The Forrest City times., 1891-02-13

said, and sitting down on log near the door, looked about the clear ing for some timein 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 you think ez haow there's no danger; but me and my ole ooman's kinder 'spicionin' thst thar may be roast in hot time a-comin', an thet the hull woods may burn up."
 What can we do?" said my father. sIf they burn. why, then burn. We cannot help it.
 "Waal, praps not but p'raps we kin help bein' roasted. Me an my ole ooman's ben a riggin' up a 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, Mir DonleyY" my mother asked
 "Waal. ef 'tis like a firs 1 sor ten years ago, 'twould, and lick up everything smak and smooth" was the unencouraging reply. My mother was much alarmed. Father asked Mir. Donley what he meant by fire-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 possible to take refuge from such a conflagration as threatened us.
 Father told our neighbor that he would come to his house the next day and examine the fire-hole with Q view to making one. But while we were at breakfast next morning, Mir. and Mrs. Donley came in; he had 8 shovel on his shoulder, and she an axe-she was large muscular wom- an-and after some coversation they said that they had come over to help us dig fire-hole which they seemed to think we needed. So after breakfast, father, assisted by Mir. and Mrs. Donley, setat work. They chose low spot where water had stood in wet seasons, and bega II 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 20 feet i'll length by 10 in width, and with the heaped up earth around it, it was fully 6 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 depth of more than a foot. The only entrance to this singular cellar was a nar- row doorway, dug aslant down to it at one end.
 A week passed and then there came a high wind which blew two or three days. The smoke at times was very dense. and the odor of burning pine wood was very parpeceptibe. The third night fnthce did not go to bed st all, but remained up and out of doors, watching. During the after- noon he had set a barrel in the fire. hole and filled it with water. We retired and at length fell asleep, al- though we knew that both father and mother were in state ot great anxiety.
 Late in the night mother woke us.
 Get up, she said" dress yourself, and each take all your clothes in a bundle.
 
 As soon as we had opened our eyes we saw that it was strangely light outside the house. We heard the wind blowing, and heard also low roaring sound. When we had dress ed and taken our clothes, mother bade us come with her to the fire hole.
 Father was there already engaged in putting his blow 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 further end. Nearly everything 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 witb boards, with fresh turt over them. Father had board and some turf ready to stop up this last little hole They had dropped the straw beds and some other articles into the we'll, and covered that over in similar manner.
 On getting out of doors we were nearly dazed by the glare of the fire. which we could see streaming up over the dark tree-tops. All around to the west and north the heavens were ablaze with fiery light. A deep. sol emn roar was borne from atar, and filled our hearts with strange awe. Occasionally, too, loud crashes resounded as great trees fell, or rocks exploded from the terrific heat.
 Father and mother were very calm, although they had been awake all night.
 Soon great sheets of fire could be seen to float up into the sky. The air was growing hot, and smoke, in large volumes, drove across the clear ing.
 "It's coming nearer" I heard mother say, in an awed tone.
 Yes" father replied, Sit will soon be here now"
 Several deer went bounding across he clearing. One of them passed close to us. Many other similar an.