ce. Another plank
_C_, _D_ is nailed under the mantelpiece against the log before the stone
work is built up. This is only for the purpose of giving a finish to your
mantelpiece. The hearth in Fig. 274 is made of odd bits of flat stones
laid in cement, but the hearth in Fig. 275 is one big slab of bluestone
just as it came from the quarry, and the fireplace in Fig. 275 is lined
with fire-brick. The two three-legged stools which you see on each side
were made by the woodsmen who built the cabin to use in their camp while
the cabin was being erected. The stools have occupied the position of
honor on each side of the fireplace now for twenty-seven years. The
mantelpiece in this drawing is made of puncheons with the rounded side out
on the two supports and the flat side against the wall; of course, for the
mantel itself, the rounded side must be down and the flat side up. This
fireplace has been used for cooking purposes and the crane is still
hanging over the flames, while up over the mantel you may see, roughly
indicated, a wrought-iron broiler, a toaster, and a brazier. The flat
shovel hanging to the left of the fireplace is what is known as a "peal,"
used in olden times to slip under the pies or cakes in the old-fashioned
ovens in order to remove them without burning one's fingers.

XLIV

MORE HEARTHS AND FIREPLACES

SOMETIMES it is desired to have a fireplace in the middle of the room.
Personally, such a fireplace does not appeal to me, but there are other
people who like the novelty of such a fireplace, and Fig. 276 shows one
constructed of rough stones. The fireplace is high so that one tending it
does not have to stoop and get a backache. The foundation should be built
in the ground underneath the cabin and up through the floor. A flat stone
covers the top of the fireplace, as in the other drawings. Fig. 277 shows
a fireplace with a puncheon support for a plank mantel.

Fig. 276. Fig. 277. Fig. 278. Fig. 279. Fig. 280.

[Illustration: Fireplace and mantel of half logs. Also centre fireplaces
for cabin.]

A Plank Mantel

_A_ and _B_ are two half logs, or puncheons, which run from the floor to
the ceiling on each side of the fireplace. _S_, _S_, _S_ are the logs of
the cabin walls. _C_ is the puncheon supporting the mantel and _D_ is the
mantel. Fig. 279 shows a section or a view of the mantel looking down on
it from the top, a topographical view of it. Fig. 278 is the same sort of
a view showing the