Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-12-29


The wind without was wailing, with wild and
woeful sound, t
And the feecy folds of the drifting snow lay
deep upon the ground,
But what cared Farmer Ketcham, for the tu-
mutt out-of-doors
For he had foddered the cattle, and done the
other chores;
And snug IN the chimney corner, in his easy
chair, he sat,
Silently smoking his old clay pipe and pooring
the purring cat,
While, plying her knitting needles, his wife
rocked to and fro,
Humming a hymn and dreaming dream Of
the long ago, .sest
Over the od-time fireplace, a rusty musket
hung
And aecore of strings Of apples from the smoky
ceiling swung;
White back IN dingy corner the tall clock
licked away,
And looked like the sagging farm house, fast
falling 10 decay.
The knitting fell from the woman hands, the
old ;lan turned about,
He took his pipe from his mouth, and slowly
knocked the ashes out.
And. after thinking moment. he said, with a
solemn sir.
cts Christmas Foe, but the stockin's don't
hang by the chImbley here.
The woman sighed, and then replied, in 8 a
and falterIng tone:
1.-THE years HAYES come. an the years have
gone. an we are ag'in alone.
An have jest been thinkin' of Christmas
long ago
When the winders were frosted over, an the
giot,ld Wss white with snow:
When we set in the chimbley corner by the
frelight's cheerful CLEAN;
When cur lives we're full o promise, an the
futurebut dream;
When ali o the rest of our folks had gone
sway TO bed,
An ne sot an looked an I listened to the
whispered words you said,
Til home from Bensen's store, came rolickin'
brother John.
An peekin' thro' the vinder. saw.what was
goin on.
Then how the neigbors tattered an talked al
over town,
Till you and we're married. an quietly settled
down.
lille rumagin' through the cobwebs in
the garrett, 'tother day,
! found pile of broken tc vs., in orner
slowed away,
An 8 lot O Ieetle worn out boots a lyin' in 8
heap.
As they used to lay on the kitchen floor when
the boys had gone to sleep.
looked at the worn-out trundle-bed, an the
cradle long laid by,
An leanin ag IN the chimbley there, couldn't
e.
For the faces o my children came back to me
An almost heerd the patter o. their feet up
on the floor
thought o their happy voices. an the leetle
prayers they said,
AS they used to gather round me- when twas
time to go to bed.
t'Of ali the earthly treasures we prize in the
world below,
The ones we love the fonf.est are the first to
fade an go.
Of all the beautiful children that come 10 orr
hreside,
The one We loved most dearly was our leetle
girl shat died.
Her eyes were blue an soft as the hue O.
the. cloudlesssummer air.
An bright az CLEAN O golden light were her
curls o shlnin' hair.
Her thoughtful face was white as the flakes o.
the newsxfallen snow;
Too much of aAeetle saint she was to live in
the world below.
How calm In her little coffin she looked in her
last repose
As sweet as the fairest lily, as pure as tuber-
rose.
An I can well remember the sadness o. the
day.
When my. heart was well-nigh broken as they
carried her away.
q
han some boy;
He was his fathers brightest hope, an his
mothers pride an JOY.
/ used to play with his chubby hands, an kiss
his leetie feet
An wonder if ever babe vas born more
beautiful and sweet.
An many night, by candle-light, when ne
was snug in bed
I've patched his leotIe clothes with weary hands
an an aching head.
We sent him away to college-he did uncom-
monty WELL
Til he went to live in tbs city, an married
city belle,
Ofall our earthly trials. Of all our earthly
The cold neglect of thankIess child is the
hardest Of all to bear,
His wife is woman with only high notions in
ker head
She couldn't knit stockin' nor bake loaf o.
bread.
She plays on the pianner nor works with her
lily hands, af5e3
An she talks in foreign lingo that no one
understands.
The youngest Of our Twin boys never could
he didn't take to larnin'. no more'n fish to
land.
he was wayward an hard to govern, not alto
gether bad;
hc WEE ctIOuB Oh pIUuu Ill bot III IDS ways,
but not a vicious lad.
An somehow, we couldn't keep him quite I'M
der our control;
But know he had tender heart, an good
an noble soul;
An q mothers prayers will go with him, where
ever he may be-
God keep hin safe, an bring him home, in his
good time, to me.
miss our children's voices, for all have gone
away;
One has gone to the better land, an the rest
have gone astray.
wonGer if up in heaven. where all is bright
an fair,
II we viii meet our children an they win love
us there"
There was rap at the outside door, the old
folks gave start;
The woman sprang from her rocking-c chair,
with hutter at her heart
The door swung widely open, and banged
against the wall,
And into the farmhouse kitchen strobe
stranger dark and tall
The woman looked at his beays3ad faea q mo-