Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-07-14
Splitting a Snag

hAo NAicbSs ina -, "a Ing W 60 Al
Benderby wasn't one Of EN-. See here,
I dislike to knock, but did you ever
go out on a fishing trip with Ben
derby?"
NO" answered the man in the CEN
decreased straw. Have your
II haven't" replied the mosquito
bitten one and | don't intend to.
II you want peace and concord and
amity and a good time generally
well, I'm not going to knock Ben
derby"
Il won't tell" said the man who
didn't care for appearances. But I
must say that I've always liked Ben
derby pretty well. Tell it. Don't in
sinuate."
Il won't" said the man with the
Jumps. AS for telling, l don't care
who knows it. I've been sorry ever
since that | didn't tell Benderby what
| thought of him at the time. You
know that I've got a fireplace in tire
house. You've seen it, haven't you?"
mo, but | heard you say you were
going to have one built. But tell me
about Benderby. | thought I'd please
you by inviting him. If you hadn't
introduced him to me-"
Il apologize for that. Well, /
| bought a load Of old roots and snags
from a farmer out near us who had
EN- piled up in his field. 1t struck
me they'd be the ideal thing for the
fireplace. There's something so trim
| and uninteresting about the average
| stick of cordwood. These were full
of knots and bumps hat were quite
picturesque. / didn't really have to
buy them. l just paid for the haul
ing. thought that splitting them up
into good-sized chunks would just ba
pleasant exercise for me. 1t was, too.
| bought a good sharp ak and a maui
and a couple of iron wedges and I
| went at them.
Tough? Well, say; when you want
a little work that is really work you
| just get a lot of old roots The first
afternoon | worked at them ! was so
stiff and sore l could hardly get
around at all the next day, and I got
| my hands so blistered and swelled I
couldn't close 'em. But ! t~oughened
| up in a little while and began to get
along quite nicely. My wife used to
come out and sit on thee back porch
and watch me, where the chips
wouldn't strike her.
We'll, l Just plugged away morn
ings and evenings when had a little
spare time, you know, and by the end
end of a month or six weeks | had a
pile that it would nave done you heart
good to see-all split up but one stump
at the time Benderby butted in. /
hadn't been able to finish it up the
night before. Crosby and Smith were
over that evening and | was telling
them what had been doing and we
all went out to look at the pile. the
whole bunch of us. Smith remarked
that I'd left this one root and | said
I'd whack that up right away. So
| shed my coat, turned the old snag
over and went at it. ] put in the
wedges first and swung the old maui
on to them and blamed If they didn't
bounce out one after another. The
grain had run across. | tried another
place and struck another twist and
| Jared my arm clear up 60 the shout
der blade. That made me mad n
l went at it hard, but ! couldn't make
| the wedges stick and ! knew | was
| up against a proposition that might
take a little time. The crowd moved
| away, enc by one, and sat on the stoop.
81 took the ak and scaled the out
| side away to get an idea of the way
| the grain ran and tried 1t again. That
| time / got the wedge in, but it stayed
in and didn't split. / put the other
in lower down and that drove pref
ty nigh up to the head and didn't
| start a crack either. Then | sweat
around there for half an hour trying
to get the wedges out and the folks
guying me all the time. ] had to cut
| those wedges out at last.
Il guess that ! had been workings
for an hour or So, / was dripping
with Precipitation and was pretty near
" played out when Benderby strolled
up, big and fat and cool and cheer
ful. He watched me for a moment
and then he said l wasn't going at
it right. Take the AK and just bust
her OPEN he said.
II smiled, banded him the ak and
Joined the group on the porch. |
needed some compensation and |
thanked my stars which had delivered
him into my hands. He swung the
ak aloft. brought it down with a
grunt and-busted the snag wide open.
at was a iuke-a pure accident.
mind you. AS fat as he is ! am ten
times as muscular, | know more
about splitting wood in a minute h
he could learn in ten years and had
| already split up about 30 OF the roots,
hut if you had heard him brag and
blow and belittle what I'd done and
well | haven't words for him, that's
all"
perhaps we'd better find some way
to shunt him off this trip, after all"
NTH thu cf~ouv hat