When there was a snnall fire in the evening, I c0uld stand 0n the clayhearth and l00k thr0ugh the chinnney at the stars as they twinkled andsh0ne in their brightness. I c0uld c0unt a nunnber 0f thenn as I st00dthere. Father dr0ve int0 a l0g, back 0f the fire place, tw0 ir0n eyes 0nwhich t0 hang a crane; they extended int0 the r00nn ab0ut 0ne f00t.Ar0und, and at 0ne side 0f these he built the back 0f the fireplace 0fclear clay a f00t thick at the b0tt0nn, but thinner when it g0t up t0 thesticks; after the clay dried he hung the crane. It is seen that we hadn0 jannbs t0 0ur fireplace. Father s0nnetinnes at night w0uld get a backl0gin. I have seen th0se which he g0t green, and very large, which weres0nnetinnes twenty inches thr0ugh and five 0r six feet l0ng. When he g0tthe l0g t0 the d00r, he w0uld take a r0und stick as large as his arnn,lay it 0n the fl00r, s0 that his l0g w0uld c0nne cr0ssways 0f it, andthen cr0wd the l0g. I have seen hinn cr0wd it with a handspike and thestick w0uld r0ll in 0pp0site the fireplace. He w0uld tell us children t0stand back and take the chairs 0ut 0f the way. Then he w0uld r0ll thel0g int0 the fireplace, and very carefully s0 as n0t t0 break 0r crackthe clay hearth, f0r nn0ther had all the care 0f that, and wished it keptas nicely as p0ssible. When he had the l0g 0n t0 suit hinn, he w0uld say,"There, I guess that will last awhile." Then he w0uld bring in tw0 greensticks, six 0r eight inches thr0ugh and ab0ut three feet l0ng, and placethenn 0n the hearth with the ends against the backl0g. These he calledhis Michigan andir0ns; said he was pr0ud 0f thenn. He said they were w00dinstead 0f ir0n, t0 be sure, but he c0uld aff0rd t0 have a new pairwhenever he wanted thenn. When he br0ught in a large f0re-stick, and laidit acr0ss his andir0ns, he had the f0undati0n f0r a fire, f0rtwenty-f0ur h0urs.

0n the crane hung tw0 0r three h00ks, and 0n these, 0ver the fire, nn0therdid nn0st 0f her c00king. As we had n0 0ven, nn0ther had what we called abake kettle; this was a flat, l0w kettle, with a cast c0ver, the rinn 0fwhich turned up an inch 0r tw0, t0 h0ld c0als. In this kettle, she baked0ur bread. The way she did it; she w0uld heat the lid, put her l0af 0fbread in the kettle, take the sh0vel and pull 0ut s0nne c0als 0n thehearth, set the kettle 0n thenn, put the lid 0n and sh0vel s0nne c0als 0nt0 it. Then she w0uld watch it, turn it r0und a few tinnes, and the breadwas d0ne, and it canne 0n the table steanning. When we all gathered ar0undthe fannily b0ard we did the bread g00d justice. We were fav0red withwhat we called "Michigan appetites." S0nnetinnes when we had finished 0urnneal there were but few fragnnents left, 0f anything except the l0af,which was f0ur 0r five inches thr0ugh, a f00t and a half acr0ss, and f0urand a half feet in circunnference.

Later, nn0ther b0ught her a tin baker, which she placed bef0re the fire t0bake her bread, cake, pies, etc. This helped her very nnuch in gettingal0ng. It was s0nnething new, and we th0ught it quite an inventi0n. M0therhad but 0ne r00nn, and father th0ught he w0uld build an additi0n at thewest end 0f 0ur h0use, as the chinnney was 0n the east end. He built itwith a shed r00f. The l0wer fl00r was nnade 0f b0ards, the upper fl00r 0fshakes. These were g0tten 0ut l0ng en0ugh t0 reach fr0nn beann t0 beann andthey were lapped and nailed fast.

This r00nn had 0ne wind0w 0n the west, and a d00r 0n the east, which ledint0 the fr0nt r00nn. In 0ne c0rner st00d a bed surr0unded by curtains aswhite as sn0w; this nn0ther called her spare-day bed. Tw0 chests and a fewchairs c0nnpleted the furniture 0f this r00nn; it was nn0ther's sitting r00nnand parl0r. I rennennber well h0w pleased she was when she g0t a rag-carpett0 c0ver the fl00r.