North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1863-11-18
COMMUNICATIONS.
For The Democrat.
NICHOLSON, Nov. 10, 1863.


filled with fakes of snow, and old Boreas"
blows his gusty blasts with almost the rude
majesty of mid winter. 1t is cold and blus
tering and dreary enough out of doors. and
those who can, huddle around the glowing an
thrancite and feel thankful for the comfort
thus enjoyed
Winter, with frozen mantle bound" is
stalking into our midst, and soon the winds
will have piped the refrain of the dying year.
The frost is creeping, creeping over the lower
panes, one after another. Now it finishes
feathers now it completes plume ; now it
tries its hand al a specimen of silver granting.
Up, up it goes, pane after pane, clouds and
feathers and grains. Here joint, there
nail cracks like craft in rackng storm,
but all is calm and cold as death. Clink goes
a forgotten glass in the pantry. The door
latch is plated half hid den nail heads here
and there in the corners, are sIlvered over
with frost. But what care we for frost or
cold or wind or storm, as we gather around
our ugly, health destroying stoves, or SIT by
the healthful, cheerful old-fashioned firesides,
now, alas so strangely out of use that they
are mere myths to the present generation
but to many of US they are reality linked
with the fondest, dearest memories of home
and early youth. Log, back stick, fore stick
top-stick and superstructure, all in their
places. The Goals are turned from their glow
ing bed between the sentinel andirons-the
old time irons, with huge rings in the top
One of them has rested for many day, on
broken brick, but what Of that ? Many
beautiful tree, nay. whole grove may be, has
turned to glory and to ashes thereon, and
may again, winters and winters to come.
A handful of " kindlngs"i is placed beneath
this future temple of fame here and there
chIp, a splinter, a dry twig, is skillfully
chinked into the intcrstioes 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 place of home begin
to grow bright and Gas good as new" A
little spring fame, ambitious TO be something
and somebody, creeps stealthily up, and peeps
up through the creviccs, over this stick, un-
der that one, looking like little half ffurled
banner of crimson. There comes another and
another, and down they go again, the tinid
flames that they are! Byand by they grow
bol6er, and half a dozen altogeth er, curl
bravely roun " the fore-stick," and up to
''the top stick )" and over the whole, like the
turrets Of tower at sunrise, one, two, three,
four five spires. Then they blend together,
a cone Of fame. Then they turn into pillows
and breakers OF red, and ROY up the blacken-
ed wall of the chimney, above the jamb, above
the mantle tree, away up the chimney it
roves, while the huge backstick" below all,
lies like a great bar, and withstsnds the fiery
surf that beats against it.
The circle of chairs is enlarged the % old
CHAIR in the corner, is drawn back one
is reading, another is knitting third, a wee
bit Of a boy, is asleep iD the corner /; they
look into each others faces, look beati ful to
each other, and and take courage and are con-
tent. There is not a shadow IN the spacious
room the frost creeps down from the win
dows /; the ice III the pail in the corner gives
half lurch, like the miniature ice berg it is.
and over it goes with splash. The fire is
gaining on it. The latch and the nails lose,
the bravery of their silvering the circle
around the fire grows larger and larger
the old fashioned fire has trnmphed 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 above the
know how fast il is stealing away with the
hn1rs-hours the happest, alas we sell
dom live but once-hours whose gentle light
so often shines from out the years of the
long gone morning, on into the twilight of
hfe's latest close.
All necromancers swept the magic circle in
times Of DID, but here are none so beautiful,
none with charms so potent, as the circle of
light and love around the old fashioned fire
am losing sight of the conscripts, though
OF the thirty three men, drafted from this
town, it is not probable that one will be pro
cured for the service of g Father Abraham.
All have gone forth to their examination we'll
provided with pleas for exemption, or with
the green backs" in their pockets where
with to purchase freedom from the perils and
liabilities incumbent upon those who eat the
" hard-tack" and wear the raiment of the
aforesaid " Father Abraham" If another
draft should be resorted to, as undoubtedly it
will be, after the 5th. of January, some altera-
tion or mobilization Of the present law must
be made, ifit is the intention to procure men
instead Ct money.
TheTe were six car loads of freight shipped
from this Depot one day last week, and the
general average has been for month or more
past, about four cars per day, including those
loaded with lumber. The shipments of grain
bova MT vat opO,ptaJ 70 opv