want to know is this,' said Charley, in the course of the discussion which followed; "you have bought and sold good many things, but what has turned out to be the most profitable ?" Uncle Asa considered moment, while curious smile passed over his pleasant rosy face. $ 2 AtssG Uss&s@ g &-R ssWell, if I were to name any one thing which have handled, and which has in the long run proved most to my advantage-well said the old gentle man, holding decidedly, "I think I must say, load of wood"
 stA load of wood ?" chorused the boys. They had expected he would say wool, or wheat, or hardware, or indigo; and they cuoldln't believe his reply was quite seBnt it ist' said Uncle Asa. "A load of wood, and not large load, either; not nearly so large as it looked. It was really the beginning of my fortunes, and I owe more to it than to anything else l ever dealt in. .tsTeu you about 1t? Of course will, if you wish 1t; and perhaps it will help to start you in the right direction.
 ssIt was when I was boy-about your age, Charley; I think I was sixteen that fall. The summer work was well over; the winter school had not yet be- gun; and my cousin Medad and myself were considering how we should earn 8 little pocket-money. My father heard us talking over some boyish schemes, and said to us:
 "sI can give you an idea better than that. There's the oak that blew over last spring, in the mill l-pasture. You may cut it up, and have all you can make out of it. aUG
 ::sBut there's work in that, I said.
 "sYes; so there is in almost any hon. est job that people are willing to pay money for. But it isn't so hard as you think said my father. sOne stroke at 8 time; so many strokes an hour; so many hours day. That's the way great things are accomplished. It isn't much of tree; you'll wish there was more of it before you get through
 "Well," Urcle Asa continued, "we undertook the job, and we did wish there was more of it. With 8 cross-cut saw and beetle and wedges, then with g hand-saw and an axe, we reduced that tree to stove-wood in very short time and had fun out of it too. Boys have only to be interested in their work, you know, to find it pleasant.
 "We saw profit in every stick, ani had as much talk about how we would dispose of the wood, and what we would do with the money, as if we had beer young millionaires discussing some great project.
 "sThere's " a good deal in the way yor pile wood, to sell it, Medad said There's Jake Meeker-he says he cal take nine cords of wood and pile it ovel and make ten of it, easy as nothing.'
 "'Yes,' I replied 'and father say he can throw his hat through some O Jake's wood-piles -such great holes He don't really make ten cords of i that way
 "sYes, he does,' Medad insisted There's holes through every wood-pile and you measure so much for cord whether they're big or little
 "'But that's cord-wood, I said. FYo7 can't pile stove-wood so as to make g. much more of it.
 "'We'n see about that Medad re piled, with laugh. We're going t make the most of our job, ain't wei?
 "'Of course, I said and waited wit 8 good deal of curiosity to see how h would manage.
 "He showed me in day or two. W had an old one-horse wagon we hal messed Dolly to it, and backed it up t our wood-pile. Then we began to la the sticks loose in the box, so as to mak them take up as much room as possible
 'But they did not fill up so fast as W had expected for we knew that if W piled them too loosely, they would be al to shake down together on the way to u village, and so cause our load to shrin before we sold it.
 "Medad looked at the wood in tt box when it was haf-flled, an then at that which remained on u ground, and shook his head dubiousl, s'Twon't do ' he said. We ought make three loads of it; but at this ra we sha'n't make two. I've an idea !!
 "sWhat ?''J I said, wondering how would get out of the difficulty.