Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-01-16
The Old Garret.

Sarcastic people say that poets dwell IN gar
rets, and simple people believe it, And others
neither sarcastic nor simple, send them up aloft
among the rubbish, just because they do not
know what to do with down stairs and ''among
folks" and so they class them under the head
of rubbish, and consgn them to that grand ra-
ceptacle of lapidated .'has- -beens," and FUSED
to- bees'-she old garrett
The garret Is to tine other apartments of the
homestead what the adve7b is TO the pedagogu
In parsing; everything trey do Dot know how
TO disI0se Of Is consigned 70 the lis OF adverbs
And IL Is iVr this precise reason that We love the
old garrett; because they d. contain the relics
OF the old and the past-souveuirs OF other and
happier and simpler times
They have come 20 build houses now-a-days
without garrets Impious innovation
You man OF bronze, aud "oeaTdei like the
pard. who would make people believe ii you
could, that you never were " ;otdlng wee
thing that you never wore "rlhe dress, or
Jingled a Iattie-box with Infinite deligh; thai
yo4 never had a mother, and that she never
bee lme an old woman, aud wore caps and spec
tacles, and may be took snuff; go homa once
more, ait all these years OF absence, all booted
anu whiskere1 and SIX feet high you are,
and let go up the stairs together, INTO that
old fashioned, spacious garret, tGai extends from
gable 10 gable, with It's narrow, oval windows
with spldor-Web OF sash, through which
steals - DIM religious light upon d museum
Of things unnA nabie IA = once hguTed below
stairs but were long since ero"ded ont by the
Nandal hand of these modern times.
Tie loose boa ds of the Dor rattle some What
they used 10 do-dop they when beneath
your little p4ttering feet they clattercd aiore-
time, when OF rainy afternoon, = mother, =
wearlei with many tongued importantly
granted the Let Inc 20 Up garres and play.
And play? Precious little of play nave you
hao slnce, We dare warrant, with your looks OF
dignity and dreams Of a nbition.
Here how in the midst OF the garret
The old barrel-shail we rummage it. Old
hles of newspapers, dusty, yellow, u little tat
tered lis the Columbian Star. How tamil-
lar the type looks How II reminds you OF old
times, when you looked over the counter with
the "letteTs papers for father And these
same Star,, just damp from the press, were car
RED one by to the fleslde. and perused and
preserved they ought TO be- Stars Damp !!
An many a star has se. slace, aud many
new turied heap grown damp with RAIN tnat
elI not from the clouds.
Dive deeper into the barrel. There A bun
dle-up it comes in "a cloud eli dust. Old al
manacs by all that Is memorable Aimanace,
thin-eayed ledgers OF tune, going back to-iet
Al tar , lS4-. lo5-- lo2,-before our
time-leO-wben our mo hers were children =
And the day-book-how blotted and bleared
with many re cords and many tears
There, you have hit your head against that
beam. / Inc when you r4n 10 and no bc-
Meath 1t, but you nearer 10 IL now, bs more
tnan the ALTITUDE vi u chOpIne' That beam
is strewn with forgotten papers of seeds toT next
years sowing. a 0isiah, with some !ew shre1e
OF fax remaining, l. thrust IN u crevice OF tac
rafters overhead anu tucked away, close und5r
the caves, is :. the iit,ie Wheel that usel TO
stand by the fire in times long gone. It's sweet,
low song has ceased; ana perha ps-p perhaps she
drew taUss. tiaxen threads-buJ never mind
you remember the lIae. don'e you
Her wheel at rest the matron charms 10 more -
Well. let that pass Do you see that little
craft csreened in that dark corner? L. was req
once 1t tue only casket iu the house once,
and contained mothers Jewels he old led
cradle, for all the world And you occupied
1t nee ay, great as sou are, 1t WAS jour world
once, and over 1t, the only horlz)u you beheid,
bent the heaven of mother eyes. as you
rocked in that lItsle bark OF love on the hlther
shore OF time-iasl by a mothers love to "a
mothers heart.
And there, attached two rafters, the
fragments OF untwIs,ed rope. Do you re-
member it and what il Tor, and who ias
tened 1t there? Twas the chIl3rens swing
You here, indeed, bat where are Nelly auo
Charley There hangs his little cap by that
wiuduw, and there the Ittie red rvck ste used
to wear crown Is resting on bis cherub
brow, and her robes are spotless in the better
land.