he chief responsibility comes upon him. So with your
work,--if you have the command, and you and Oliver idle away the time,
and when my sled is loaded, yours has but little wood in it, you would
be more to blame than Oliver."

"What, if I didn't play any more than Oliver?"

"Yes," said Jonas, "because you are responsible. It is your duty to be
industrious, and it is also your duty to see that Oliver is industrious,
if you are the director,--so that you neglect two duties.

"It is a good plan, too," said Jonas, "for a director to give his
directions in a mild and gentle tone. Some boys are very domineering and
authoritative in their manner."

"How do you mean?" said Josey.

"Why, they would say, for example, 'Get out of the way, John, quick.'
Whereas, it would be better to say, 'John, you are in the way, where we
want to come along.' Some men give their directions with great noise and
vociferation, and others give them quietly and gently."

"I shouldn't think they'd mind 'em," said Josey.

"Yes," said Jonas. "Directions ought to be given very distinctly, so
as to be plainly understood; but they are not obeyed any better for
violence and noise in giving them.

"A commander ought to have a regard for those under him," continued
Jonas, "and deal justly by them. If a number of boys were going to ride
a wagon, and their father put one of them in charge, he ought not to
keep the best seat in the wagon for himself."

While talking thus, the oxen continued slowly advancing along the road.
Their previous trip had broken out the road, but the pathway was filled
with loose snow of a pure and spotless white, through which the great
sled runners, following the oxen, ploughed their way. On each side of
the track which they had made, the surface was smooth and unbroken,
excepting under some of the trees, where masses of snow had fallen down
from above. They saw, at length, as they were passing along by the
brook, a little track, like a double dotting, running along, in a
winding way, under the trees,--then crossing the road, and disappearing
under the trees upon the other side.

"What's that?" asked Josey.

"That's a rabbit track," replied Oliver.

"Let's go and catch him," said Josey.

"No," said Jonas, "we must go on with our work."

At a little distance farther on, they saw another track. It was larger
than the first, and not so regular.

"What sort of a track is that?" said Josey.

"I don't know," said Oliver; "