The Washington herald., 1914-03-14
rHE LocyFIRE.
ny EsaORr >. HAYNES.


llog fire sent sparks of joyful defiance up
1.-THE wide chimney. Against the winds
the generous throat of the chimney
roared, DO your worst. worst. worst.
keep the house in spite of you. The
more you blow. the more l glow"
There was such comfort in hugging
the FIRE. No plans for going anywhere.
Just plan to sit here and be comforted,
TO read the pleasant book. to doze, to
chat with genial friends on TIE other
side of the hearth, to yawn with peace
full. happiness, to step to the window
and laugh at the wrecking of the outer
world and to turn and throw on an
other log.
Watch the upreaching arms of the
fame. Gently, and even caressingly.
these flames at first embraced the log
just thrown to them Soft as the tones
of love, coy, gentle, giving the log no
alarm, the FIRE arms lay themselves
about the wood. Deceived by this show
of affection, the log sinks down, scat
ltering the embers of other logs. How
many generations of logs have done
likewise. And now the conAagration,
great sheets of fame : whole winding
robe of fame.
Alas poor log. 1t is too late now to
rouse yourself. Too late you turn half
over on the iron bed. and groan and hiss
in protest. Then yielding, as each gen.
eration must. the oak sings to the pine,
the heat is waited outward and the
cheer. Since everybody is happy, the
logs show happy, glad to be useful.
laughing back to the human beings
whom they serve.
The storm envies the comfort of the
room and raps at the windows for ad-
mittance. The wind helps the fire and
then claims admittance down the CHM
ney. Delicious perfume of smoke from
aromatic pine. But it is only puff now
and then, for the smoke is soon routed.
Neither snow nor cold nor wind is to
invade our snuggery while hrelog is
king.
There are other guests, fairies, elfs,
queer things in the glowing Goals. In
deed. one can see their castles, palaces.
and dancing dales. all in the pictured
shapes of glowing embers. You may
sit by the hour and see things in the
Goals. You may see anything you wish,
yes, anything. OF such protean shapes
arc Goals in log that slowly wastes
away.
What roasting of all sorts. of cara
mels. of cheese. of apples, of bread
And the genial teapot makes good prog
ress. singing its song. The white ashes
bake things while you wait. Never such
potatoes as in this play at cooking. Then
the set-out on the small table. Over all
the red glow that makes the lamps
ashamed. il you have been so foolish as
to light them. As the night falls it is
better to depend on the hrelog for light.
Upon the ceiling the blushes of the
changing fire hutter and fade In here
it has all the seeming of summer sun
set and afterglow. Yet there is biz
zard abroad
People come back. over miles of sea
and land, to take their wonted seats be-
fore the hearth. You see them perfect
ly revealed. You hear them speak.
Why. certainly. you were just thinking
of them. the absent ones. and wonder
ing where they are now. When 10. they
emerged from the hrelog. They stepped
forth and took their wonted chair. The
boy who had been south. under tropic
suns, narrates how he has longed for
this scene. How heartsick he has been
to get in out of an honest winter storm
and sit by fathers fireplace. mother
knitting hard by. The cozy rooms fills up
with these pilgrims returning. Strange
what power irelog has to call people
back home.
1t may be that gardens and flowers
arc fond meeting places for lovers. But
they cannot compete with the fireplace
on winters day. Lake Como, it is
fair. Venice in gondola, it is soft and
romantic. But the frelog is more
charming. Ask all the lovers of our
wintry north if it is mot so. What
poems in the Pickering fame. what
prophecies and hopes! What memories,
man, come over you at the mention of
those hours by the wood FIRE!
This is human life at its best. This is
happiness. There are many gayeties,
many pleasures. But happiness is per-
haps not very common. Shall we say
it is rare? Peaceful happiness. rich.
deep-tided unspeakable, that is rare. 1t
is home product. The hearthstohe is
a place of happiness. Notice the old
man before the frelog. The Bible on
the stand near by. Rocking and remem-
bering as she knits, his old mate, also.
Could there be anything better on this