Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1906-09-07
Splitting a Snag

suburbanite with mosquito Jumps on
his wrists. ''That is, I'd like to go II
Benderby wasn't one of 'em. See here,
I dislike to knock, but did you ever
go out on fishing trip with Ben
derby?"
NO." answered the man in the Gen.
decreased straw. Have your
II haven't" replied the mosquito
bitten one, and I don't intend to.
But ! know just about how he'd act.
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
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, I don't care
who knows 1t. I've been sorry ever
since that didn't tell Benderby what
thought of him at the time. You
Know that I've got fireplace in the
house. You've seen it, haven't you?"
NO, but I heard you say you were
going to have one built: But tell me
| about Benderby. I thought I'd please
you by inviting him. If you hadn't
introduced him to me-
"1 apologize for that. Well, l
bought a load Of Old roots and snags
from a farmer out near US who had
''em piled up in his field. 1t struck
me they'd be the ideal thing for the
fireplace. There's something so trim
and embarrassing about the average
stick Of cordwood These were full
of knots and bumps that were quite
picturesque. didn't really have to
buy them Just paid for the haul
ing. I thought that splitting them uR
into goodsized chunks would just be
pleasant exercise for me. It was, too
bought good sharp ak and maui
! end q couple of iron wedges and
went at them: C1s1s2t-s
Tough? Well, say; when you want
q little work that is really work you
5ust get lot of old roots. The first
afternoon worked at them I was SC
stiff and sore could hardly get
around at all the next day, and got
my hands so blistered and swelled ]
couldn't close 'em. But I toughened
up tn a little while and began to gel
along quite nicely. My wife used to
come out and sit on the back porch
! and watch me, where the chips
wouldn't stfiEe BE.
"Well, just plugged away. morn
angs and evenings when I bad htth
spare time, you know, and by the end
end of month OF SIX weeks had
Qfle that It would have dune you heart
good to see-au split UP but one stump
J at the time BendeIby buttad in. !
hadn't been able 10 finish it. up the
night befose. COSBY and Smith were
over that esentng and was telling
them what had been doing and we
all went out to hok 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 vent ct it. I put in the
Wedges first and swing 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 to the shoul-
der blade. That made me mad and
I went at it hard, but couldn't make
the wedges stick and l knew I was
up. against a proposition. that might
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
time l 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 crack either. Then l sweat
around there for half an hour trying
to get the wedges out and the folks
guying me all the time. l had to cut
those wedges out at last.
II guess that I had been working
for an hour or 80, was drippinc
with perspiration and was pretty near.
ly played out when Benderby strolled
up, big and fat and cool and cheer
full. He watched me for a momsnt
and then he said wasn't going at
it right take the ak and Just bust
her open," he said.
II smiled, handed 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.
1T was a fluke-a pure accident.
mind you. AS fat as he is l am ter
| times as muscular. L know more
about splitting wood in a minute than
he could learn in ten years and l has
already split up about 30 of the roots
but if you had heard him brag anA
blow and belittle what I'd done and
we'll l haven't words for him, that's
ALL"
"Perbaps we'd better find some way