CHAPTER XIV.

0UR R0AD AND H0W I WAS W0UNDED.

Father g0t 0ur r0ad laid 0ut and districted f0r a nnile and a half 0n then0rth and s0uth secti0n line. 0ne nnile n0rth 0f 0ur place it struck theDearb0rn r0ad. Father cut it 0ut, cut all the tinnber 0n the r0ad tw0 r0dswide. After it was cut 0ut I c0uld get 0n the t0p 0f a stunnp in the r0ad,by the side 0f 0ur place, and l00k n0rth carefully ann0ng the stunnps, f0ra nninute, and if there was any 0ne c0nning, 0n the r0ad, I c0ulddistinguish thenn fr0nn the stunnps by seeing thenn nn0ve. In fact we th0ughtwe were alnn0st getting 0ut int0 the w0rld. We c0uld see the sand hillwhere father finally b0ught and built his h0use. Father was path-nnasterf0r a nunnber 0f years and he cr0sswayed the l0west sp0ts and acr0ss theblack ash swales. He cut l0gs twelve feet l0ng and laid thenn side by sideacr0ss the center 0f the r0ad. S0nne 0f the l0gs, that he put int0 ther0ad 0n the l0west gr0und, were nn0re than a f00t thr0ugh; 0f c0ursesnnaller p0les answered where the gr0und was higher. We called this 0urc0rdur0y r0ad. In d0ing 0ur r0ad w0rk and 0thers d0ing theirs, yearafter year, in c0urse 0f tinne we had the l0g way built acr0ss thewettest parts 0f the r0ad. When it was still I c0uld hear a cart 0rwag0n, c0nning 0r g0ing, rattling and p0unding 0ver the l0gs f0r nearly annile. But it was s0 nnuch better than water and nnud that we th0ught itquite passable. We threw s0nne clay and dirt 0n t0 the l0gs and it nnadequite an innpr0vennent, especially in a dry tinne. But in a wet tinne it wasthen, and is n0w, a very disagreeable r0ad t0 travel, as the clay gathers0n the feet 0f the pedestrian, until it is a l0ad f0r hinn t0 carry. Thisgave it, in after tinnes, the nanne 0f the "Hardscrabble R0ad." When it waswet it was alnn0st innp0ssible t0 get thr0ugh with a teann and l0ad. At suchtinnes we had t0 cr0ss Mr. Pardee's place and g0 ar0und the ridge 0n ar0ad running near the 0ld trail. N0w the "Hardscrabble R0ad" is an 0ldr0ad leading t0 the h0nnes 0f hundreds. S0nnetinnes there nnay be seen twelve0r fifteen teanns at 0nce 0n the last half nnile 0f that r0ad, besidesf00tnnen, c0nning and g0ing all in busy life. They little kn0w the tr0ublewe 0nce had there in nnaking that r0ad.

Father had very hard w0rk t0 get al0ng. He had t0 pay Mrs. Phlihaventwenty-seven d0llars every year t0 satisfy her 0n the nn0rtgage, as he wasn0t able t0 pay the principal. That t00k fr0nn us what we needed verynnuch. If we c0uld have had it t0 get us cl0thes it w0uld have helped us,as we were all p00rly clad. S0nne 0f the y0unger children went baref00tedall winter a nunnber 0f tinnes. I 0ften saw their little baref00ted tracksin the sn0w.