The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1867-02-05
GOING AWAY At EIGnGE
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never looked quite 80 plea...si 1s II
does tonight. IN TINS stall hafvF moon,
light
J know its dreadful old hodSe,
brown asra how, and weather beaten
not much to boast Of ia It's best days
and now Il shrinks. and quNcrs, aud
cant hold It's own against gale, Cd It's
roof leaks with every cupful oia shower,
but i mg dear old home for all that
aud now that this IS the last night, and
I'm going away to the great, vast, noisy,
/ city tomorrow, strange sadness comes
over nae, standing there by the little
brown gate, and looking at the old
place, and wondering what viii happen
before ! stand here again.
There are the two great cherry trees
4 I've clambered every Summer that
ran rememben and tossed down the
fruit until it lay like a thick red hail on
tho grass; and there IS the line Of cur
rant bushes that hide the old worn-eat-
en-, shaky fence, and there IS the ounce
trcee IN the corner that s},eetens the
air all about ii; and Just beyond the well
curb stands The old gnurled appleTee,
with the birds nests rocking up in the
/ boughs- little robins, will you sing on
Just as sweetly up there when I'm gone
never expected TO feel like this. 1t Is
hard to realize now that my life here
! has ended that ] shall never drive the
cows up in the hill pastures again when
tho grass Is sanded all over with shining
dews-- that / shall never NOW down the
sweet clover, nor go shouting. among the
blackberry patches, nor heap up the
rpe ears in the great cernheld over
wonder, and somehow il makes me sad
1 to feel that everything viii go on just
as ii always has done and nothing viii
mind when I'm gone away
Come now, as though ! was going to
make fool Of myself because at last
I'm going to the city the city after
which my thoughts and dreams have
painted for years the goal Of all my
hopes and longings, which has seemed
50 far of, which I've reached at length.
You're going to make your fortune,
Tom Reynolds just think Of that
No more choping wood, and toilling
1T the plow; no more long days cutting
grass in the meadows, and coming back
/ tired out with the hard work at night,
to drive the cows home; you're going to
make man Of yourself, TO take your
chances in the thickest Of the fight out
Wonder in the great city, and it shall so
| hard with you ii you don't make your
pile, and pluck your prize with the best
of them.
For ! mean to make money-to be a
t1ich man, III he fsithf1l .lnakakNo,i .,
shrude and make N waSdp . 4
Of the ladder -
And some day ! shall come back here
to the Old home, and people will stare,
and say "That is Tom Reynolds, who
| used to 90 barefoot TO the cow-pastures,
and drive the ox-cart down to the mill
The old house shall come down then,
and in its place shall stand a handsome
mansion for mother and little Amy
| Amy will have grown woman by that
time, and ] shall make lady of her,
bless the dear little chubby sis how
pleasant it Will be to see those rosy
cheeks Of hers shining behind the
blinds Of the stately new home, and how
proud the ttle laughing puss will be Of
/ brother Tom when he hands her into
his fine carriage, and dashes down the
village street with her by his side
And the poor old mother ah that's
the best Of ALL she who has toiled so
hard to keep Amy and me under the
old roof since father died she shall
have the rest she's needed so long then
She shall sit by the window of the
new house in the pleasant summer
afternoons in her black silk dress, and
her pretty white cap, and The hands
that have worked so hard lying idle in
her lap then, and her eyes, full Of pride
and tenderness, shall follow her boy
aroand the house-her boy that is a
rich nam now, and that has never for
gotten what she taught him, to be hon
est, and true, in the midst Of temptation.
And then, too, somebody will be
grown lady-little Lucy Ames the
Doctors daughter, with her hair that
has the gold Of the Spring dandelions,
and her eyes the blue Of the cool spring
away up among rocks off there little
Lucy with your sweet, shy face, and
your kindly words, aud smile always
ready for me tho / was your fathers
chore boy ! shan't forget it then
Ard what viii sou Say when / come
back a rich man, with houses and lands,
and an honorable nameY
I You VIII be lady then, little Lucy,
but will your blue ewes smile ON me just
as sweetly viii you come dancing out
of the door with the ligh; IN your gold
IN hair. and the old bright welcome IN
your face?
What if-what if ah, Lucy. the
question will do to wait, for / have on
Ii seen nay eighteenth birthday But
SHAH carry the thought hidden away
down in my heart TO the great city to-
morrow.
All. the old, swift hopes and longings
the strong. fiery ambitions come back,
and stir tie blood Of ms youth again.
t4..r -. tt.s tt,,.s.r,tts 80 s...stsa "a that