Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1883-10-27
THAT WINTERS WOOD.
Bill AYr'H Ntnier-wo0d Sentiments will
be Appreciated by the Women Folks.

Nov il tho tims to get rir the winters
wood. The crop is laid by and there is
10 pressure Of farm work and so I took
three of the colcred tenants and went to
the woods to clear little piece Of new
ground, aud l and the little chaps made
another baud. I wanted them to pile
UP the Zig chips, but the little rascals
found & high land tarrapin aud it took
'em pretty much all the morning to IL
vestigate him and sec how he shut up
his doors and they would have to wait on
him half al hour to sec hin, open and
poke his head out Of the front door and
his tail out behind. In the evening
they found an nld stump about ten feet
high with hole near the top and they
had to investigate that, and Carl climbed
while Jesse pushed, and jnst as he got
up to the hole couple of flying squir-
rcls came ont and scared 'em Sc had
they both tumbled down in a bunch.
and the squirrels sailed away to the foot
of another tree and run up it, and then
sailed away again to an old beech that
was fall Of. holes, and the little chaps
aad chunks amazin', and now they are
begging me to cut down the old beech
| and have just a lot of fun, and reckon
will have to do it. Uncle Remus says
that tarrapin is mighty slow traveller,
| and always thought he was, but Jack
Henderson SAYS that that depends ON
how hungry he is. He says when he
was boy he saw tarrapin take rum
ming start and jump ten feet up tree
and catch q sap-sncket. Jack says we
may believe it or not, just as we please,
and was grateful to him for that privi-
lege. / overheard one of the old dark
les singing little song to the children,
| and he said.
| i;ut lie tarrapin hide behind de stump
De rabbit he run aroi,n and aroun
I,nt dc tairapin hide his head in dc erottt
| D. squirrel make nest in de forked linn,
! Dnt@c tarrapin carry his house wild him.
| mist get Uncle Remus after that
| nigger and have him investigated. May
! be he knows something about this sap
| sucker business, and while these law
makers are investigating the depat tment
q agriculture I would like for them to
! investigate Henderson on that.
Well we cnt wood and cut wnnd and
have got thirty cords piled up-ash, and
hickory, and white oak, and beech, all
mixed mp; and We are going to have the
biggest ard hottest fires this winter you
ever saw don't like to be stingy of
wood; when company comes in of win
+, ter night, ard the cold wind is singing
around. / want the woud handy and
! dry, and l can say, "Ralpa, bring In an
other stick or two, and make the folks
set round don't like for folks to have
to crowd IA fire. want the fire to crowd
them. The winter wood ought to he
cut now, for it seasons right and will
not burn soggy and black. The winters
Eight wood ought to be hauled in time,
and split up and put away under cover.
There is power of comfort in plenty OF
light wood. The ash wood makes q
| pretty fire and burns free, but the hick-
| ury lasts the longest and throws out the
| most heat. The beech burns to white
;tsh like flour, and when you mix up oak
with all these 1t is a luxury to to see the
| glowing embers dancing to a white bea.
underneath, and the children can pop
their corn or roast their potatoes, or the
| good wife can make pot Of coffee or
the trivct and toast some light bread
and broil steak over the Goals, and We
can sit round and get the odor and en-
| Joy the prospect Of good things that are
soon to come. There are lots of com
| forts ar1uud an old fashioned fire in
| farmers home, and, SO far as am con
cerned, am content with 'em. .-ANantt
! ga. Constitution.