Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-09-10

NILE.
l have the honor TO be the daughter OF
farmer, born aud brought up on one OF the
toughest rockiest farms OF this rough and
rocky Vermont, miles away from the village
church, the postofice and the railroad depot
| think have right to know something
about the very country farm-life indeed.
In the presence Of an assembly Of intelli-
gent dairymen need not protest that con-
slider this no misfortune
The Vermont dairymens sous and daugh-
ters are born to a wealth Of beauty, romance
and freedom, which other children, that the
world reckons fortunate, may dream OF iu
vain. Light, air aud bealthiul food are not
more necessary to a perfect childhood than
contact with natnrs.; . whole shys n strip Of
forest land, real brook. My iSther's farm
was rocky, the lodges were piled 10 ranges,
one after another through the pastures.
There were places in the woods where great
boulders, square, jagged, broken into all
sorts Of fantastic shapes, were thrown to-
gether in fearful picturesqueness by the uDerr-
ing hand Of nature. Artists try to repre-
sent these things in oils, sometimes l have
seen Bierstadt's Rocky MouD,sins. could
not help wishing that the admiring crowds
who gathered around that painting in the
New York academy, might see our old ledge
in the forest back OF the hill lot.
These lodges were the grand chateaux. the
fortresses, the strougholds of my childhood.
Honey suckles grew upon them, gray masses
Of curious structure, and climbing vines.
Here we lived during the long summer days,
we children, with our dolls aud cats, and
dreamed Of castled splendor and iancied our
selves the stately ladies we had read about
in picture books. Sometimes we made grand
exploring tours into neighboring countries,
spent hours, perhaps tracing brook to its
source--attempting to do so OF course, we
never reached the mysterious starting point,
but we learned good deal about our brook.
What marvellous human thing it seemed
babbling and gdssiping, an1putti1g on airs in
the open country, where everybody might be
looking, but growing still and reverent as it
entered the solemn woods aud, as it grew
deeper and queter, soft MOSES and twink.
ling vioets and graceful ferns gathered on
its banks, and once, when it seemed to have
wholly forgotten itself, the tree branches
parted, and tho blue sky with golden star
came down aud rested in its bosom. Not
that we ever succumbed to the brook, mar
vellous and incomprehensible as it seemed in
our eyes. We promised TO discover its source
at some future time. For the present we
waded into its crystal depths and took pos
session Of it after the manner of the old
Spanish explorers. We named all its water
falls, inlets and little branches. We put
down our discoveries in book made of
folded foolscap, and thought it would be sub
ject TO US and our heirs forever. Sometimes
we took lunch on these excursions. had
dinner in style Calypso might have envied.
We carried home our baskets fuller than we
brought them away, of beautiful things
ferns, mosses. curious stones, bark, pine cones
and acorn cups, aud more things than have
time to mention. Our sun bouuets and
aprons were brought into requsition, and at
home we trimmed the whole house and
planted the garden, and were sad when, after
all, so many had to be thrown away.
The proiusion Of nature is astonishing to
our economical souls. Sometimes. however,
our views differ with regard to the wisdom
Of all her expenditures Then brakes -
exclaimed an old farmer, leaning over the
pasture bars and gazing into our Eden, IL
wonder what the good Lord made EN- for"
Them brakes" indeed He meant our
beautiful ferns that grew so pleutiful'y we
could spread our couches, our palace floors
with fresh ones every morning. We had so
many uses Tor them. They were beauty
and joy to us forever We knew that in
creating them the good Lord had made no
mistake. Besides the variety OF every day,
there was the variety which the seasons
brought US.
Before We had grown tired of summer the
autumn was ushered in with pomp and
glory that no other part Of the world can
boast. The apple trees become favorite places
Of resort now. We have favorite seats
among the boughs, we take our books to
them and feast the intellectual and physical
man at the same time.
Oh the delights of those harvest days,
Nature wears her festive robes--the air
grows bracipg, tho corn is gathered in slen.
der pyramids, and tho yellow pumpkins lie
about the field
Do you know what glorious hiding places
there are among the corn stacks The mem
ory of rollicKing game Of hide and seek
there makes croquet on the lawn tame and
spiritless. The charm is not lost when the
well filed stocks are piled away in the barn.
Can | speak Of the poetry of farm-liie aud
forget to mention the barn2 The great
roomy castle filled, even in autumn, with
the perfume Of new mown hay. The veri-
table article for the fragrant piles are in
sight. The yellow straw peeps through the
cracks of the high loft overhead. fonder
is the tall, straight ladder which leads up to
it, and to the nice jumping places as we'll,
aud the new hens nests. 1t shakes a little
when you take hold of it, and your head
swims and your heart beats, although you
know il is fastened securely, every time you
try to mount il. But you do mount it new
ertheless, looking straight up and praying
for courage. 1t is Just so trying to take
steps up in the world. The ladder is strong
and stands firm enough. The places beckon,
but if your head is weak you grow giddy-li
you forget to look up you fall.
There are many apt lessons, and parallels,
and allegories, hid away in this grald store
house. 10 him who listens they are revealed
wonder that the man who spends much
time here is ever at loss for helpful hint
for the prayer-meeting. DO We forget e
consider the lilies, or the grass Of the field
which our heavenly Father has clothed with
so much thOught3
This barn has Its moods and lenses. You
should como to it early in the summer when
the echoes haunt it, or later when the cattle
will bo at home here cows with their weeI
faces and solemn eyes looking up from their
low stalls; horses neighing impatiently fol
attention colts calves, geese, turkeys, ducks
aud hens, motley crew, noisy and lively ia
the great sheltered yard, world by itsel
where each one lives his own separate ami
NAL life, with his own ends in view, as un
mindful Of us, our favors and our dictatioI
as we perhaps Of our ministeriug, guidinI
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