The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-05-24
A TUSSLE WITH A TREE.


I imagined it would take me about
half an hour to put up some boxes fol-
the accommodation of the blue birds
amid the branches of the magnificent
oak which stands in the rear of my
house.
This oak is the pride of my estate
1t is erect, lofty, symmetrical, now in
its fullest vigor-a temple not built
with hands-more marvellous in con.
struction than any palace ever erected
and, in my brother mans estimation
good chiefly for firewood OF railroad
ties.
In the endeavor to place the bird
houses on it find that perversity dwells
among its branches. Or perhaps its
desire is not to be meddled with in any
way-a feature of strong character
and marked individuality, whether in
men, women or oaks.
wanted to put the boxes on the oak
about twenty feet from the ground.
erected ladder against the tree The
tree refused to allow the ladder to rest
solidly against its massive trunk
Whichever way l directed that ladder
II ANlI tlllSb SlhfIIl pIu SlOiJ DIdHCucS
stout as steel springs, These fought
the ladder and warded it Oft against
too near approach.
ltried to insinuate the ladder between
these grabbed, obstinate little branches
They resisted intelligently all such tao.
tics. Where the ladders end edged in
a little on one side, cats claw of q
branch managed to catch it on the
other. Meantime l, myself the human,
moving machine at the ladders foot,
was expanding much force in these vain
efforts. For it was an old and very
heavy ladder-a house painter ladder.
| saw that | must cut these branches
of. l could not reach them from the
ground so to do. Nor could l saw them
OFF by getting on the ladder as it leaned
against them, since to do this might be
to saw myself off in sense. The axe
failed to cut them off because l could
not get in a position to deal an effective
blow. | had recourse to handsaw.
L Would saw from the top of my step
ladder.
Posting the step-ladder at the foot OF
the tree proved another difficult opera
ton, for the ground was uneven, and it
was necessary to level off place to
give the base a secure hold.
AT this time it occurred to me that ]
was long way Off from placing those
blue bird boxes. Every move thus
developed and necessary in this under
taking seemed to carry me farther from
the aim first sought-that of mailing the
boxes to the tree. l had commenced
with the endeavOr to place ladder
against the trunk, found mind and body
Intercepted by those obstinate branches
had left the branches and now found
myself at work with a pick and shovel
on the ground. | thought to myself:
81 wonder how far | must travel away
from those boxes in this fashion in order
to get them? Is this one of those af.
fairs in life, seeming so easy of accom-
pllshment. really so difficult, which
looks as if it could be done in a day,
and which may require years? At all
events, the affair is assuming the aspect
of sort Of game. or rather combat, be-
tween myself and this tree, and I'm
going to drop all hurry and anxiety to
place the boxes and see which of us,
myself or the tree, are to be masters of
the situation"
The step-ladder sided with the tree,
and was unreasonably particular in
getting level base-now topping as |
stood on it over on this side, now on
that in decripit, helpless sort of
fashion. 1t was n striking example, in
its seeming efforts to overturn me, of
what a friend calls "the total depravlty
of inanimate things
At last | mounted this ladder and
commenced operations with the saw on
branch No. l. The branch being
green and full of sap, the saw stuck
and hung in an obstinate manner.
Being on the top board of the step-lad-
der my footing was shaky and uncertain.
| sawed, worried by the thought of a
possible broken neck or leg, and ex-
perienced great wear and tear of mind
and body in consequence. Branch No.
2 required change of location for the
step-ladder and another secure level for
its base. So did branch No. 3. By
the time the three branches were off /
found myself forgetting the original in
tent of all this work, andeven wonder
ing at times what was working for.
The branches were at last out of my
way and all seemed plain sailing. /
raised the heavy ladder against the
tree. 1t rested securely against the
trunk. / mounted it with one of the
boxes in my hands, got two thirds of the
way to the ladders top, heard some
thing crack ominously and found that
the left ladder upright had a diagonal
split running drought it, was threaten
ing every instant to part, and that my
neck was in greater danger than ever.
descended rapidly, but carefully, from
the ladder. Another instance of the
total depravity of inanimate things.
There was nothing to do but repair
the lalder-i The placing Of the. bird
boXes.op the tree had retired farther in
the distance than ever. I said then to
myself ~ wonder where this under
taking will carry me ere it is finished ?
What new thing shall find necessary
20 Incorporate into this Job? Perhaps