Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-03-04
The Tea-Ketsle Light.

We extract from the March st. Nicholas
part OF story Of country boy who started
gas factory b himself.
His name was Joe, and he lived in New
Hampshire. One winter. be earnestly wished
to attend school; but this seemed impossible
for his spare time would be taken up in split
ting shingles. He tried. but in vain, to do,
the splitting By Ere light. Lamp, lie had none
candles we're too dear; he must have some-
thing else.
Weeks before. he had been surprised at !
strange light flaming high above charrina
heap of birch wood. He found that this was
caused by the burning Of gas which came
from the birch-bark. Why could be not e,
more of the same light, split his shingles b.
IL, and 80 save tims for the winter schooling!
He resolved to try; mysteriously told his bro.
theirs and sisters that he was going to stop
cracks to certain old tea-kettle, and disa.
pered into the woodshed.
Lois called after him hat ifhe did.
Mt "grace his tea.ksttle well, il
would stick"
"He's going to make tea kettle
dumping I" shouted Deborah.
But Joe, out in tho cold wood.
shed, kept plastering dough over the
cracks in the tss- kettle. This well
done, he began cutting into small
pieces the birch. bsrk he had saved
so that it could be croweded closely
into the tea-kittle. By the time be
bad filed IT, supper was called, and
Joe, going in set his patched CON.
trlvance close by the fire.
swell, Joe," laughed his mother,
what now? Are you going to turn
blacksmith or baker?
Joe, Joe,' piped Moses, will you
be . blacksmith or . blacksmith,
mother says p
%, am single splitter said
Joe, smiling back. sAnd I'd like to
be q lightsmith, too, pretty we'll, if !
could.'
After supper was cleared away,
and the big kettle was taken off the
crane, Joe hung on his teakettle,
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, Joe p ask ed
Moses.
why, don't you see9 It's an old
tea.kettle.'
What you dot in it p piped little
Judith.
Birch bark, Sis responded Joe,
laconically.
maple bark is best to make ink of;
isn't it, mother P queried Debby.
yes, indeed, Joe, and you don't
have to burn it,-only steep it, and
put in q little copperas.'
Il aE not trying to make ink,
mother, Joe answered, though /
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, / think it must
have been the green birch bark,
which | don't suppose ever before
got piled into coal pit, that caused
the light somehow, though / don't
know exactly how and am trying
to see if birch bark won't make
light here as well as there.
Joe spoke with q deprecating tone,
for he knew his fathers violent an
toward all new tangled no.
tions.'
We'll, you are q Ounce, to be sure.
Don't you suppose that il birch bark
had been good for anything but
torch, somebody would have found it
out before this 2 Young folks, now
adays, think they know more than
their fathers. It wasn't 60 when /
was q boy. You'd better Just put
that teakettle out Of the way and 20
to work.
The keynote had been struck by
his father, and every voice in the
household joined in making tan OF
him and his cracked kettle. Joe was
irritated, of course, but was 80 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 be never would hear the last of
1t 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 interposed out Of pity, and
his father consented to let him alone,
thinking he would thus be more cor.
WINGED that he was following up q
crazy notion.
So Joe, thankful for the respite.
kept intently Watching the flames
reach up toward the queer, patched
object on the crane, baking the dough
cement harder, and conceallng it
with deposit Of SCOT. Soon trace
of steam issued from the spout, and
became a new center Of interest to
him, and q new subject for chaffins
by the merry circle Of sisters.
"Wheu the steam passes off the
gas will begin to come," explained
Joe, quietly. Then there was q new
cause Of alarm. Jane became more
and more nervous-"fidgety," as her
mother said-because company was
coming, and brother and his old tea.
kettle "would be town talk" This
nearly stopped his proceedings, bu:
be managed to save his machine q
little longer, James "young man.
etill delaying his expected coming
and a. the clouds Of steam began to
grow less and less, with strange
earnestness, that even the thought.
less little ones respected, Joe begged
for only ten minutes longer, and
warned Jane and her tongs away
from interfering, in tone so qnietly
stern, that she never thought OF an.
swering him, but sat down imme-
diately.
The girls went to work on their
grammar lesson, but soon got back
to the kettle. Everyboay's thoughts
spuu round that black. hissinu ob;oct