Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-04-23
WATERBURY EVENING DEMOCRAT, MONDAY APRIL 23 lsss.
wooDMAN, SPARE THAT TREE.

He Remembered Happy ChildhOod's Days
 on the Dear Old Homestead.
 He was stout gentleman, with a silk hat and a blue beaver overcoat, and when he stopped to look at squad of laborers at work in the digging of the new city hall eel 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 felled trees to suitable lengths for hauling away. He at once gave vent to a sigh and sadly re- marked:
 sAh, gentlemen, this reminds me of my happy childhood on the old farm!"
 The crowd looked at him sympathizingly, and one of the number ventured the question: sDoes ita"
 'tMany time have shouldered my ax at daybreak, and gone out into the woods over near Muskrat creek, and chopped until sun down. Yes, and never felt it as much as do walk down to the office"
 tsNo times like the old times," observed a little man in faded overcoat: "old age makes us indifferent men,"
 ssI don't know my friend; think l could swing an ax with the best of lem, durned if don'tI'' announced the stout gentleman, as he began removing his gloves. "Pm going to try IT cant get a chance"
 By producing silver quarter, he was all lowed to take the place of one of the chop pers, and, removing his overcoat, spat upon his hands. Swinging the ax around his head, he knocked his silk hat into wash rag and brought the edge down on limb that en- dowed it with enough elasticity to cause it to violently rebound, the helve striking him on the chin. 'sGosh!" he gasped, while the crowd fell back to distance of fifteen feet, 1T forgot that hat" Settling himself, he brought the ax 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 ax out of sight. Some one snickered at this point, and the stout gentleman got three shades redder.
 "I can do it" he gasped: 1T forgot the old time swing" Then he blazed away again, this time overreaching his work. The handle struck the trunk, and with howl of pain, he dropped the ax.
 "What's the matter?" demanded boy with a fur cap.
 "Ouch! Gosh, all serpentsl That stung like blazesp'
 Here the owner of the ax suggested that perhaps he was tired. This insinuation had an irritating effect on the old time woodman, and he indignantly seized the ax.
 "No, sirl can do this for two hoursln he replied as he again went to 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 ax, he sent a pound chip into his face like a rife shot. Dropping the ax he stepped on a powder and fell like felled giant of the forest into 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 Q barrel, instructing the little boy with the fur cap to tell him when the next Central avenue car came along.
 "Much obliged, friends; much obliged, 7 whispered the woodman as he mopped his bleeding nose. "But that ax wasn't bit like the one used to have. Must have been awful dull. Much obliged" "- Cincinnati | Enuuirer