156 HAPPY HOLLOW FARM 



The worst part of our work would have been 

 a sight easier if we'd had a good stump puller ; 

 but I didn't feel justified in putting the money 

 into it when we should need it for only a few 

 months at most. There was no chance of buy- 

 ing a puller by clubbing with the neighbors; 

 they had found it cheaper to let their stumps 

 rot out. We wrestled with those rough old 

 citizens of the field by main strength for a 

 while, trying this way and that burning some, 

 and splitting out some with dynamite, and go- 

 ing after some with the ax. By and by we 

 found an expedient not a lazy man's make- 

 shift, mind you; there's a lot of difference be- 

 tween the two. We cut a long, strong white 

 oak sapling with an eight-inch butt and bound 

 the butt end against a stump with trace-chains ; 

 then hitched our work team to the outer end of 

 the sapling, and started them to moving in a 

 circle. That twist must have uprooted a moun- 

 tain. It brought our stump out clean. 



We found other expedients that helped us 

 through other difficulties. Some of them were 

 a little clumsy, maybe; but we don't hesitate 

 to use one of them on occasion just on that 

 account, if only they lighten labor and actually 

 cut down expense. Some of the men who have 



