The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-05-19
THE HOPPER GRASS.
He COmeth From whence and How
A Rocky Mountain Pastoral

lie COlnelu nuncrou>INi
He bringcih his family
Also his relatives;
And his friends.
Likewise his mother-in-aw;
And her friends;
As well rs all who hate her.
And they are legions;
The wisdom of man computeth then
not;
They spread over the land,
And there is no place where they are
not;
They nip the sprlnging grass;
They devour the fragrant onion sprcutt
And the savory celery.
The wheat field is left desolate,
And no green thing remaineth where
the hopper hath been.
His pathway is the abomination OF
deSolatIon.
The ranchman mourneth for his green
fields that were, but are not;
Mayhap he sweareth;
= Possibly he saith audibly, and crieth
aluud-damcth.
What careth tho hopper-graSs?
II troubleth him not.
Ask the prophets of Kansas;
And the wise men of Nebraska;
And they will answer likewise;
But the relicfcommittcc agent lifeth up
his voice and callcth the hopper Blessed
The patriotic grasshoppcr cometh from
the mythical western land, where the
glorious orb Of day sinks in roseate SPLEEN
dor to his evening couch;
The REIN of Brigham;
The land of Mormonsi
Whence cumeth many bad things
and some that are good.
TIE hopper Is one Of them;
Several of them;
But he is not good.
He cOmeth in the latter summer days;
La sun-d,rrkenIng myriads;
As winds come when forests are
rcndcd.
As the waves come when navies are
stranded.
Like unto q Democratic victory.
He a,ieth on the potato-vine;
And on the fragrant tomato.tree;
And the succulent roasting ear, whilst
il is vet in the milk and toothSome;
And upon all other fruits of the field
that comcth late into the market;
And they all disappear and are seen
| after that evil day no more for ever.
And the lady grasshopper malioth
straigthway her nest clown IL the corn
| field;
And in the wheat stubble;
And upoD the hill side;
And all over the sandy plain;
And everywhere else under the sun,
And shQ tilleth the nest with eggs;
And then she continueth to make nests
and ill them likewise with eggs
every dav, until the winter days cometh
and the ground frcczeth hard, when no
grasshopper can make nests.
And the eggs, are they not ranch eggs?
With double yoIks
And warranted to hatch?
Yea. verify, and the warranty is good.
And the lady grasshopper'S mate,
what of him?
Verify, say unto you, he stitch mp
on the sweet potato vine and slngeth all
the gladstone summerdayi
He climbcth up the cornstSlk and lop-
prth of its vcrdant branches;
He takcth no heed for the morrow
Nor Of the groans and curses OF the
! iratc ranchmun.
And in the hottest autumn days he
/ leadcth thefshcrman beside the bahbling
waters.
And up the steep mountain side;
And over prickly pears;
And through soap-wecds;
And among thorny bushes;
And when at last the fisherman fall,
upon his knees and puts his hand upon
Mr.. Hoppr, where is he?
Alas, he is not there;
But he soareth aloft;
And cracketh his heels together;
And laugheth out of his left optic at
the fisherman, who is seated on the
hillside,
Digging cactus thorns from his hands
and knees,
And framing cuSs words,
Alas, he will never kneelany more.
And when in the iullness of time the
wintry days have Gomez
And stilled his voice in DEATH
With Frosts icy mantle about him, he
gocth hence to his fathers,
Content with the fitting close TO awell
spent life,
And happy in the reflection that he
will live again in his children,
When gentle spring shall come again,
And again,
And again, forever,
In the returning cycle Of returning
years.
It's spring;
Winter hath losened its icy letters;
Robin Redbreasts carol in the cotton
wood;
The becchcrtilton trial is well on;
jenkins busyeth himself writing par
dons. -,
And genial sunshine again bothcs the
earth.
Are those eggs spoiled!
Not by Il jug-full.
In the earliest warm sunny days
Forth comes IL few millions OF the
juvenile hoppers;
Tiny, mitey, midget;
. The pickcts, the scouts, the avauni
c"urlcrs Of countless hosts that soon Will
follow;
le "honest ranchman" laugheth In
ms sleeve and sayeth:
The hoPpers are Matching, spring
frost and snow will fix then"
Alas, the tallacy Of mans faith;
The little hopper relies on Provi
dcnce;