Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-07-28
WOODMAN, SPARE THAT TREE.
lie Remembered Happy Childhood's Days
on the Dear Old Homestead.

he was stout gentleman, with silk hat
and blue beaver overcont, and when he
stopped to look at q squad of laborers at
work in the digging of the new city hall cell
lar the other morning, place was at once
made for him on the heap of granite blocks
that had once been fence base Surveying
the crowd his eye fell upon two men who
were engaged in reducing the recently feled
trees to suitable lengths for hauling away.
He at once gave vent TO q sigh and sadly re-
marked
''Ah, gentlemen, this reminds mo of my
happy childhood on the old FARM
The crowd looked at him sympathizingly,
and one of the number ventured the question:
"Does it!''
MANY a time have shouldered my ~ at
daybreak, and gone out into the woods over
near Muskrat creek, and chopped until sun
down. Yes, and l never felt it Us much as
do walk down to the Office"
''No times like the old times" observed
little man in a faded overcoat: ''old age
makes us indifferent men"
Il don't know my friend; think could
swing an ak with the best of 'em, burned if l
DON'T" announced the stout gentleman, as he
began removing his gloves. 'rm going TO
Try III CHIT get a CnaDCe.
BY producing silver quarter, he was al
lowed to take the place of one of the chop
pers, and, removing his overcoat, spat upon
his hands Swinging the ak around ms head,
he knocked his silk hat into a wash rag and
brought the edge down on limb that en-
dowed it with enough elasticity 10 cause it TO
violently rebound the helve striking him on
the chin. ''Gosh!" he gasped. while the
crowd fell back to distance of fifteen feet,
II forgot that hat" Settling himself, he
brought the ak down again, with enough vio-
lence to break a steel ball But he under
estimated the distance from the tree and he
missed it by foot at least, striking the ak
oat of sight. Some one snickered az this
point, and the stout gentleman got three
shades redier.
81 can do It'll" be gasped: II forgot tho old
time swing" Then he blazed away again,
this time overreaching his work. The handle
struck the trunk, and with a howl of pain,
he dropped the ak.
Whats the matterr' demanded boy with
fur cap.
''Ouchl Gosh, all serpents That stung
like blazesr'
Here the owner Of the ak suggested that
perhaps he was tired. This insuuation had
an irritating effect on the old time woodman,
and he indignantly seized the Ak.
''No, sirl l can do this for two hoursr' he
replied as he again went 10 the onslaught.
Amid the applause Of the spectators he
buried the blade in the wood and then pre-
pared TO cut on the other side. Bringing
down the ak, be sent pound chip into his
face like rife shot Dropping the az he
stepped on bowlder and fell like a felled
giant of the forest into a heap Of brush, from
which he was dragged bleeding.
A policeman and the little man in the
faded overcoat took him around the corner,
where they sat him on a barrel, instructing
the little boy with the fur cap 70 tell him
when the next Central avenue car caIne
along.
Much obliged, friends; much obliged
whispered the woodnan as he mopped his
bleeding nose But that az wasn't a biz
like the one used to have. Must have been
awful dull. Much obliged" - Cincinnati
Euurirar