The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-10-18

IaH And sings song 80 sweet and clear
It makes one happy Just to hear;
For never yet, on summer day,
!, Was sung more delightful lay.
What care the little birds below?
1.-THE bird may come, the bird may go;
For while he sings Quee. aneeN they s91p~esal'
~ For they nre only pigs, dear mel s
And that is all they'll ever be.
sN - ssl--Ndridn Douglas. in Nursery.
HOW SUSIE WENT TO THE FIRE.
JUST at the meeting-place of wide
prairie and deep forest, stood, many
years ago, q little log house. When it
was first built, the many inhabitants of
the region had watched its erection
with wonder and disapprobation. The
squirrels paused in their frisking to re-
gard it with bright, cogitative eyes.
The birds fitted from tree to tree,
chattering to each other, and asking
what these strange objects were, and if
their coming meant danger to the nest
lings. The prairie wolves howled
around at night, and the deer, three
four at time, bounded past with their
'antlers high in air. as if they disdained
so homely and lonely a thing. The for
est trees tossed their heads and bowed
toward the little log hat, saying, "It
is very ugly" and Immediately rip
pie ran al over the prairie grass, and
it answered, Quite true, we never
saw anything so unsightly before. "
But the strange beings who had come
to disturb them kept on at their labor,
and soon the cabin was completed.
Within dwell. little girl by the name
of Susie She did not live alone, for
the house was full, with her parents
and older brothers and sisters. But my
story is all of her, the youngest and the
pet of all. 1t would take long to tell
to city girls, of to-day, how Susie lived
and knew what it was to be happy.
Much as would like to describe them
to you, must pass by the woodland
rambles, and keep to myself the secrets
the forest told and birds sang and the
wild bees hummed to her, and how she
knew and loved the prairie flowers and
the wind which chased over the grass
Il must omit all that for the sake of
telling one little adventure which befel
her g& it4 g
When the log house had stood in its
place about three years, and had been
clasped and covered by the clinging
arms of the forest vines, Susie noticed
one afternoon a great commOtion in
the household. The neighbors who
lived nearest came and talked to her
father ont in the meadow with hurried,
excited voices. Her brothers fastened
to put on their heavy boots and stout
leather mittens. While her mother
and sisters went round with troubled
faces, all the men hurried off together
to the prairie how far she could not
see in the gathering darkness. Soon
after, the wind, which came in slight
puffs from the direction in which they
had gone, brought with it the smell of
smoke. .-io ...g}.
Say, mamma, where has papa gone,
and what makes everybody look so
frightenedp' said Susie, pressing close
to her mothers side, with the sobs COM
ing in her voice.
g Susie, dear, don't be frightened
dom cry, but be mammals little wom-
an. 1t is prairie-fire, and papa and
the boys have gone to help put it
OUT
"Will it come here, mamma-will it
burn our house?"
-" No, dear, hope not. 1t is long
way off, and the men will burn some OF
the grass not far from the fields, so that
when the big fire gets there it will stop
because there viii be nothing for it
to burn; and then, if it does get on
this side and come near the corn and
wheat, they will beat it with great
sticks, and stamp on it, and put it out
in that way" .aQ rE
Then her mother hurried away to see
that coffee was made and food pre-
pared for the men, who would be up all
night. Susie stood at the door in the
darkness and looked toward the south,
where she saw, far away, a dull, red
CLEAN, which sometimes flashed up
brightly, but more often seemed to her
excited fancy like great, fiery snake,
crawling toward her home. Out here
lay her fathers corn fields, and there
came the dreadful fire, ready to devour
them. ai ss
Then a thought flashed into her
mind. Susie was a courageous little
glrl, ana nad energy enough 1or TWO.
rernaps sac mlgnt help 70 put gu. .ne e
iire. her motner ana SISTERS were W,..3 100
busy TO notce her movements. MlIll-
out pausing TO tmnk What mamma mamma
might wish her 70 40, she ran ran .nroGgn
the door-yara, anu was soon maK,hg la II
her way across l the meadow '1Waru . .ne
corn-neiqs. ney seemeu "a. long way
on ana her Iees were 5oo h'.le " caliy
ner 1ast' put sne IIuuseo plavely oi; oii;
All last she reacheo tne emu oi 'ne !ielu
and looked out on the proaa Pra'rie. re-
Susie was nttie girl put an ner iiie
long she never iorgot ner nrst view "a
Pralrle on nre- otretcnns ous ., y
sight on eitner nana was reu i,lie % %
name rising toward tne SKY, anu sDs- s
s, erlng It with dense cloaa @ 9. smoke; s
The sparks new IN every direc'ioh' aho
msmy, yes, very many, were Drousn'
by occasional pu1s OF wind near y
where she Stood Between her anu tne
Hred snake, as ~ seemed 10 neI'
black figures with clubs N their nanas s
rushed back ana iortn, LOOKING snaaowy
and gigantic against the nre. susie
knew that these were ner Iatner ano au
Drotners with other Irlenes, wnoss
StfOng arms were DattHn& With tnt All