The Cairo bulletin., 1906-07-12
Splitting a Snag

ITS a pretty good crowd and /
4 like first rate to 20 along" said I'll
suburbanite with mosquito Jumps
his wrists THAT Is, I'd like to so
I Benderby wasn't one Of EN-. See herr
/ | dislike to knock, but did you evd
go out on fishing trip with Bel
/ derby?"
No answered the man in the ceI
ter-creased straw Have your
II haven't" replied the mosquito
bitten one and don't intend Il
But | know just about how he'd a4
If you want peace ANA concord ar
amity and a good time generality
wen, I'm not going to knock Bel
derby"
Il won't tell" said the man VIII
didn't care for appearances. But
must say that I've always liked Bed
derby pretty we'll Tell it. Don't II
sinuate.'
Il won't" said the man with tn
Jumps. AS for telling, don't ca
who knows it, I've been sorry evd
since that didn't tell Benderby whd
| thought of him at the time. Yd
know that I've got a Fireplace in "a
house. You've seen it, haven't YOUR
NO, but / heard you say you wei
going to have one built But tell ri
about Benderby. | thought I'd plea
you by inviting him. II you hadI
introduced him to me-"
II apologize for that Well,
bought a load of old roots and snaS
from farmer out near us who Ia
'em piled up in his field. 1t strud
me they'd be the ideal thing for Il
fireplace. There's something SO tri
and uninteresting about the ayera
stick Of cordwood These were III
Of knots and bumps that were qli
picturesque. | didn't really have
buy them. just paid for the hau
ing | thought that splitting them
into good-sized chunks would just
pleasant exercise for me. II was ID
] bought a good sharp AK and a ma
and couple Of iron wedges and
Went at them.
Tough? Well. say; when you wa
a little work that is really work y
just get lot of old roots. The fiji
afternoon | worked at them | was
stiff and sore | could hardly b
around at all the next day, and | &
my hands so blistered and swelled
couldn't close EN-. But | tougher
up in a little while and began to g
along quite nicely. My wife used
come out and sit on the back por'
and watch me- where the chi
wouldn't strike her.
well, | just plugged away NOR
ings and evenings when ! had a lit
spare time. you know, and By tue ei
end Of a month or six weeks had
pile that ii would have done you hea
good to see-all split up but one stun
at the time Benderby butted in.
hadn't been able 10 finish it up t
night before, Crosby and Smith we
over that evening and was tellil
them what | had been doing ana
All went out to look at the pile.
whole bunch of us Smith remark
that I'd left this one root and | 50
Ia whack that up right away.
shed my coat, turned the old snt
over and went at it, | put in I
wedges first and swung the old ma
IN 10 them and blamed If they didl
bounce out one after another. T
grain had run across. tried anoth
place and struck another twist Al
AIRED my arm clear up TO the shot
Ter blade. That made me mad az
went at ii hard, but | couldn't ma
he wedges stick and | knew | W
~ against a proposition that mig
AXE little time. The crowd NOV
lway. one by one, and sat on the stod
Il took the ak and scaled the OF
ide away to get an idea OF the W
he grain ran and tried il again. tn
ime | got the wedge in. but II stay
n and didn't split | put the 9th
n lower down and that drove pre-
v nigh up 10 the head aa1 did
tart a crack either Then | swe
round there for half an hour tryi
o get the wedges out and the fol
uying me all the time. / had to
hose wedges ont al last.
81 guess that had been work..
or an hour or so. was drippiS
nth Precipitation and was pretty nca
y played out when Benderby stroll
-. big and fat and cool and chez
ul. He watched me for a nome
nj then he said I wasn't going
. right Take the ak and just bu
er Open" be said.
Il smiled. handed him the AK
)ined the group on the porch.
eedod some compensation and
banked my stars which had deliyeri
i'm into my hands He swung q
x aloft. brought Il down with
runt and-busted the snag wide Cpd
1T was a fiuke-a pure accidef
lind YOU. As fat as he is ] am q
mes as muscular know mo.
bout splitting wood in a minute tn
p could learn in ten years and D.
Iready split mp about 30 Of the roo
M II you had heard him brag a
low and belittle what IA done and
ell haven't words for him. tha.
H."
Perhaps we'd better find some "
shunt him of this trip. after al
I'D the man with the straw n
What kind Of an excuse do you this
could make? Chicago Daily New