Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-12-31


| One OF the luxurics Of life in many south
srn homes, notably 81 in the negro cabins,
1 j. that kind Of fuel known d, eight wood"
I Not light in weight, for 1t is so dense and
| heavy as solid oak OF hickory. Ii derives
! is name from its great Convenience Tor max
I ing d bright light. |. is the fat wood of the
| pine tree. - full Of -esin that hot sun
shining upon a tat board causes the pitch
TO dow of course il burns freely. so that
few sticks laid upon the fre-dogs and
touched with a candle or lighted match,
burst at once into a vivid flame which warns
the room in two minutes from the time 1t
started Passengers upon the Mississippi
steamers have seen its value Tor torches.
\ few pieces. of the bulk OF bushel basket,
burnt in framework # iron, attached to
the bow Of the boat, illuminate whole
woodward or wharf. while the boat IS TAX
ing in wood OF putting Out freight. sin
/ gle stick the size of my finger, lighted at
one end. will burn several minutes like
candle There is nothing that has greater
charm for cur northern visitors than our
open fre-plaees and blazing fires, for be it
/ understood and remembered We have a
| good many days during the winter months,
| when sitting around sGch hearth IS most
/ delightful. Ligh.-wOod adds much to the
! comfort Of camp life. Indeed, it seems to
/ be the very thing that makes such life
I 80 attractive to scores Of our winter visitors
| Of both sexes. Soldiers often carry small
| parcels OF il with their baggage on march,
| lest their camping place should be in some
! spot destitute of the luxury of their life.
| Ii was one of the greatest objections the
! Seminoles made to leaving Florida. that
they were going to 3 country destitute OF
/ light wood
A a y nd af
! fuel The best quality is only found here
and there, perhaps one tree in ten. and al
ways the best in dead trees. An ''olj dead
/ ening.' that'is. where the trees have been
killed for cultivation Of the land, affords the
| opportunity for securing supply Of the
article in its best condition. And that re-
minds me Of an incident Of travel among
! the 'piney woods people" The roats for
/ some miles had been particularly dreary
and almost uninhab bited, the land being al
most barren-unproduetive OF anvthlng
but pine trees-pinus palustris-the kind
that furnishes our vast supply OF lumber.
the staple product of Florida. At length
| our road lay across one of those bankless.
bridgeless creeks. that il approached for 20
rods, perhaps, by gradual decline, over
black soil severed with denseundergrowth
/ though NOT fairly called swamp, aud then
we came 70 the stream though it is hard
! to tell which way it streams, or Its depth,
/ for its color is dark and its course darker.
Rising from ''the creek [ heard the Ger
tain sign Of an approach to a house. the
barking of half dozen starved dogs. The
/ house" soon opened to view, u dark, smoky
1 log cabin ut one room about 10 or Is feet
square the roof made of shakes held
! in place by weight poles ths fireplace
wooden CRIB without any chimney to carry
off the smoke except few round pine poles
piled up about four feet above the mantel,
in the same form as the body of the cabin.
and neither were even "daubed,' that IS,
the cracks filed up with clay. There was
door partly toward the road. Tor the
| building stood corner-wsys To it. and
window oa the other side; not
glass window. but hole where You
might have one. The shutters for door oi
window had never been hung, but when
closed where held in place by tence rail.
The floor was made Of puncheons-ple logs
split into slabs and roughly hewei. Be-
tween the cabin and the road was rail
fence, and outside dozen hogs, recently
| fed little corn and searching for more.
| Inside ot the fence the dogs and tow-head-
/ ed children appeared about alike IN number
aud noise. The children, male auj female,
were dressed alike. each 10 a very dirty cot
ton shirt. Tne mother sat at the doorway
nursing the last addition to the family,
while the monarch of all sat on the fence
| fixing an old flint-lock rife. Back Of the
| house was fenced field OF perhaps 20 acres.
which showed that it hal borne meagre
crop of corn, probably not over three
| bushels per acre But think have never
seen field that would yield better crop
of light wood Taking in tbs whole situs-
tion at glance, | felt a strong desire TO
/ have little conversation with this landed
proprietor. and therefore drew up anc ask
him for a drink of water.
Got none, old SOW been in the spring
ANY milk ?'' Not that | wanted it, but
just though; would ask, forseeing the an-
swer.
mo, can't keep anv cows here; there
! amt any range for cattle in these parts.
ANY deer | see you are preparing Tor
a hunt
deer? no some coon, going to try for
one. tonight. as bacon is getting mighty
scarce"
How long have you lived here, friend?'
. Bout three years come next tcorn-plans-
ing time"
Il see you don get large crops Of corn.
NO. too dry. land amt worth durn.
How about health 2"
swell, we've had chills right smart
| You see we are too nigh that creek.
YES, it does look bilious. No fish In II;
l suppose ?''
We'll, none but horned cats. and they
amt no account" r.s..
Now, my friend, won't trouble YoG
with but one more question. You have
located on land 80 poor that you can't raise
q crop. and so near this stsanant water
that your family are siekly you have no
range for cattle nor hogs no fish nor
game, no milk for your family and you
cannot even give a traveller drink OF
water. won't ask you why you located
here in the first place. but should like TO
know what inducsment you have, il there is
single one on earth, for remaining in this
spot"
s.w BY the working of the mans face
that my words had aroused him. and that
/ he bad an answer ready. The young tow.
heads on the other side of the fence lifted
up thcr csdsverous faces to see what an
! sver be wouid give. and his told woman
took the corncob pipe from her mouth
and looked up for the first time. The man
stepped down iron his perch on the fesee,
| which startled the pigs and dogs ssreigh;-
! ening up his six feat, he turned slowly
I = n a II -