The Portland daily press., 1875-08-14
Showed In.

III Tue WOOus, lIOlu Iut ptu vi WILL Ia
Goodwin, with whose graceful occasional con-
tributions to literature our readers are al
ready acquainted:
The sun had risen clear but had gone be-
hind bank of clouds, and there was every
indication of speedy snow storm, and
was anxious to get through to Gainesville
and perhaps back to camp, down that side of
the valley, before it should begin. But the
southerly bank Of the stream was low and
swampy, and had to 60 up and down to see
if it was more favorable anywhere within
reasonable distance. 1t was past noon and
showing fast when had decided on cross
ing and had sent Jonas up to to the top OF
big hemlock which stood near by, to set up
pole with strip of white cloth attached,
which could be seen by the working party,
from the top of tree, if not from the
ground. soon enough to guide them to the
site. The storm came as sailors say butt end
foremost, and by the time we had reached
the road we had decided to hang on to the
og house until it was over.
As we entered, the prospect would have
been cherries enough to any one who had
not pack on his back, and an axe at COM
mand which had often insured him comfort
when no house at all was near. The door
had been carried away and the two windows
were open without frame or shutters. There
was only one room, but on one side was
fireplace wide enough to take in cord wood
stick almost, and the roof, SO far as we could
see, was tight, being covered with broad strips
of spruce bark as big as sides OF sole leather.
A little howell adjoining had roof OF the
same, and with this we soon had the windows
and part of the doorway closed up, leaving a
space open till we should have got in our
wood and boughs for the night. Near the
house stood the dry stub of a pine tree,
killed probably by fire which had run there
at some time Jonas soon had this down,
cut and split in portable shape and snugly
housed. While he had gone for hard wood,
had got the fireplace ready by re-arranging
the stones that had served as andirons, and
then went out to help bring in the logs.
Jonas had cut down a green rock maple
nearly as big as your body, and was rapidly
reducing it to irewood. As soon as he had
enough, he cut two poles, and on these, we
carried in first two back logs the whole size
of the tree, then front stick and middle
stick and all the split wood the rest of the
trunk would make and good many of the
limbs. Wood was plenty and we meant to
have enough of it. / took charge OF the fire
building while Jonas went for fir boughs for
our beds. We had time enough, and having
secured our comfort, were now bent on lux
uries.
The fire was soon underway and at once
changed the whole aspect of the room from
gloom to brightness. Half the heat went up
chimney but we had enough left, and when
we had got in half a dozen backloads of fir
boughs, and had dried them and our blan-
kets, and filled our tin cups from little
brook which ran colse to the house, and then
hung up our coats to dry, we began to think
of shutting our door for the night and getting
supper.
Jonas split out two bars to go across the
door above and below, against the bark COW
ering, and then put two braces against each,
their upper ends bearing against the bars and
the lower ends against pins driven be-
tween the logs of the floor, which were split
and laid with the fat side up. The bark at
the windows was held in place by bars fitted
in notched pins driven between the logs.
Neither was alright or snowtight, but we
did not care for that and they were all at the
leeward side of the house.
And then we raked out a bed of Goals and
put on our tea cups to boil, cut slice OF fat
pork, took out few biscuit, and as soon as
the water boiled, made our tea, frizzled the
pork on an improvised maple toasting fork,
and then supper was all ready, because as
soon as the fat of the pork begins to run, you
must let it drop on your bread and begin to
eat, and that makes the first course, the deli
icately Drowned pork land another biscuit
with the teamaking the dessert eYou can DO
this as many times lin sue cesslon as you
please, but until you get accustomed to it
once though will generally suffice. 1t is eat
ing to live and that is all, except when you
are very hungry or used to it.
SIS tea good, father, made that way with.
out cream and sugar"
''Yes, anything is good when you are tired
and hungry and have conquered adverse cir
cumstances and got fair degree OF bodily
comfort out of them. Tea is always refresh
ing, moreso than coffee, or at least poor tea is
better than bad coffee.
We didinot live in that way in our regular
camp, when we had cook and cOmmlssary,
but on explorations we had to d o the best we
could. Where we had finished Jour supper
and lighted our pipes and lay on the floor
with our shoulders against the wood pile and
our feet stretched out towards the fire, and
listened to the storm which had increased
and was making terrible fuss outside, we
were more comfortable than any one can well
understand who has never taken comfort OF
that special kind.
Jonas, who was very intelligent fellow,
was telling me of his fathers progress from
log hut and simple. clearing to spacious farm
house and large farm, when we heard
"whoa" outside, lit ought to be spelt "ho,")
and then voices among which was sure
heard woman's. 81 guess we are going to
have company" said Jonas, fastening to
draw on his boots and unprop the door, and
we both went out. We met man just out
side the door, and could see the form of some
kind of a carriage standing in the road"
'sHow far is it TO Gainesville ?" asked the
man.
"About six miles, but if you are on wheels
you can't get there tonight, and as much as
ever anyway"
sob, must get through am moving my
family, have sent on one load of my traps and
have come twenty miles to-day with this one,
and when it began to snow it was as near
anywhere to 60 ahead as back. My horses
are about tired out and my wife and children
half frozen. They told us back along piece,
that there was not house between there and
Gainesville. When did you-move in here ?"
He was ill at ease and talked more than he
would have done il he had not been little
afraid of us.''
"We moved in" said I, ''this afternoon
and hope to move out tomorrow" and then
told him how we came there. "You can
not possibly get through tonight; we have
good fire in there and something to eat, and
the best thing you can do is to stop with u.s."
He went out and talked earnestly at the
wagon for minute, and we heard the word
railroad. "We can't stop john" and "Oh,
father, we must go on" came from the road
in mournful but very decided tones, and the
man came back, whereupon I left Jonas to
discuss the matter with him while should
try my power with the womenkind. knew if
spend the night on the road if they did not
perish in the snow, and | told them so. cat
any rate come in" said I, and get warm and
have cup of tea, and then decide whether
to 60 or stay" and, without giving them time
to decide, l called the man and we helped
then out and into the house. There were
two women and a little nondescrpt bundle
which turned out to be Johnnie. We then
Embarrassed the horses and led them into a
hovel which would just hold them, and Jonas
built fire under fir tree to give him light
while he cut boughs enough to take the place
of the roofing we had removed, and cross
poles to keep them from blowing away. Mean
while the man was rubbing down his horses
and feeding them, having hay and plenty of
oats, and they were soon blanketed and
munching away as If they did not know they
were camping out, or at least did not care.
The carriage was covered wagon, and we
left it at the side of the road with its back to
the wind.
/ then led the way into the house, threw a
few feet of wood on the fire and prepared to
do the honors of the mansion. We found our
visitors sitting on the wood pile, looking I'M
easy and anxious swell, Sarah" said the