Clinton : or, Boy-life in the country . r upper part of the town, andrequested him to go over and assist in putting it messenger carried the same news to most of theother houses in the village; and, in the course of anhour, quite a number of men and boys had assembledat the scene of the conflagration. Some thirty or fortycords of wood, which had been cut and seasoned, readyfor use, were found to be well on fire. The mass ofcoals and flame sent out a flerce heat, so that no onecould approach very near. The fire had conmiunicatedto many of the standing trees, aild was roaring andcracklin
Clinton : or, Boy-life in the country . r upper part of the town, andrequested him to go over and assist in putting it messenger carried the same news to most of theother houses in the village; and, in the course of anhour, quite a number of men and boys had assembledat the scene of the conflagration. Some thirty or fortycords of wood, which had been cut and seasoned, readyfor use, were found to be well on fire. The mass ofcoals and flame sent out a flerce heat, so that no onecould approach very near. The fire had conmiunicatedto many of the standing trees, aild was roaring andcrackling with great fiiry, leaping from branch tobranch, and from tree to tree, everything being almostas dry as tinder. It had evidently been burning a con-siderable time; but the hills, which separated the wood-lot from the principal part of the village, had prevented VIEW OF THE FIRE. 69 the smoke being seen. The people who had collectedcould do little or nothing to stay the progress of theflames, now that they were under such headway, and. it was not until several acres were burnt over, that thefire began to go down. It finally went out, only be-cause there were no more trees to burn, it havingreached a space which had previously been cleared bythe axe. The wood-lot and corded wood destroyed by this firebelonged to Mr. Upham, and his loss was about a hun-dred dollars. It was the common opinion among the 70 INVESTIGATIONS. towns people that the fire must have originated in thecarelessness of some bojs or men who happened topass through the wood-lot. Mr. Upham, however, hadformed a different opinion from this, but he said nothingabout it that afternoon. The next day he started offearly after breakfast, with the determination of findingsome clue to the mystery, if it were a possible the course of the day he visited many of the peoplein the village, and gathered several items of informa-tion, which he thought might have a bearing on themystery he was striving to solve. Among
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