THE LOG HOUSE. 275 glided out from below the house, and set off for the pond at a very dignified pace. His plans were partially frustrated; for about a foot or so of his tail was cut off before he had proceeded far; but his head took the hint, and inspired the body with such unwonted activity, that we could never ascertain whether he died of mortification or not. we made a thorough search after the family, but they had not waited a writ of ejectment. sities of back-woods life would have reconciled one to the narrowness of the quarters; but when bedchamber and nursery were to be crowded into the same area, the packing became almost as difficult as the feat of putting a bushel of lime, a bushel of sand, and eight gallons of water into one and the same bushel measure together, which we had heard of, but never believed until we made our log-Such tenants as this were not to be desired, and house arrangements. However, by the aid of some heavy curtains-a partition, which seemed almost all that one could wish, by contrast with the cotton sheets which were in general use for that purpose through the country, at that time -we contrived to make two bed-rooms, each about as large as a steamboat state-room. The loft above afforded floor room for beds, but was not high enough to allow one to stand upright, except in the very centre, under the ridge of the roof. The floors in this unsophisticated dwelling were of a corresponding simplicity. Heavy oak plank, aid down without nails or fastening of any kind, somewhat warped, and not very closely packed, afforded a footing by no means agreeable, or even secure. To trip in crossing the room, even at a sedate pace, was nothing uncommon; and the children were continually complaining of the disappearance of their playthings, which slid through the cracks to regions unexplored. Toads, too, were among our social inmates. They are fond of hopping in, in a neighborly way, during the twilight, and will sit staring and winking at you as if they were tipsy. If you drive them out, they never take offence, but come again very soon, seeming as good-natured as ever. They are very well if you do not tread on them. The walls of a log-house are of course very rough and uneven; for the logs are laid up unhewn, as probably most of our city readers have observed in pictures. The deep indentations are partially filled with strips of wood, and then plastered with wet clay, which falls off continually, and requires partial renewing every autumn. This clay, in its dry state, gives off incessantly an impalpable dust, which covers and pervades everything; so that the office of housemaid is no sinecure. In addition to this annoyance, the beams not being plastered, soon become worm-eaten, and the worms are not like snails, that stay forever at home-but we will not pursue the subject. Suffice it to say, it is inconvenient to have anybody walking about aloft while you sit at dinner. The inequalities of the walls afford harbor to some other things not of the very pleasantest odor. Not to mention minor matters, one of our neighbors was once sitting at her work, when she heard a soft sound which seemed to come from a About the middle of the floor was a trap-door, composed of three loose pieces of board, which had to be taken up separately when one would descend into the "cellar." This so-called cellar was a hole dug in the earth, without wall, floor or window; and the only mode of access to it was by the said trap-door, without steps of any kind The stout damsels who sometimes did us the favor to perform certain domestic offices for our benefit, used to place a hand on each side the trap, and let themselves down with an adventur-point above her head. Looking up, she perceived, ous swing, returning to the upper air by an exertion of the arms which would be severe for many a man unaccustomed to muscular effort. Such a door as this was of course literally a trap; for as it was necessarily left open while any one was below, stepping down into it unawares was by no means an infrequent accident. So that if there was no Radcliffian mystery about it, there was at least the exciting chance of a broken limb. This same loose floor, and the open spaces beneath it, had another interesting chance attending it. Strange little noises like whispers, and occasional movements during the stillness of night, told that we were not the only settlers under the roof; and one fine spring morning, when the sun shone warm and the eaves were trickling with the thaw of a light snow, a beautiful rattlesnake lying along a ridge in the logs, a specimen of the snake called" blowers" by the natives-a poisonons creature, which is said to have the power of blowing its venom to some distance. But visitants like these are fortunately rare. We might be more minute in our description of the real primitive log-house; but enough has been said to make it matter of some remark that people who have been accustomed to civilized life, and its comforts, should ever become attached to so inconvenient a dwelling. Yet there is an inexplicable charm about a wild life; a sense of novelty and freedom; an exercise of ingenuity, invention and self-denial, which all those who live at the West long enough catch from the more natural settlers. The very idea is inspiring; and makes one almost long to try it again. |