"Are we going to sharpen them all, Uncle Joe?" he inquired, as he took hold of the handle and set the stone turning.
"Oh, this is only a short job," laughed his uncle, as he picked up a dull axe and pressed the bit so heavily against the stone that it stopped.
"Why, what's the matter, Bob—not tired before you get started, are you?" he laughed.
Bob made no reply. He needed all his strength to turn the stone. After a few minutes' work against his uncle's weight, he was compelled to quit.
"Can't we oil or grease it up or do something to make it turn easier,
Uncle Joe?" he asked as he straightened up.
"Bah, who ever heard of oiling a grindstone?" answered his uncle, throwing some water on the bearings, which caused a lot of rust to work out at the ends.
"I guess you'd like to go fishing to-day, instead of working?" he observed.
"No, Uncle Joe, I'm willing to work," replied Bob, "but you don't know how hard this old stone turns."
"Oh, I don't, don't I?" said his uncle. "Well, I turned this stone,
Bob, before you were born, and your father turned it before me."
"And you never put any oil or grease on it all that time?" inquired
Bob.