The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-01-23


foot log is common. Over at Charlotte,
as progressive town Of Its size as
know Of on the globe, I dropped into a
hotel one cool evening not long ago.
A IRE was burning in the great fire.
place, and clustered about that fro
were probably twenty men. The circle
was some SIX or eight feet back from
the huge pile Of logs that burned brisk
ly, and all Of them shared in the CON.
fort Of the evening. at many Of the
old plantation houses Of this vicinity
are fireplaces big enough to sleep in.
On a winter evening half dozen logs
cut from tree eight or ten inches
through, make home seem like
home. The natural gas fire of the
North is a great Institution, but the
open wood fire Of North Carolina puts
the gas fire at the foot Of the infant
class. Then while it is warming the
house It gives out more light than an
orator at a political meeting, and with
about the same active enthusiasm.
Possibly a wood fire would not be
all that it is were It not that North
Carolina has fuel that is on plane
Of its own. The long leaf pine, from
which the turpentine and ros:n of the
world are made, is robust tree, full
Of pitch, and the pine knot crop is as
inhammable as a red headed womeE.
The North Carolinian uses sone hard
wood for fuel but with that he has
fondness for pine knots. Not little
knots as big as your wrist, but huge
things three feet long and nearly foot
through. When one is put on the fire
It starts of like Fourth Of July dis.
play, and it dances and sputters then
for an hour or two. The pitch that
saturates the fiber of the wood is crudo
turpentine, and the heat is intense
One Of the memories treasured by
the soldiers who were in the Peninsu.
la or who came up from the sea with
Sherman, is the pine knot fire o. the
turpentine country. In addition to the
substantial virtues OF light and tcat
the soldier recalls apcther trait Of tAc
pine knot fire. 1t Is wonderfullg fra.
grant. Burning pine knot fires are
as savory to the nostrils as the sclell
Of burning incense, On a crisp nom.
ing, when the pine belt is arising from
its dreams and tho duslSy kitchen
maids Of a thousand families are light.
ing the morning fires, the odors t:.a'
arise from the burning ritchy pia"
kindIing wood suggc't a morning on
his visit to the South, and I never
knew a stranger WHO 'ame here toh'
the North for the fryt time who dc not
tank the incense Of e Q wood fires ns
one Of the most agreeable features e
lis visit to the South, andd I never
heard an old soldier speak Of the !lmu
fires in the pine belt who did not enjoy
g snifr OF those odors even by the help
u memory that was carrying the
fragrance over the years OF talf 'ifr
time.
The pine knot is a responsive CHIP,
Natural gas is a handy fuel Li2't
a match and turn the valve and tie frc
is started. The pine knot Is IL 10
same class. Light match and tonch
1t to a silver on a pine knot and that's
all. The rest consists in addins 'onFe
nine knots, They VIII not flow tlIriMHh
a pipe, but they make up for 1t 10 an
other way. No man ever lived who did
not like 10 poke fire. You can poke
the pine knot to your hearts delight.
Who could poke n gas fi'e? You Gao
throw rubbish OF tho zine knot Ore
III! not on the gas fire, II pm" linGts
do not flow through a pipe, neither do
they explode occasionally and blow
the manhnies OF tue sewers and the
sides out Of houses. A pine knot, be-
sides having innumerable virtues, has
npvices, andSthat Is more than can be
said tFuthtnlly q MOI "
bon ~ !. BUTLER
Southern Pines "
iI9 " II n M ~ ~ |,