Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-04-08
THE TEA.KETTLE LIGHT.

THE TEA.KETTLE LIGHT.
| We extract from the March st. Mich
0las part of a story of country DO,
who started gas factory by himself
His name was Joe, and he lived in New
Hampshire. One winter he earnestl,
wished to attend school; but thi
seemed impossible, for his spare tim
woTlld all be taken up in splitting shin
giles. He tried, but in vain, to do tn,
splitting by fire light. Lamp he hat
none; candles were too dear; he mus
have something else. Weeks before h
had been surprised at strange igh
flaming high above a charring heap o,
birch wood. He found that this wa.
caused by the burning of gas which
came from the birch bark. Why coulc
he not get more of the same light, spill
his shingles by it, and so save time fol
the winter schooling? He resolved te
try; mysteriously told his brothers anG
sisters that he was going to stop the
cracks in a certain old tea-kettle, and
disappeared into the wood-shed.
| Lois called after him that if he
didn't "grease his tea-kettle well, il
would stick
:" He's going to make a tea-kettle
dump]ing!'' shouted Deborah.
But Joe, out in the cold wood-shed,
kept plastering dough over the cracks in
| the tea-kettle. This well done, he began
cutting into small pieces the birch bark
he had saved, so that it could be crowd
ep closely into the tea-kettle By the
time he had filled it supper was called,
and Joe, going in, set his patched con-
triyance close bV the fire
"Well, Joe," laughed his mother,
"what now? Are you going to turn
blacksmith or baker?''
"Joe, Joe," piped Moses, evil you
be blacksmith or blacksmith, mother
says?'
40, I am shingle-splitter," said
Joe, smiling back. .And I'd like to
be ightsmith, too, pretty well, if I
could"
After supper was cleared away land 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, any how, Joep" asked
Moses.
"Why don't you see! It's an old
tea-kettle.
What you dot in it," pipcd little
Judith.
"Birch-bark, sis,'' responded Joe,
laconically.
"Maple- bark is best to make ink of
isn't it, mother!" queried Debby.
Eyes, indeed, Joe, and you don't
have to burn it-only steep it, and put
in little copperas.''
To Oh Sn1r
mother" Joe answered, "though 1
must make some before long,
Then turning to his father, he SAID:
"You remember how the coal-pit we
burned last week got bewitched, don't
you? Well, l think it must have been
the green h-bark, which don't
suppose ever before got piled into coal
pit, that caused the light somehow,
1 am trying to see if birch-bark won't
make a light here as we'll as there
Joe spoke with deprecating tone,
for he knew his fathers violent antipa-
thy toward all new-fangled notions"
"Well, you are a Ounce, to be sure.
Don't You suppose that if birch-bark
had been good for any thing but a torch,
somebody would have found it out be-
fore this? Young folks, nowadays,
think they know more that their IA
theirs. It wasn't SO when was boy.
You'd better just put that tea-kettle out
of the way and 60 to work.
The keynote had been struck by his
father, and every voice in the house.
hold joined in making fun of him and
course, but was so full of his new idea
hot h<sh 0d v1fk To I'D
he comforted himself with the belief
that it might be his turn to laugh before
long. Yet he knew he never would
hear the last of it if his experiment
failed. He watched it very anxiously.
At last, his father imperatively ordered
him to take his kettle away; but he was
so earnest in his pleading for time to
give his idea fair trial that his mother
out 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, KEEP.
watching the flames leap up
toward the queer, patched object on the
crane, baking the enlightenment harder,
and concealing it with deposit of SCOT.
Soon a trace of steam issued from the |
spout, ana became q new center OF IN |
terest 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 Joe,
quietly. Then there was new cause
Of alarm. Jane became more and more |
nervous = g fidgety,'' as her mother
said because company was coming,
and her brother and his old tea-kettle
;. would be town-talk.'' This nearly
stopped his proceedings, but he man
aged to save his machine little longer,
lanes ''young man. still delaying his
coming; and as the clouds of
lam began to grow less and less, with
Rge earnestness, that even the
htless little ones respected, Joe
n for only ten minutes longer, and
!: .ntey Rne and her tongs away from
torn in tone so quietly
she never thought Of