Huck and Jim had plenty of free time as they had neither obligation nor opportunity for much else. That in itself is enuf to make free time priceless. If you put a price on your time, you can't squander it without a sense of regret. My free time is both priceless and worthless and does not always have to be redeemed in the cost-effectiveness balance. On the other hand, if next Sunday I skim off say one 25lb. bag and it takes me a couple of days of scavenging and cobbling to come up with some version of Jim's lead thresher and I get 99% of the silica sand (hardness 7 on the Moh's scale and that will sure as hell score steel) out of it, I'll have some fun and the time invested will be rewarded at the rate of let's say $.42 per hr. I might take some Tues afternoon off from work just to shoot it up for a net loss of . . . .?
jack
