The Colfax chronicle., 1890-12-20

urOuguI
The entire woods about us. far and
aear, were infested and overrun by
singular species of great, unsightly
gray worm which stripped the trees of
their foliage. These worms moved on
ward, in countless numbers, through the
forest, swinging from tree to tree by
means of thread which they spun from
their bodies. In walking through the
woods in July, that year, we were COM
PEELED to keep both hands before our
faces to part the webs and brush the
worms away.
In August the sky grew very smoky
and remained so for many days. Father
told US that great forest fres were
raging at distance, and that he feared
they might approach US. On some morn
ings and afternoons the sun did not
shine at all thr ough the thick smoke in
the sky. Mr.. Do nley came over to call
on us one night, at this time.
sEvenin', Neighbor Williston," he
said, and sitting down on log near the
door looked about the clearing for some
time in silence.
"Waal, neighbor," he remarked at
length, "'pears like the sight O. this
ERE yaller sky don't disturb ye much. :"
"Why. what do you mean by that?'
my father asked him.
"Waal, nothin', of course, ef ye think
ez haow there's no danger; but me an
my ole ooman's kinder 'spicionin' thet
thar may be roastin' hot time accom-
in, an thet the hull woods may burn
up"
"What can we do?' said my father.
''If they burn, why, they burn. We can
not help it."
"Waal, p'raps not; but p'raps we kin
help bein' roasted. Me an my ole
ooman's been a-riggin' up fire hole.
We low that we may hev ter take ter
the groun.'"
'Do you think the fire would come
across our clearing to the house, Mr..
Donley?" my mother asked.
"Waal, eff tits like a fire sor ten year
ago, 'twould, an lick up every thing
smack an smooth" was the unencour-
aging reply
My mother was much alarmed. Father
asked Mr.. Donley what he meant by a
fre-hole, and was told that it was kind
of cellar, out-of-doors. covered over with
logs and earth-a place in which it
would be possible to take refuge from
such conflagration as threatened us.
Father told our neighbor that he
would come to his house next day and
examine the fire-hole with "A view to
making one. But while we were at
l. If Mr nd
Donley came in; he had shovel on his
shoulder, and she shovel and an axe
she was a large, muscu lar woman
and, after some conversation, they said
that they had come over to help-us dig
a fire-hole, which they seemed to think
we needed.
So after breakfast, father, assisted by
Mr.. and Mrs. Donley, set at work. They
chose low spot where water had stood
in wet seasons, and began throwing out
the earth on all sides. Mother could
not help laughing to see Mrs. Donley
shovel, though she would. not allow us
children to laugh.
| BY noon they had dug great hole
twenty feet in length by ten in width,
and with the heaped up earth around it,
it was fully six feet deep.
During the afternoon, small, straight,
green logs were prepared and laid over
the hole close together. and then fresh
earth was shoveled upon these to a
depth of more than foot. The only
entrance to this singular cellar was a
narrow doorway, dug aslant down to it.
at one end.
! A week passed, and then there came
| a high wind which blew for two or three
days. The smoke at times was very
dense. and the odor of burning pine
wood was very perceptible. The third
night father did not go to bed at all,
but remained up and out-of-doors,
watching. During the afternoon he
had set barrel in the fire-hole and
| filled it with water. We retired, and
at length fell asleep, although we knew
tha. both father and mother were in a
state of great anxiety.
Late in the night mother walked us.
.'Get up" she said, ''dress yourselves,
and each take all your other clothes in
bundle"
AS soon as we had opened our eyes
we saw that it was strangely light out
side the house. We heard the wind
blowing, and heard also low, roaring
sound. When we had dressed and taken
our clothes, mother bade us come with
her to the fire-hole.
Father was there already, engaged in
putting his plow and some other tools
into the hole. We found that he had
driven in the oxen and the cow. They
were tied up by their heads at the
farther end. Nearly every thing in the
house had been carried in, and the
place was nearly filled.
The doorway, except one little hole
| just big enough for us to slip through,
had been covered with boards with
fresh turf over them. Father had a
board and some turf ready to stop ur
this last little hole. They had dropped
the straw-beds and some other articles
into the we'll, and covered that over in
| q similar manner.