The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-10-18
A NIGHT UNDER GROUND.
How Fire Hole Afforded Protec-
tion for Helpless People.


1t happened twenty-seven years ago,
and was then but q little girl, yet the
incidents of one memorable afternoon
are still as fresh in my mind as tho
events Of last week. My parents had
lived in the city of New York, and were
well-to-do, for those days. But the old
story of rascality and robbery by a
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, but 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 o1
our travel in this conveyance we came
suddenly into little clearing, where
was a new log cabin. At the door stood
solitary baclswoodsman.
:. what are you doing here?" ex'
claimed my father, who, moro and more
gloomy as he got further away from
civilization, resented the presence of the
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. .
p "What do you intend to do?" my IA
ther demanded.
"Waal, seems haow yer amt no ways
inquisitive, don't mind tellin' yer thet
Pm goin' ter make farm yere."
But" demonstrated my father, in
credulous, "where is your farming
land?"
s.Mister, 1 never seed trees yit but
had land under 'em, m l reckon III
find nuffon'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 a mile further, we pitched our
cent in the woods, beside the spotted
trail" The next day thinking we
could do no better-we formally took VI
our abode there.
! In the next two weeks my father
with only his two hands-long unused
10 such la bor-cleared an acre of ground
and built q small log house. So Sc
bluded did this tiny opening in the
loftv forest seem that when some lum
bermen came along by chance one day
they asked my father if he had cnt 6
hole in the woods and let his hduse
down into 1T.
There was no other human habitatior
within many miles save that OF the sol
itary settler whom we had seen ON Tho
day of our arrival. On every side were
trees, nothing but trees and under
brush. Without doubt my parents foune
At very lonely, and were not easily rec
onciled to the change from city life
NV mother was often in tears, but We
were children and enjoyed the wild
ness and freedom.
remember that in our childish im
aginations the tops of the trees seemed
to reach to the very clouds, and that th'
deeper woods-into which we were no
allowed to venture lest we should ''ge
lost"-were a strange, enchanted lant
to us.
h Wild deer and smaller game abound
ed, and vague suspicious 6oated in ou
youthful minds that bears, wolves ant
,nanthers lurked in the dense, dark re
.cesses of the forest
Two wears of this backwoods lif
transformed us children from white
faced citylings to little brown savages
Father was almost as brown as our settle
neighbor, Mr.. Donley. Our forme
friends In New York would have faile
to recognize us. Some of them, l SUP
pose, would no longer have recognize
us dn any case. Father used never no'
to speak of his former business, or Q
the city, but worked hard as farmer
procure livelihood from such crops a
he could cultivate in the little clearin
which he had made.
The third year of our life in tn
woods was a very memorable one
Throughout June, July and Angus
scarcely any rain fell, The sandy so
ar he pine forest were parched wit
dr. ght
The entire woods about US, far an
near, were infested and Overrun by
singular species of great, unsightl
gray worm which stripped the trees c
their foliage. These worms moved OF
ward, In countless numbers, through tn
forest, swinging from tree to tree b
means of thread which they sRpn froI
their bodies. In walking through tn
woods in July, that year, we were CON
PEELED to keep both hands before OF
faces to part tho webs and brush tn
worms away.
In August the sky grew very smok