Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-10-23
OLD BACHELOR JOHN.
BY SAUL POTTS.

AIN oiten tnat speak ont, Tor there amt but
70 hear me lettn on about myself and nv affairs:
L never was a talker, and I'm most too old bird
10 be Iarnln' of new tricks, but take we at your
word,
That ye'd really like to hear tell the story of
And why Shgy I'm gettin' old and grzzled m never
Wal-there amt much story to it, and don't pre-
tend to be
No more " hero than what you'd "a bin, if you'd
bin me.
Folks that's married sometimes has way of look
In with contempt
On them that's single, though perhaps they never
so much as dreamt
That there might be good for their livin' as
seems to me hash judgment-and kind " on
2 feelin' too. ga
hey sometimes call me Grabbed and ''dred up,
1t kind v CRATES upon me, like creakin', rusty
latch
For it makes me think of younger, happier days
that have seen;
N if things hadn't bin just as they was, what l,
too might a bin.
It's nigh on five and thirty year since first came
out West:
thought I'd strike out for myself, it seemed to me
the best;
My young heart was chock-full O. hope. and there
was one for whom
l could have cut my pathway through the thickest
backwoods' gloom.
Our family was large t home and the old folks
hands was full;
So me m my youngest brother thought we'd give
their boat pull
mean by that, we felt that if we lightened up
their load,
Life wouldn't seem to them, perhaps, such dread
full uphill road.
never had much schoolin', as you'll know to hear
me talk;
I've kinder picked up what know-perhaps know
cheese from chalk
Book arnLn' amt my strong pint, but of pioneer
in WAYS
I've seen much as most olks has that's goin'
nowadays.
The first time 1 come West come through York
State by canal
The railroad WASH trunin' yet and tallygraphs was
Wal,
F you'd told folks that in thirty years news'd be
sent on wires
Clean round the airth. they'd called We one O. the
biggest kind o. liars
s said, we pioneered along-a good deal o. the
The country was settlin' up, even at that early
day
We stopped first in Ohio, then we looked at Michi-
gam
But we thought that gon further West would be a
better plan.
So we entered land at Comment price, in South
My brothers was admin minc-hes dead, n his
oldest boy
Is married. carries on the farm n lives I'D on the
And Il carry mine on too-but m unmarried
s said before, left behind me when come out
West,
enc whom / loved, God knows how much, and she,
too, loved me best.
n hGrl al-flh
wife
N year or two, or soon's fairly got a start in
life.
1 used to hear from Hetty pretty often. She could
write
A first-rate kind o. letter, better'n mine mighty
sight
Mine was always blotched and bungled but for all
that, Hetty knew
Every word inside come from my heart and that to
her was true.
It took month or so for letters to reach us in
them days,
dre'dful ways;
But it's Time makes distance seem so long, even in
these days of steam;
And to them that's separated wide, it s abouts it
Wal, I'd got some forty acres cleared built
og-house too,
And got things fixed as comf'table s could where
all was new
N cac'lated the next spring to 60 back TO Var
mont.
And marry Hetty, n bring her home our minds
was made up ont.
That winter was pretty hard one all the country
Sch one, for heavy SHOWS and thaws,t think
never knew
Our mails was all behind hand, for the Dads was
And single line from Hetty was tb' only word
had.
1t was written weeks before, and in shaky kind
O. hand,
AS if she'd had very heavy fit o. sickness, and
All it said was, John, dear, I'm not well. Could
you come homer
When read 1t was s if clap O. thunder struck
me dumb.
Gould come ?'' I'd like to see the airhy power
could hold me back.
1t did MT take me very long my clothes and traps
to pack.
travelled night and day, as fast as stagin' would
allow,
And ten days was quicker trip than two or three
is now.
And at the end Of ten long days I reached my
native town,
One bright spring afternoon, just Gs the sun was
going down;
hurried past folks that knew, and them that
knew me well.
When all to once't heerd the toll OF the solemn
''passin' bell"
N l knew that somebody was dead-what? No!
it could not be
My Hetty! that was just her age, the bell struck
twenty three;
hurried faster almost run, till reached the old
brown gate
N then knew, without bein' told, that I'd come
home too latel
N then there come blackness, and l can't re-
member more.
But they say for days and weeks lay just hovern
at deaths door.
TIL, finally by Gods help and by nursin' of the
got up on my feet again, and started back out
West.
And now We we heered my story, n why never
had no wife,
Do ye wonder any longer that live this kind O.
lifes
Do We wonder that my love went out like candle
When Hetty dieds N lvin' so d We say ye think
I've sinned?
Perhaps 7 may be so-wal-may God forgive me if
/ have,
But my heart for thirty years has laid with Hetty
in grave;
And carry on my farm alone, and I'm Waitin' for
When the good Lord will call me, n II be ready
to obey.
Christian Union.
AN uncouth child of nature writes fee
.ingly anent popular topic: II could
STAN bein' called a liar an thief" says
he, cor even be tole that the ole man KEEP
a hoop-skirt factory, but when one of