Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-05-07
ROOSEVELT AS A WooDcHoPPER

no ~ S's
In the May Ladies' Home Journal
there is a very readable sketch OF
President Roosevelt, considered as
"The Outdoor President by Mr.. Lind
say Pension, illustrated with striking
photographs of the president cutting
tres and riding horseback at his pic
%turesque country home, Oyster Bay.
L. /. Every one knows what a respect
President Roosevelt has for muscular
exercise and fresh air. Mr.. Denison
says when the president gets to Oyster
Bay he divides his leisure time between
reading, writing. walking and o
chopping.
Mr.. Denison describes his visit to
the Oyster Bay estate n finding Mr'
Roosevelt at work chopping wood for
the winter supply.
ga was one winter day not long at
ter he had been elected governor OF
the state of New York that / happened
upon Mr.. Roosevelt as a woodsman
He had an appointment with a number
of later in the afternoon. For reasons
beyond the control of anyone, it was
that he be seen before that
time. He was not at home. Yes, he
was on tn place somewhere; he had
gone out toward the barn. The stable
man did not know where he was, but
had noticed thai Mr.. Roosevelt had
taken the axe with him: very likely ne
was working down in h south lot.
ut may not be respectful to the pres
ident of the United States to say it: but
on this occasion at any rate, he was
tracked over the sno exactly as he has
tracked his cwn prey many and many
& time. The snow was still falling. and
the only visible tracks We're those
which led off obliquely across the pas
lures to the woods. Never until hen
Gid 1 realize in how much a solitude OF
his own Theodore Roosevelt had his
home. Steep and long as is the lane up
the hill from the Highway, the distance
from the house to Cold Spring Harbor,
on the other side of the place, is much
greater. Nor are the paths neatly gray-
eled walks which have the look of be-
ing combed and brushed every morn
ing: so far are they from this that in
the two inches of snow is was often
quite impossible to Sc whether the foot
prints were following a path.
But the highways of Sycamore Hill
are always practicable for the purposes
for which they are intended. The
woods are crossed by wagon roads.
They are by nc means paved driveways
buthe could find a rock in them, or a
rainwashed gully which would cause q
wagon to upset, must be a clumsy
driver indeed.
Long before I reached the spot
whence the blows of the axe We're
booming out into the snowy air l knew
that the new governor was unquestion-
ably cutting straight n true. The
deep-chestsd. full-toned 'hep!' hat ac-
companied each blow of the axe was
quite enough Of a certificate for that.
He was working on a large hickory,
which was crowded in between two
even larger trees. The chips were fly
ing past me before he knew that there
was anybody near. His coat was off.
and it was good to see the muscles
working under the damp folds of his
gray flannel shirt. 1 was the least bit
afraid that If I called t. him he might
startled into dropping the axe with a
possibility Of hurting himself. The
man who chops down hickory trees for
his daily allowance of fun is not of the
easily startled SOrl. Inere neeu nave
been no such fear. He merely glanced
yer his shoulder. His glasses
were so misted with p~erspiration that
that he did not recognize me, so he took
them off and rubbed them clear.
"'What is the matter? he said.
What had happened was the devils
ing of a particularly disingenuous polit-
ical plan of coercing certain interests in
state. The governors aid and con-
sent were quite essential to the plan
which was to be pressed upon him as
in the interests of party har-
mony.' 1t had been thought wise TO in
form Mr.. Roosevelt of the substance of
the plan before his afternoon talk with
the newspaper reporters who knew of
It, some of whom represented newspa-
pers opposed to him..
ut was a long story, and he tool
lp his coat and threw it over his
shoulders as lisetened. When II was
.old he turned back to the hickory and
yripped the axe. The blows made the
tout trunk tremble; they drove the
in almost to the hi. ra,,ght |