or hurt him, or put him back. Some on 'em was jest little stones that
had hurt his feet, and some was little stingin' weeds that smarted him
as he went by 'em, and some was jest mites o' dirt somebody'd throwed at
him, not meanin' no great o' harm. He'd picked 'em all up, every bit o'
worryin', prickin', hurtin' little thing, and he'd piled 'em up on his
back till he had a big bundle that he allers carried about and never
forgot for a minute.

He was f'rever lookin' out for sech troublin' things, too, and he'd see
'em way ahead on him in his road, and sometimes he'd think he see 'em
when there wa'n't any there't all. And, 'stead o' lettin' 'em lay where
they was, and goin' right ahead and forgettin' 'em, he'd pick every
single one on 'em up and pile 'em on that bundle, and carry 'em wherever
he went.

And he was allers talkin' about 'em to folks, p'intin' out that little
stone that he'd stubbed his toe on, and this pesky weed that stung him,
and t'other little mite o' mud he'd conceited somebody'd throwed at him.
He fretted and scolded and complained 'bout 'em, and made out that
nobody never had so many tryin' things gettin' in his way as he had. He
never took into 'count, ye see, that he'd picked 'em up hisself and
piled 'em on his own back. If he'd jest let 'em lay, and gone along,
he'd 'a' forgot 'em all, I guess, after a spell.

Then there was another man with a bundle, a cur'us one too, for 't was
all made out o' money, dreadful heavy and cold and hard to carry. Every
speck o' money he could scrape together he'd put in that bundle, till he
couldn't scursely heft it, 'twas that big and weighed so much. He had
plenty o' chances to make it lighter, for there was folks all along the
road that needed it bad,--little child'en that hadn't no clo'es nor no
victuals, and sick folks and old folks, every one on 'em needin' money
dreadful bad. But the man never gin 'em a mite. He kep' it all on his
back, a-hurtin' and weighin' him down.

Then ag'in there was another man. He had a bundle that he didn't put on
his back hisself, nor the Head Man didn't nuther. Folks did it to him.
He hadn't done nothin' to deserve it, 't was jest put on him by other
people, and so 't was powerful hard to bear. But, ye see, the Head Man
had pervided partic'lar for them kind, and he'd said in public, so 't
everybody knowed about it, that he'd help folks like that,--said he'd
help 'em carry sech bundles hisself, or mebbe take 'em off, if it
'pea