So the boys continued at work a few minutes longer, each being in the other’s way.

At length, Josey said again,—­

“O, here is a large log, and I mean to get it out, and put it upon our sled.”

The log was covered with smaller wood, so that Josey could only get hold of the end of it.  He clasped his hands together under this end, and began to lift it up, endeavoring to get it free from the other wood.  He succeeded in raising it a little, but it soon got wedged in again, worse than before.

“Come, Oliver,” said Josey, “help me get out this log.  It is rock maple.”

“No,” said Oliver, “I’m busy.”

“Jonas,” said Josey, calling out aloud, “Jonas, here’s a stick of wood, which I can’t get out.  I wish you’d come and help me.”

In answer to this request, Jonas only called both the boys to come to him.

They accordingly left the old General standing in the snow, with his sled partly loaded, and came to the end of the pile, where Jonas was at work.

“I see you don’t get along very well,” said Jonas.

“Why, you see,” said Josey, “that Oliver wouldn’t help me put on a great log.”

“The difficulty is,” said Jonas, “that you both want to be master.  Whereas, when two people are working together, one must be master, and the other servant.”

“I don’t want to be servant,” said Josey.

“It’s better to be servant on some accounts,” said Jonas; “then you have no responsibility.”

“Responsibility?” repeated Josey.

“Yes,” said Jonas.  “Power and responsibility always go together;—­or at least they ought to.  But come, boys, be helping me load, while we are settling this difficulty, so as not to lose our time.”

So the boys began to put wood upon Jonas’s sled, while the conversation continued as follows:—­

“Can’t two persons work together, unless one is master, and the other servant?” asked Josey.

“At least,” replied Jonas, “one must take the lead, and the other follow, in order to work to advantage.  There must be subordination.  For you see that, in all sorts of work, there are a great many little questions coming up, which are of no great consequence, only they ought to be decided, one way or the other, quick, or else the work won’t go on.  You act, in your work, like Jack and Jerry, when they ran against the horse-block.”

“Why, how was that?” said Josey.

“They were drawing the wagon along to harness the horse in, and the horse-block was in the way; so they both got hold of the shafts, and Jack wanted to pull it around towards the right, while Jerry said it would be better to have it go to the left.  So they pulled, one one way, and the other the other, and thus they got it up chock against the horse-block, one shaft on each side.  Here they stood pulling in opposition for some time, and all the while their father was waiting for them to turn the wagon, and harness the horse.”