18 WINTER SUNSHINE 



root they generally call "grubroot;" trailing ar- 

 butus goes by the names of "troling" arbutus, 

 "training arbuty-flower, " and ground "ivory;" in 

 Virginia they call ■woodchucks "moonacks." 



On entering Pumpkintown — a cluster of five or 

 six small, whitewashed blockhouses, toeing squarely 

 on the highway — the only inhabitant we saw was 

 a small boy, who was as frank and simple as if he 

 had lived on pumpkins and marrow squashes all his 

 days. 



Half a mile farther on, we turned to the right 

 into a characteristic Southern road, — a way entirely 

 unkempt, and wandering free as the wind; now 

 fading out into a broad field; now contracting into 

 a narrow track between hedges; anon roaming with 

 delightful abandon through swamps and woods, ask- 

 ing no leave and keeping no bounds. About two 

 o'clock we stopped in an opening in a pine wood 

 and ate our lunch. We had the good fortune to 

 hit upon a charming place. A wood-chopper had 

 been there, and let in the sunlight full and strong; 

 and the white chips, the newly-piled wood, and the 

 mounds of green boughs, were welcome features, 

 and helped also to keep off the wind that would 

 creep through under the pines. The ground was 

 soft and dry, with a carpet an inch thick of pine- 

 needles, and with a fire, less for warmth than to 

 make the picture complete, we ate our bread and 

 beans with the keenest satisfaction, and with a rel- 

 ish that only the open air can give. 



A fire, of course, — an encampment in the woods 



