Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1860-11-29

but Idle people o nevr ready TO acknowl-
edge that any one else is industrious"
you tuln the mill, know, but that's
quite as mnch fun ms woYk; what moro
yon do can't tell"
"Yes. Iturn the mill, and that gives
you your bread and butter. As to the rest
listen In the first place, | run for
more than u mile in the valleys Of Hicko-
ry Hills"
why. do you come from away orrthcrc?'
'!Ies. Ny course in all is six or seven
miles; and though Lacll in the hills | am
narrow and small, | water the oots Of hum
drcds Of trees, and give drink to hockS of
birds and animals that would perish with
ont me. All those green elms ale ng those
valleys send down their long roots to mo
to get nourishmcnt, and ! have neve failed
them since they were saplinys, which is at
least hunlrcl years ago.
IN hundred years. Are you SO old?"
interrupted the boy.
"Yes, and twice that, and do not know
how much older, ond have been making
my life useful eve since | was little rill.
Bat 10 nDt interrupt me SO often; shall
have 70 leave you soon After l leave
the hills | flow into Farmer COTS mead
ow, and there ain useful to men and cat
tie all lag long. The cows stand in my
channel iof hours in the shade while | see
their g cat quiet brown eyes looking down
at me. Once a year avn obliged to wash
the sheep, which is not so pleasant q task;
for they clle very little for me. supply
the farmers table with front, and every
week do all his wi'c'S washing. Mean
whiIc, ,you know, / keep the meadow green,
and in the ,prin. | ami able to spread out
into JIoal, ierti!izing sheet, really inn
posing and beautiful. In old times the
chilIen and used to have great sport in
/ that meadow, bat that has passed long
/ ,ince there have been no children there
for forty years. Forthough | Lam always
at work, | enjoy every moment ofmy life.
/ When am not singing, Of when do re-
/ iusr to smile on the chidren?'
''But hasten from the meadow to do
my duty at the Crossroads. There | az
ford Icirc,hment to travellers ard their
weary horses at all times Of day and night.
We streams do not hush ourselves into
useless sleep eight hours out ofevery day,
as you mortals do; night orday is equally
time for our work. After crossing tie
fo:i. ! answer similar purposes 20 the
NEXT five o. six farmers; and without me,
won Ter what would become OF them?-
Then | wind round Meeting house Hill,
and by the school whetherl do any
good there no one knows any better than
yourself. Let me assure you, my young
friend, though YOU think me only gay
prattler, l am Of that degree 0! Importance
that should | have stald at case up in my
, forntain in Hickory Hills, (Which world
be by far the plrasante,t place to stay,
this whole village would never have ex-
iste,l here"
"Inleci,' said the boy, who by this
time la, become convinced that the brook
was worthy Of great respect, anl had
cea,cA to interrupt it.
Next enter the village and cross 1t
in three different places. First at the Old
. Fridge, where many traveller has been
E cheere.l by my voice, and many school
= boy taken an accidental bath - at the
. country ROAD, AMI at DiDble's Bridge
where you love 20 go fishing when you
play t;uant. All, could make many q
boy vince, If | chose to tell tales. At
. length ! enter your grandathcr's farm,
. where Noisy Brook joins me to help me
G in my great work-the timing OF the
y mill. l have first to FL my pond, and
that is a wo k of time, ! could tell You
0 stories about the pond all day, if | had
= time. | remember when your grandiath-
/ cr and his father before him used to skate
D on my frozen surface, winter nights, with
. half tho boys and men in the viilage- for
, while they counted lne frozen to death 4,
, far beneath / Na> wide awake and stir
t ing, and through the clear ice could plain
Z y see the cleaning oI their fire. and hear
t. their shont, and mcrlimcnt. The girls
, u,ci to slide round after the boys, hold
! ing fat to their coats, thoHGh they knew
; they were SuIe to le overthlovn In the
| miIle of the ponl. Oi all merry scenes
d thi, wa, the merrie>t. Nowadays the
, boys have no such tun."
There, too. enc dark autumn night,
when the wind aud rain soUbcd dolclully
f in the trees, yonr old great at-gIandmother
= came wandering along the bank, her gray
/. hair streaming in the wind, crying AMI
c complaining ol her unsl atciul children.
n y heavy plunge soon told what desper-
= ate, crazy deed the poor woman bad done;
c closed my waters deccntly over her, and
y FASTENED away, troubled and frightened
y Il never heard of thatl'
e ''No; suppose it is not spoken of. 1t
is not the only secret hod, y hundred
n years | have turnd this mill" continued
/. the stream, reSuming its cheerful tone;
,e fed thee generations of men and women
|. and | love its oil ied walls. Oncc well
passed the mill, have little leisure tc
enjoy myself here, and to Join the child
rem Mt their sport. Rare times they have
had here. remember when there were
t two great sweeping elrls, and red mer
~ hull, their wigwams and held corncils oil
=, this very spot, and naked Indian children
Y, swan and iroliclled about these banks.-
k. Everything changes around me, grow
ID old and passes away"
"But you do not grow old and die
Q; isn't this Strange?"
IN mo, not strange; there is my fountai
5 away back in he hills; that is livin
be fountain, fed by an everything God
OF wIroso will gladly do. But | have ling
ere too long: the tile is waiting for me-
~ Try and profit by me--you are idle, Q
Z laa.,.