Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-02-29
THE TEA-KETTLE LIGHT:

We extract from the March ST. MICH
oLAs part OF a story of country boy
who started gas factory by himself.
His name was Joe, and he lived in
New Hampshire. One winter, he earn
estly wished to attend school,; but this
seemed impossible, for his spare time
would all he taken up in splitting shin
giles. He tried, but III vain, to do the
splitting by freight. Lamp, he had
none; candles we're to dear; he must have
something else.
Weeks before, lie had been surprised
at strange light flaming high above
charring heap of brentwood. He found
that this was caused by the burning OF
gas which came from the birch bark.
Why could ne not get more of the same
light, split his shingles by 1t, and so save
time for the winters schooling2 He re-
solved to try; mysteriOusly told his Sis
tiers and brothers that he was going to
stop the cracks in certain old tea-ket-
tie, and disappeared into the wood-shed.]
Lois called after him that if he didn't
"grease his tea kettle we'll, it would
stlck.''
Giles going to make a tea-kettle
dumphng!' shouted Deborah.
But Joe, out in the cold wood-shed,
kept plastering dough over the cracks
IN the tea-kettle. This we'll done, he be-
gan cutting into small pieces the birch
bark he had saved, SD that it could be
crowded closely into the tea kettle. By
the time he had filled it, supper was call
ed, and Joe, going in, set his patched con-
trivance close by the fire.
"Well, Joe," laughed his mother, "what
nows Are you going to turn blacksmith
or baker2"
"Joe, Joe," piped Moses, twill you be
blacksmith or a blacksmith, mother
saYs9"
ooh, 1 am shingle-splitter." said Joe ,
smiling back. "And I'd like to be
lightsmith, too, pretty well, if I could"
After supper was cleared away, and
the big kettle was taken off the crane,
Joe hung on his tea-kettle. bread dough,
birch-bark, and all, swung it over the
fire and sat down to watch the result OF
his operations.
"What is it, anyhow, Joe2'' asked
Moses.
"Why, don't you see2 It's an old tea
kettle.'
"What you dot in lt?" piped little
Judith.
"Birch-bark, SIS responded Joe, la.
conically.
"Maple-bark is best to make Ink of;
isn't 1t mother?' querled Debby.
Eyes, indeed, Joe, and you don't have
to burn it,-only steep it, and put in
little copperas."
81 am not trying to make ink, moth
err" Joe answered, "though must make
some before long,"
Then turning to his father, he said:
''You remember how the eoal-pit we
burned last week got 'bewitched,'
don't you! Well, think it must have
been the green birch-bark, which 1 don't
suppose ever before got piled into coal
pit, that caused the light somehow,
though dom know exactly how; and I
am trying to see if birch bark wont make
light here as well as there"
Joe spoke with deprecating tone, for
he knew his fathers violent antlpathy
toward all NEW tangled notions"
"Well, you are Ounce, to be sure.
Don't you suppose that if birch bark had
been good for anything but torch, that
somebody would have found it out before
this? Young folks, nowadays, think they
know more than their fathers. 1t wasn't
SO when was boy. You'd better just
put that teakettle away and go to
work."
The keynote had been struck by his
father, and every voice IN the household
joined In making fun Of him and his old
cracked kettle. Joe was irritated, of
course, but was so full of his new idea
that he hadn't time to get angry; and he
comforted himself with the belief that it
might be his turn to laugh before long.
Yet he knew that he never would hear
the last of it if his experiment failed. He
watched it very anxiously. At last, his
father impcratively ordered him to take
his kettle away; but he was so earnest in
his pleading for time to give his idea a
fair trial that his mother interpOsed cut
of pity, and his father consented to let
him alone, thinking he would thus be
more convinced that he was following up
crazy notion.
So Joe, thankful for the respite, kept
intently watching the flames reach up to-
ward the queer, patched object on the
crane, baking the dough cemeEt harder,
and concealing it with deposit of SCOT.
Soon trace of steam issued from the
spout, and became new center Of inter-
est to him, and new subject for chatting
by the merry circle of sisters.
"When the steam passes off the gas
will begin to come" explained he quiet
iy. Then there was new cause of alarm.
Jane became mere and more nervous
''tidgety," as her mother said-because
company was coming, and her brother
and his old tea kettle "would be town.
talk" This nearly stopped his proceed
ings, but he managed to save his machine
little longer, James 'young man. still
delaying his expected coming; and as
the clouds of steam began TO grow less
and less, with strange earnestness, that
even the thoughtess little ones respect
ed, Joe begged for only ten minutes long
er, and warned Jane and her tongs away
from interfering, in tone so qui' thy
stern, that she never thought Of answer
ing him, but sat down Immediately.
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