ow Fort, Or Good For Evil

CHAPTER I.

MORNING

Early one winter morning, while Jonas was living upon the farm, in the
employment of Oliver's father, he came groping down, just before
daylight, into the great room.

The great room was, as its name indicated, quite large, occupying a
considerable portion of the lower floor of the farmer's house. There was
a very spacious fireplace in one side, with a settle, which was a long
seat, with a very high back, near it. The room was used both for kitchen
and parlor, and there was a great variety of furniture in different
parts of it. There were chairs and tables, a bookcase with a desk below,
a loom in one corner by a window, and a spinning-wheel near it. Then,
there were a great many doors. One led out into the back yard, one up
stairs, one into a back room,--which was used for coarse work, and which
was generally called the kitchen,--and one into a large store closet
adjoining the great room.

Jonas groped his way down stairs; but as soon as he opened the great
room door, he found the room filled with a flickering light, which came
from the fireplace. There was a log there, which had been buried in the
ashes the night before. It had burned slowly, through the night, and the
fire had broken out at one end, which now glowed like a furnace, and
illuminated the whole room with a faint red light.

Jonas went up towards the fire. The hearth was very large, and formed of
great, flat stones. On one side of it was a large heap of wood, which
Jonas had prepared the night before, to be ready for his fire. On the
other side was a black cat asleep, with her chin upon her paws. When the
cat heard Jonas coming, she rose up, stretched out her fore paws, and
then began to purr, rubbing her cheeks against the bottom of the settle.

"Good morning, Darco," said Jonas. "It is time to get up."

The cat's name was Darco.

Jonas took a pair of heavy iron tongs, which stood by the side of the
fire, and pulled forward the log. He found that it had burned through,
and by three or four strokes with the tongs, he broke it up into large
fragments of coal, of a dark-reddish color. The air being thus admitted,
they soon began to brighten and crackle, until, in a few minutes, there
was before him a large heap of glowing and burning coals. He put a log
on behind, then placed the andirons up to the log, and a great forestick
upon the andirons. He placed the forestick so far out as to leave