The Garland globe. [volume] (Garland, Utah) 1906-191?, 1906-07-21
Splitting a Snag

ITS a pretty good crowd and Ia
like first rate to 90 along" said the
suburbanite with mosquito Jumps on
his wrists. THAT is, I'd like to go II
Benderby ~-;kmt one OF EN-. See here,
l dscsSe to knock, but did you ever
60 out on q 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 I don't intend to
But I know just about how he'd act
II you want peace and concord and
amity and good time generally
well. I'm not going to knock Ben.
derby"
II won't tell" said the man who
didn't care for appearances. But ]
must say tha& vvs always liked Ben.
derby ssSety we'll. Tell 1t. Don't in
stu6Ate."
Il won't" said the man with the
Jumps. "As for telling, don't care
who knows It, I've been sorry ever
since that I didn't tell BeDderby wha,
/ thought Of him at the time. Yor
know that I've got fireplace in the
house. You've seen 1t, haven't your"
mo. but I heard you say you were
going to have one built. But tell me
about Benderby. thought I'd pleas,
you by inviting him. II you hadn't
introduced him to me-"
II apologize for that. Well, !
bought load of old roots and snag,
from q farmer out near us who hat
'em piled up in his field. 1t strucl
me they'd be the ideal thing for thu
fireplace. There's something SO trim
and uninteresting about the average
stick Of cordwood. These were full
of knots and bumps that were quite
picturesque. I didn't really have te
buy them. I just paid for the haul.
Ing. / thought that splitting them w
into good-sized chunks would Just be
pleasant exercise for me. 1t was, too
l bought good sharp ak and a mau
and a couple Of iron wedges and
went at them.
Tough? Well, say; when you wan
a little work that is really work you
Just get lot of old roots. The first
afternoon I worked at them I was sc
stiff and sore could hardly gel
around at all the next. day, and I got
my hands so blistered and swelled
close EN-. But I tougheneo
up In little while and began to get
along quite nicely. My wife used tc
come out and sit on the back porch
and watch me, where the chips
wouldn't strike her.
well, I Just plugged away morn
ings and evenings when l had little
spare time, you know. and by the enc
end Of a month or six weeks I had a
pile that 1t would have done you heart
good to see-all split up but one STUMP
at the time Benderby butted in.
hadn't been able to finish IL 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 II. | put In the
wedges first and swung the old maui
on to them and blamed II 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 to the Shout
der blade. That made me mad and
went at II hard. but couldn't make
the wedges stick and knew l was
take little time. The crowd moved
away, one by one, and sat on the stoop.
II took the ak and scaled the out.
side away to get an idea Of the way
the grain ran and tried 1t again. That
lime | got the wedge In, but II stayed
In and didn't split. | put the other
IN lower down and that drove pref.
~ nigh up to the head and didn't
start crack either. Then | sweat
around there for half an hour trying
20 get the wedges out and the folks
5uying me all the time. | had to cut
hose wedges out at last.
81 guess that ! had been working
OR an hour or so, | was dripping
with perspiration and was pretty near.
y played out when Benderby strolled
Up, big and fat and cool and cheer
'ul He watched me for a moment
md then he said wasn't going at
I right. Take the ak and just bust
Ter open" he said.
81 smiled, handed him the ak and
oined the group on the porch.
needed some compensation and
banked my stars which had delivered
iim into my hands. He swung the
TX aloft. brought 1t down with
,runt and-busted the .snag wide open
1T was a fltke-a pure accident
mind you. AS fat as he is | am ten
lines as muscular. | know more
bout splitting wood In minute than
he could learn in ten years and |, had |
already split up about 30 OF the roots !
nut II you had heard him brag and |
low and belittle what I'd done and
veil | haven't words for him, that's |
H."
perhaps we'd better find some way
O shunt him off this trip after ALL, |