A NEW ENGLAND WOODPILE 



at the embers and to ask if his dog has 

 been seen or heard. Then he wades off 

 through the snow, and is presently swal- 

 lowed out of sight by gray trees and 

 blue shadows. Or the hound comes in 

 search of his master or a lost trail. He 

 halts for an instant, with a wistful look 

 on his sorrowful face, then disappears, 

 nosing his way into the maw of the 

 woods. 



If the wood is cut " sled length," which 

 is a saving of time and also of chips, 

 which will now be made at the door and 

 will serve to boil the tea-kettle in sum- 

 mer, instead of rotting to slow fertiliza- 

 tion of the woodlot, the chopper is one of 

 the regular farm hands or a " day man," 

 and helps load the sled when it comes. 

 If the wood is four foot, he is a profes- 

 sional, chopping by the cord, and not 

 likely to pile his cords too high or long, 

 nor so closely that the squirrels have 

 much more trouble in making their way 

 through them than over them ; and the 

 man comes and goes according to his 

 ambition to earn money. 



In whichever capacity the chopper 

 plies his axe, he is pretty sure to bring 

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