The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-10-16
A NIGHT UNDER GROUND.
How a Fire Hole Afforded Prctec-
ton for Helpless People.

1t happened twenty-seven years ago.
and was then but little girl. yet tho
incidents Of one memorable afternoon
are still as fresh in my mind as the
events Of last week. My parents had
lived in the city OF New York, and were
wcll-to-do, for those days. But the old
story Of rascality and robbery by
friend whom he had trusted changed
every thing. and father resolved to re-
move to the West.
1t is unnecessary to tell the story of
our removal. 1t was very wonderful
thing to me-that journey to the shores
of Lake Michigan. bu. it would not in
terest you. Finally we had done with
cars and steamboats, and even stage
coaches, and made the last three days
Of our journey in an old cart
On the afternoon Of the third day OF
our travel in this conveyance we came
suddenly into little clearing, where
was new log cabin. At the door stood
a solitary backwoodsman.
what are you doing here?" ex-
claimed my father, who, more and more
gloomy as he got further away from
CiVillLdIlOu. IGScnlGA lhS VA VIC
settler.
..Waal, stranger. reckon I'm alvin
here" was the reply.
..You don't mean to tell me that you
intend to reside here.' said my father.
.Yer abaout k'rect; stays the word. :"
"What do you intend to do?' my ia
Their demanded.
WAL. seems haow yer amt no ways
inquisitive, don't mind tellin' yer tibet
I'm goin' ter make farm yere."
But" demonstrated my father, in
credulous. where is your farming
land?"
mister, / never seed trees yit but
had land under 'em, n l reckon Ill
find nutrou't yere, arter awhile,
was the smiling rejoinder OF the sturdy
pioneer.
Mother was tired and disinclined to
travel further, and when we had gone
half mile further, we pitched our
tent in the woods, beside the spotted
trail" The next day thinking we
could do no better-we formally took up
our abode there.
In the next two weeks my father,
with only his two hands-long unused
to such la bor-cleared an acre of ground
and built small log house. So Sc.
cluded did this tiny opening in the
lofty forest seem that when some lum.
bermen came along by chance one day,
they asked my father If he had cut !
hole in the woods and let his house
down into it
There was no other human habitatior
within many miles save that OF the sol
itary settler whom we had seen on the
day of our arrival. On every side were
trees. nothing but trees and under
brusN. Without doubt my parents found
1t very lonely, and were not easily rec
onciled to the change from city life
My mother was often in tears, but we
were children and enjoyed the wild
ness and freedom.
remember that in our childish i'm
aginations the tops of the trees seemed
to reach to the very clouds. and that the
deeper wools-into which we were no.
allowed to venture lest VIC should gee
lost"-were a strange, enchanted land
to us.
Wild deer and smaller game abound
cd. and vague suspicious floated in oIl
youthful minds that bears, wolves and
panthers lurked in the dense, dark re
cesses Of the forest
Two years OF this backwoods life
transformed us children from white.
faced citylings to little brown Sayages
Father was almost As brown as our settler
neighbor, Mr.. Donley. Our former
friends in New York would have failed
to recognize US. Some of them, | sup
pose, would no longer have recognized
us in any ease. Father used never now
to speak of his former business. or oil
the city, but worked hard AS farmer Il
procure livelihood from such crops a.
he could cultivate in the little clearing
which lac had made.
The third year Of our life in thu
woods WAS IA very memorable one
Throughout June. July and Angus
scarcely any rain fell, The sandy sol
and the pine forest were parched with
drought
The entire woods about us. far an.
AGAR, were infested and ovcrrun by
singular species of great, insight,
gray worm which stripped the trees o
their foliage. These worms moved on
ward. in countless numbers, through tn
forest, swinging from tree to tree b.
means of a thread which they spun tron
their bodies. In walking through tn
woods in July, that year, we were com
PEELED to keep both hands before GU
faces to part the webs and brush tn,
worms away.
In August the sky grew very smok,
and remained SO for many days. Fatae
told us that great forest fires wer,
raging ut distance, and that he feared
they might approach us. On some morn
ings and afternoons the sun did no
shine at all thr ough the thick smoke il
the sky. Mr. Donley came over to cal
on US one night, at this time.
''Eyenin', Neighbor Williston," h
said, and sitting down on log near tn
door looked about the clearing for SOM
time In silence.
"Waal. neighbor," he remarked n
length, ''pears like the sight o thi
ERE yaller sky don't disturb We much.
why. what do you mean by thatP'
my father asked him.