light of a hundred huge torches. The
skies were reddened, and as a mighty oak or poplar log toppled and fell
to the ground, showers of sparks lent the scene volcanic splendor.
Bats and owls and other dim-eyed creatures of the night flew about in
bewilderment, sometimes bumping hard against fences or other objects,
sometimes plunging madly into the flames and contributing to the general
holocaust. For days the great fires were kept going, until the last
remnants of this section of the once imposing forest were consumed;
while smoke hung far out over the country, producing an atmospheric
effect like that of Indian summer.

Heavy exertion called for generous refreshment, and on these occasions
the host could be depended on to provide an abundance of food and drink.
The little cabin could hardly be made to accommodate so many guests,
even in relays. Accordingly, a long table was constructed with planks
and trestles in a shady spot, and at noon--and perhaps again in the
evening--the women folk served a meal which at least made up in "staying
qualities" what it lacked in variety or delicacy. The principal dish
was almost certain to be "pot-pie," consisting of boiled turkeys, geese,
chickens, grouse, veal, or venison, with an abundance of dumplings.
This, with cornbread and milk, met the demands of the occasion; but
if the host was able to furnish a cask of rum, his generosity was
thoroughly appreciated.

In the autumn, corn-huskings were a favorite form of diversion,
especially for the young people; and in the early spring neighbors
sometimes came together to make maple sugar. A wedding was an important
event and furnished diversion of a different kind. From distances of
twenty and thirty miles people came to attend the ceremony, and often
the festivities extended over two or three days. Even now there was
work to be done; for as a rule the neighbors organized a house-building
"bee," and before separating for their homes they constructed a cabin
for the newly wedded pair, or at all events brought it sufficiently near
completion to be finished by the young husband himself.

Even after a day of heavy toil at log-rolling, the young men and boys
bantered one another into foot races, wrestling matches, shooting
contests, and other feats of strength or skill. And if a fiddler could
be found, the day was sure to end with a "hoe-down"--a dance that "made
even the log-walled house tremble." No corn-husking or wedding was
complete w