1."Donˊt you hate splitting wood." asked Charlie，as he sat down on a log to hinder1 Rob for a while.
2."No，I rather like it. When I get hold of a tough old fellow，I say，'See here，now，you think youˊre the stronger，and are going to beat me； so I'll split you up into kindling wood.ˊ"
3."Pshaw！" said Charlie，laughing ； "and it's only a stick of wood."
4."Yes； but you see I pretend itˊs a lesson，or a tough job of any kind，and it's nice to conquer2 it."
5."I donˊt want to conquer such things； I don't care what becomes of them. I wish I were a man，and a rich one."
6."Well，Charlie，if you live long enough youˊll be a man，without wishing for it； and as for the rich part，I mean to be that myself."
7."You do. How do you expect to get your money. By sawing wood."
8."May be-some of it； that's as good a way as any，so long as it lasts. I donˊt care how I get rich，you know，so that it's in an honest and useful way."
1 Hinder，interrupt，prevent from working. 2 Conquer，overcome，master.
9."Iˊd like to sleep over the next ten years，and wake up to.nd myself a young man with a splendid1 education2 and plenty of money."
10."Humph！I am not sleepy-a night at a time is enough for me. I mean to work the next ten years. You see there are things that you've got to work out-you canˊt sleep them out."
11."I hate work，" said Charlie，"that is，such work as sawing and splitting wood，and doing chores3. I'd like to do some big1Splendid，very.ne，complete.
2Education，acquired knowledge.
3Chores，the light work about a house or yard.
work，like being a clerk in a bank or something of that sort."
12."Wood has to be sawed and split before it can be burned，" said Rob. "I donˊt know but I'll be a clerk in a bank some time； Iˊm working towards it. I'm keeping fatherˊs accounts for him."
13.How Charlie laughed！"I should think that was a long way from being a bank clerk. I suppose your father sells two tables and six chairs，some days，doesn't he."
14."Sometimes more than that，and sometimes not so much，" said Rob，in perfect good humor.
15."I didnˊt say I was a bank clerk now. I said I was working towards it. Am I not nearer it by keeping a little bit of a book than I should be if I didn't keep any book at all."
16."Not a whit-such things happen，" said Charlie，as he started to go.
17.Now，which of these boys，do you think，grew up to be a rich and useful man，and which of them joined a party of tramps before he was thirty years old.