The organ of the temperance reform. (Cincinnati, O. [Ohio]) 1852-1853, 1852-04-16
The Old Fashioned Fire.

There is quite beauty in everything that falls
from the pen of TAYLOR of the Chicago Jour
nal, which touches the right chord in the bos-
oms Of his readers. Instance the following, than
which Dickens never wrote a more truthful
home sketch
Down goes the mercury to the zero OF Ceius
and Resumur. Down it goes pgain TO the 0 of
Fahrenheit. The frost is creepng-creeping
over the lower panes, one after another. Now
1t finishes feather, now it completes plume;
now 1t tries It's hand at q specimen of silver
gralnlng. Up, up, 1t goes, pane after pane,
clouds aud feathers and grains. Here Joint,
there nail cracks like a craft in rocking
storm, but all Is calm and cold as death. Clink
goes forgotten glass in the pantry. The door
latch IS plated half hidden nail heads here and
there IN the corners, are "silvered Ger with
frost.
But what cared We for that, as we sat BY the
old fashioned fire Back stick, fore stick, top
stick and superstructure, all in their places
Inc Goals are turned out from their glowing bed
between the sentinel andiroRs-the old.time
IRONS with huge rings in the top. One Of them
has rested for many a day on broken brick, but
what OF that's Many beautiful tree, nay,
whold grove has turned to glory aud 20 sshes
thereon, and viii again, winters aAd wiatsFs 10
come.
A handfulof ''kindIings" is placed beneath
this future temple Of flame; here and there a
chip, splinter, a dry twig is skillfnlly chinked
into the lnterstices Of the structure; a wave or
two OF the housewives wand Of power, and
the hearth is Swept up" The old bricks in
that altar-Dla Of home, begin to grow bright,
and "as good as new" A little spinning flame,
ambitious to be something and somebody, creeps
stealthlly up, and peeps up trough the crevices,
over this stick, under that one, looking like a
little half-furled banner of crimson. Then
comes another and another, and down they 20
again, the timid flames that they ares By and
by. they grow bolder, and half dozen altogether.
curl bravely round the "fore-stick," !" and IN to
the ''top-stick," and over the whole, like the
turTets Of tower at sunrise, one, two, three,
four, five spires. Then they blend together
cone of flame. Then they turn into bilIows
and breakers Of red, and roll up the blackened
wall OF the chimney, above the iamb, above
the mantle-tree, away up the chimney it roars,
while the huge "back-stiek' below all hes like
a great bar, and Witnstands the fiery serf that
beats against it.
The circle Of chairs is enlarged, the cold
arm. chair in the corner, is drawn back; one
is reading another is knitting, third, wee
bit Of boy, is asleep in the corner; they look
into each others faces, look beautiful to each
other, aud take courage and are content. There
is not shadow in the spacious room; the frost
creeps down from the windows; the ice in the
pail in the corner gives a half lurch like the
miniature ice berg it is, and over it goes With
a splash The fire is gainingon it. The latch
and the nails loose the bravery of their silverng;
the circle round the fire grows larger; the old.
fashioned fire has triumphed. 1t is summer
there; it is light there. The flowers Of hope
spring up around it; the music Of memory fills
up the pauses; the clock ticks softly from its
niche over the mantle-piece, as If fearful of
letting them know, how fast it is steeling away
with the hOurs-hOurs the haPpiestj ai We sell
dom live but Once--hours Wh6 light
so often shines from out the years s. ihog8ng
gone morning, on into the tWilishf 6 fls's
latest close. -..re as -s.eF Is.
Ali neerOmancers swept the magic circle in
times Of old, but there is none % beadtiful,
none with charm so potent, as the circle Of
light aud Of love around the old-faahioned
| firel .-r.