Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1916-07-14

meath its weight in the thick stand
ing wood. Much enthusiasm was
shown by the woodsmen in getting
out the timber, such as they knew
would meet the demands of Bard
wood and Marktree, for however
difficult it might be to get it out,
that was their least concern, if only
they were so fortunate as to have
the timber. The woodsman might
be engaged for days getting out
some one priced tree from the back
corner of his wood-lot. 1t might
have to be rolled or slid down a
steep ridge, or thicket of low scrub
spruce and hemlock cut away before
an ox-team with chain could be at
tached and haul it out. Sometimes
in these strenuous efforts accidents
would happen, chains be broken,
oxen famed, and worse still. men get
hurt. The doctor, with medicine
trunk in one hand and surgical bag
in the other, would oft foot it
through the woods to mountain
cabin, sometimes on snow-shoes,
hurrying to take up an artery in the
foot from a cut with an ak, to sew
scalp wound from a falling limb,
to reduce a dislocation or set
broken leg. Over back of Stark
Hill, Libertree, Uncle Ez and Hunt
err John were hard engaged getting
out big, choice birds-eye maple. 1t
had been chopped down and limbed
and sawed in two the day before,
and the snow shoveled away so an
OK team could be gotten in to haul
it out. Uncle Ez lightly touched
the oxen with the long braided
buckskin and called out, Gee, haw,
hish, as the gentle pair wallowed
through the snow until near enough
for the cable chain to be attached
and the log rolled up onto the bob
sled. Git a holt all hands," said
Udcle Ez, and roll it up on the
sled! Git a good holt wi yer pry,
Ebenezer! Grapple on tight wi yer
canthook, John! There now, heave
'er up! E. e! Once more. E. e!
Let's take good breath. o. -osh!
Now again, let's lift. E. e and
over she goes! Now let the oxen
haul it out. Come Brad! Come
Bright! Hish! Hish! Hish!" All
that day since the early light of
morn timber-men has broken out
roads, chopped, sawed, skidded logs,
gotten up wood-piles and followed
OK teams hauling logs to the mill.
By late candle light the busy house
hold gathered round the steaming
supper table, oft of hot hasty corn
meal pudding and milk, a pan of
milk just as it was strained for set
ting resting in the center of the ia
bic, and the pudding served from
an iron kettle on the stove or hang
ing from a crane over the fireplace.
The long winter evenings brought
good cheer to the snug occupants of
the log dwellings, about which the
SHOWS would beat and wall up all
the night long. The deep fireplace
gave forth abundant warmth and
glow from the fire-log, kept gener-
ously renewed, for there was nc
lack of wood. The large family cir.
Gle sat before the cheerful blaze
their voices mingling in merry dis.
course. One might be cracking but
ternuts, another popping corn, two
holding and winding yarn, others
ciphering on a slate and studying
their spelling lesson, the ever toilinl
mother and grandmother knitting
darning, patching, one holding ;
child in her arms, the other rocking
the baby to sleep, and an agec
maiden aunt, perhaps, turning thu
spinning wheel, pacing back anC
forth, back and forth, while tn,
father and grandfather might com
ment exultingly on the late speech
of John Quincy Adams, in tn,
United States senate, defending tn,
Right of Petition" which the,
may have just read out of the Phil
anthropist." the first abolition or