A NEW ENGLAND WOODPILE 



no sentimentalism to his task. He in- 

 herits the feeling that was held by the 

 old pioneers toward trees, who looked 

 upon the noblest of them as only giant 

 weeds, encumbering the ground, and best 

 got rid of by the shortest means. To 

 him the tree is a foe worthy of no re- 

 spect or mercy, and he feels the tri- 

 umph of a savage conquerer when it 

 comes crashing down and he mounts the 

 prostrate trunk to dismember it ; the 

 more year -marks encircling its heart, 

 the greater his victory. To his ears, its 

 many tongues tell nothing, or preach 

 only heresy. Away with the old tree 

 to the flames ! To give him his due, he 

 is a skillful executioner, and will compel 

 a tree to fall across any selected stump 

 within its length. If one could forget 

 the tree, it is a pretty sight to watch the 

 easy swing of the axe, and. see how un- 

 erringly every blow goes to its mark, 

 knocking out chips of a span's breadth. 

 It does not look difficult nor like work ; 

 but could you strike " twice in a place/' 

 or in half a day bring down a tree twice 

 as thick as your body ? The wise farmer 

 cuts, for fuel, only the dead and decaying 

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