Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-11-23
Frsm the New York Rural
THE FARMER OF BROADLAND.


WELL JACK, I'm glad you come home at las
To see me once AGAIN
How thick we were when boys, you know;
We've lived apart as men.
on stood by me in many scrape,
When had broke the rule;
Good times we had down in the woods
With cronies of our school.
1 know it is as you say, JACK;
With me the worlds gone well;
For fifty thousand. yes, and more.
This place to-day would sell;
Ny boYS-IV'e give 'em each farm;
The girls got married you see,
And two have moved to Iowa,
And one TO Tennessee.
You know 1 said I'd never stay
Among the rocks and dig,
blt go out w rest and get farm
Inc I ankeeS woul call big
0nt you " ere thinking Of your books,
FOR learnin' was your trade;
And each one thought foolish choice
The other one had made;
Well, HAMMER said she'd go with me-
Her folks at last gave in;
But when she spoke the long good d-b,y''
1t almost seemed sin
T0 take her OF, SO young and ucrt
FROM 1rlenus-All in u dav,
For going West was not mere sport,
And We went OF to stay.
We never thought of railroads then
Our stun made quite pile;
And by the wagons, loaded full,
walked fer many u mile.
AZ length we came to Illinois,
And on the prairie broad,
Ibuild our cabin, low and small,
-Of pine boards, roughly sawed.
The grass was high, JACK, Just believe,
AS high rs HANSKR's head,
And in the night the wolves would come
smellin' round the shed.
The deer run by. just lots and scores;
I'd shoot EN- from the door;
And sometimes we would find q snake
crawlin' cross the floor.
broke the prairie. and it took
Ten oxen for a team.
hauled our wood full fifteen miles,
And fOried all the streams;
And settlers came and entered land,
And life seemed bright and gay,
WhCn there was built a neighb0r's house
Only three miles away.
We worked-how hard you folks can't know,
Unless you've tried it to,
And started out and made farm
Where all was wild and new.
The ager shook as, OF and on,
All the first year or two;
We saw tough times, HAMMER and 1,
But somehow we pulled through.
We wrote back East once in q while,
But postage it was high;
Our quarters, too we're lightly scarce,
No stage Wc.t lumberin by.
We never asked 'em for a cent,
For we had too much grit,
And never thought of givin' up,
or even once said quit.
The seasons changed. and wheat and corn
Were plenty in the pen.
And brighter hopes beat doctors stun
In curin' Ager then.
The years passed on. the house was full
OF children, large and small.
And hired men made lots Of work,
But HAMMER did it all.
AS crops turned well on that fresh soil,
1 And wheat and hogs were high,
i kept buyin' some more land
That was right handy by.
And when the cars came whiStlin' through,
My! how the land did risel
And how them towns sprung up So quick,
just opened fOlks'es eyes.
And then built bigger house,
For it was all the rage;
We must keep joggin' on, you know,
In this faSt-stirrin' age.
And when it was ali done just right.
And everything set straight,
And l told HAMMER she'd live nice,
She said twas now too late.
Yes, JACK. I'm glad you like my place,
And think that I've done well;
And yet there's more hardly know
laxa
I'dIive on forty acres now,
To have HEB back again;
My boys are rich; OH me I've learned
That money don't make men,
My mothers words l can't forget,
Somehow right in they creep,
And something that the true Book says
Bout what you SOW you'll reap,
Eve found that gold is mighty good,
And land is better stilI:
But yet for all the wants oflife
They don't fill out the bill.