Let There Be Light

No matter what the future, one factor must always be reckoned with—the ingenuity of the human animal.
The two men attacked the thick tree trunk with a weary savagery. In the bright sunlight, glistening spatters of sweat flew from them as the old axes bit alternately into the wood.
Blackie stood nearby, on the gravel shoulder of the highway, rubbing his short beard as he considered the depth of the white notch. Turning his broad, tanned face to glance along the patched and cracked concrete to where squat Vito kept watch, he caught the latter's eye and beckoned.
Okay, Sid—Mike. We'll take it a while.
The rhythm of the axe-strokes ceased. Red Mike swept the back of a forearm across the semi-shaven stubble that set him as something of a dandy. Wordlessly, big Sid ambled up the road to replace Vito.
Pretty soon, now, boasted Mike, eyeing the cut with satisfaction. Think it'll bring them?
Sure, replied Blackie, spitting on his hands and lifting one of the worn tools. That's what they're for.
Funny, mused Mike, how some keep going an' others bust. These musta been workin' since I was a little kid—since before the last blitz.
Aw, they don't hafta do much. 'Cept in winter when they come out to clear snow, all they do is put in a patch now an' then.
Mike stared moodily at the weathered surface of the highway and edged back to avoid the reflected heat.
It beats me how they know a spot has cracked.
I guess there's machines to run the machines, sighed Blackie. I dunno; I was too young. Okay, Vito?