MEMORIES OF THE 



The reference to making buckets calls to my mind a little 

 matter personal to myself, which always occurs to me when 

 speaking of cedar sap-buckets. 



One stormy day, father and myself were riving staves and 

 heading from bolts of cedar in the big woodshed. The floor was 

 covered with chunks of cedar bark and other debris of the work. 

 I was waiting on him by passing the bolts and tools and riving 

 the less difficult blocks into plain staves, he doing the heading 

 and such work as required more skill. Having used up a block 

 of heading, he said to me, *' Henry, pass me another block." I 

 heard him distinctly, but I had fallen into a disagreeable and 

 foolish habit of making the reply, when spoken to, of "H-e-y," 

 drawing the word at that. What I did it for I do not know. 

 Many, both young and old, do the same constantly, not that 

 they do not hear, but to make the speaker repeat. Sometimes it 

 may be to gain time to think, but not usually. It is used in 

 different forms — "Hey?" ''What?" "What did you say?" or 

 "Beg pardon?" — the last, perhaps, the most common of all. 



Father looked at me sharply and said, with ver}^ low and 

 quiet voice, " Did you hear me? " 



I felt something was wrong and promptly answered, "Yes, 

 sir," and got and passed him the block. 



He picked up his frow, looked at the block, set the frow and 

 brought down the mallet which took off the slab, then addressed 

 himself to me, saying, " I have noticed that for some time past 

 you have answered me and others with that meaningless and in- 

 sulting word or sound of ' Hey' when spoken to. Are 3'ou get- 

 ting deaf, or why do you do it? " 



I said I did not know why. 



"Then," said he, "never answer me or any one else that 

 way again. Do you understand? " 



38 



