uld be more fun to
tooth than to do anything else. But it must be tiring work. I suppose
that many a bricklayer's wife has said to her neighbor, "I am having a
terrible time with my husband this week. He is toothing, and comes home
so cross and irritable that nothing suits him."

Another thing that a bricklayer has to be careful of, according to the
author (and I have no reason to contest his warning), is the danger of
stepping on spawls. If there is one word that I would leave with the
young bricklayer about to enter his trade it is "Beware of the spawls,
my boy." They are insidious, those spawls are. You think you are all
right and then--pouf! Or maybe "crash" would be a better descriptive
word. Whatever noise is made by a spawl when stepped on is the one I
want. Perhaps "swawk" would do. I'll have to look up "spawl" first, I
guess.

Well, anyway, there you have practical bricklaying in a nutshell. Of
course there are lots of other points in the book and some dandy
pictures and it would pay you to read it. But in case you haven't time,
just skim over this resume again and you will have the gist of it.

XLVII

"AMERICAN ANNIVERSARIES"

Mr. Phillip R. Dillon has compiled and published in his "American
Anniversaries" a book for men who do things. For every day in the year
there is a record of something which has been accomplished in American
history. For instance, under Jan. 1 we find that the parcel-post system
was inaugurated in the United States in 1913, while Jan. 2 is given as
the anniversary of the battle of Murfreesboro (or Stone's River, as you
prefer). The whole book is like that; just one surprise after another.

What, for instance, do you suppose that Saturday marked the completion
of?... Presuming that no one has answered correctly, I will disclose
(after consulting Mr. Dillon's book) that July 31 marked the completion
of the 253d year since the signing of the Treaty of Breda. But what, you
may say--and doubtless are saying at this very minute--what has the
Treaty of Breda (which everyone knows was signed in Holland by
representatives of England, France, Holland and Denmark) got to do with
American history? And right there is where Mr. Dillon and I would have
you. In the Treaty of Breda, Acadia (or Nova Scotia) was given to France
and New York and New Jersey were confirmed to England. So, you see,
inhabitants of New York and New Jersey (and, after all, who isn't?)
should have especial cause for