The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1883-01-11
The Wood Fire.

lhtIe lSn llle arc nu JnlS nre-Dlace
that has a picture to be compared, for
brilliancy, with the sparkling play Of
fireworks upon the andirons. framed in
so harmoniously by the dull terra-cotta
color of the inclosing brick-work.
Happy are they who. having old APP
pie trees on their grounds, can utilize
the dead limbs in this charming fashion.
Ii is fascinating employment to pile the
twigs and twisted branches in such fan
tastie shapes that the whole, fired up,
presents fairy Ii eness to the groins
and arches and fretted woodwork of
some old temple, outlined in rosy lines
OF color, just before it falls parapet
and bartizan scintllating, glowing
heap, up n the bed of ashes, which, un-
molested, soon commences TO draw its
Gu tain of cremation i'll gray gathers
sround the edges
The fire light is wonderful necro-
malce~. In the enchantment of its
light and shade pateriamilias, stretched
at ease in his great reclining-chair, with
his slippered feet on The fender, looks
like gay young man again, as he tells
how on his falhel's farm he and his
rohers used to fill the great fireplace
in the old dning-room with a pine
stump, and surround it with hard-wo d
chips and rolls of lirch bark, and then
watch the grand illumination with boy
ish delight. He looks across the hearth
rug to The low rocker, from which the
mother is smiling at him, her face, in
the fiickering, mystical light, looking
fresh and fair as that of the " ung girl
VIII is leaning her head against her
lathers knee, and watching, with
Dreamy eyes, the dancing sprites of
tame.
a neighbor comes in. Sure" he
says, zone couldn't have the blues here.
Did ever tell you about our famous
ires last year, the first of the summer
season, when Ellen and went into the
country to board for our healthp A
good many days were cold and wet, and
Intensely disagreeable Ellen had to
walk the floor to keep warm, or lie all
covered up with wraps on the lounge.
Stoves had been banshed from every
room except the summer kitchen, at the
extreme end of the house. Not a fire
place in the building; but in rambling
around found at no great distance a
small, old-fashioned, unpainted cottage,
unoccupied save for storage. This
house was paradise for fire. places
one in every room and | rented one
OF the farmer, selecting what had been
used IS the parlor. There was still some
green paper on the walls, and l had
permission to use all the wood could
cut, or pick up and prepare for myself
The next rainy day we had a perfect
carnival of blaze, and delied the wealth
er to longer affect our spirits. In the
evening the farmer came over to see us.
80 You wouldn't believe, now, a fire
would feel so good this time O year
why, it S June, said he.
"'Just as much needed now as in
January responded.
- Wal, | dunno but tbs. Ennyway,
/ We alters ben sorry didn't build IN
fireplace inter the new house; but
Danthy sed she'd had enough OF fire.
places in her day, and that they was
awful dirty places, and hard to keep
clean; and for her part, she wanted air.
tights and soap-stones And so we had
'em; but they amt near so comfortin :
and the farmer looked sadly into the fire.
- They're right in style nowadays.
All the new houses have them, said
Ellen.
eyer don't say sol Wal, they do
take mighty peart lot of wood, and
stoves is more economical
"'But why should you study econo-
my with all your woodland, and more
timter than you can possibly exhaust
in your dayp
90 Hard to cut-hard to cut, and
wages so high-don't pay to hire-rerk-
on ye never sawed and split many cords
yerself and the farmer looked rather
pityingly OIL my hands.
"Well, did cut and prepare good
deal of wood while we were there, and
left quite load for the farmers wife to
use in kindling her fires. She said she
shou d remember me for it, and she
never would have believed / was so
clever
Did you experiment with the differ
ent kinds of wood, and which burned
the bestp" inquired parterfamilias.
Everything we saw, from pine
cones to the tough and inscrutable elm;
but like oak, red-heart oak, the best. Y
"Not so good as hickory, sir, or the
white oak, that burns straight on
without any quips and turks, in splen-
did style Then followed brisk dis
cussion; and beeches, birehes, poplars.
dlNVlo, ACihiONhS' iitpltst WlllOWS anu
tough old buttonwood passed in quick
review, and their combustibles were
praised or condemned. In the midst of
it all some one exclaimed that the fire
was out.
The ashes were hastily raked open,
more apple-tree limbs put on, and the
bellows applied. A thin, blue smoke
eUrled upward, growing darker and
more dense, like thunder cloud be ore
the lurid lightning leaps out. The
music OF voices ceased. A hiss like the
stroke of bell: the curtain OF smoke
rolled upward; the flames burst merrily
out, cracking and swapping in live
ly performance, sending rays of in
florescence out into the room The
spectators applaud and conversation is
resumed again. Boston Transcript
Rare Twin DiamOndg.