The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-02-03
That Load of Wood.

L never IN my life knew cord OF wood
to throw out so much heat. 1t was oak,
maple, and pine, mixed; but l suppose no
stronger for that, as mixed liquors are said
to be. The last load | had burned was not
paid for, and it did not warm us much,
though it cooked very we'll l had made
only partial payment on the coal l was
burning, and whenever looked in the CRATE
blue flame Ackered over it. -
My salary was scanty, and ] kneT
nearly one-half less than my people odel
to pay; and they knew it, and they knew
that | knew it. l had been trying to write
warm sermons over a credit fire, and failed.
tried the cheerful strain over the coal,
and it threw its blue tinge on my manu-
script Our vestry did not seem to warm
up at the evening prayer meeting, and when
my people called on me, they and the room
seemed cold, or else it was my fancy
Sometimes | thought | might be colder for
wearing the same suit of clothes had worn
through the summer, with slight addition.
But / had previously tried to keep warm in
the clothes of my tailor, and the cold chills
would run over me, especially when | saw
him.
So had passed the shortest day of the
year. When the days began to lengthen,
the cold began to strengthen, as the proverb
goes. Ole day | came home and found a
load of wood at my door, l had not ordered
it, and could not pay for it if had.
No bill was sent with it, and the boy who
threw it off did it, they said, as if he was
perfectly willing. When ! learned the facts
the weather seemed to moderate, the wind
hauled round from the north, by east, and
as once happened to Paul, "the south wind
blew softly | felt warmer before | put
any of the wood in the stove. When l tried
it in my library, 4 burn nothing else there,
it had a wonderfully genial influence on both
the temperature and light of the room. 1t
warmed me up from the heart to the extrem-
tiles, and in the evening, though the stove
is an air-tight, it threw mellow, soothing
light all through the apartment. For when
in the evening | am thinking out sermon,
l put out my lamp, as it saves expense. In
that peculiar light found better texts, and
while l mused the fire burned. The chill
left my fingers, and | wrote more easily /;
my lips were touched as with live coal,
the people said; for my sermons were SO
much warmer.
One evening a ueighbor called, and in
very good mood; and after sitting little
while said:-"What cheerful room this is,
but don't you keep it pretty warm?" told
him there were only three sticks in the stove,
one of oak, one maple, and one of pine
But l had no idea there could be so much
heat in cord of wood, and | doubt whether
he had. have already got several glowing
sermons out of it, and it is not half gone.
l keep it specially for the study. The coal
in the CRATE has not now quite so blue a
blaze, at least so my wife says, though it is
not yet paid for wonder whether some
parishioners know how many warm sermons
there are in cord of wood that is settled
for, also how many cool ones there are in a
cord not settled for. | know the latter, and
can answer the former, when this wonderful
cord is gone, if any one wishes to know.
AdUance.