The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1876-03-03
N AND DEMOCRAT BTOOMsBURG COLUMBIA COUNTY,. PA
THAT OLD ELM TREE.

Mundi, G4S0 according to the Julian Period.
The Julian Period is supposed to be the
time at which celebrated female rules, bet
ter known as Pope Joan of Arc put period
to her existence but just when that was, is
not well settled amongst the Chronologers
in their Chronologics
However, at whatever period that period
may have been, Philadelphia when discover
ed, was already populated The population
consisted of an Indian girl by the name of
Pocahontas. and an old quaker gentleman
by the name of Pennsylvania. They lived
in hollow elm tree right at the place
where that tree was then growing, and for
any thing know they are living there hap
PLY to this very day.
Perhaps it is not generally known that
Philadelphia grew up between two rivers,
one on the East of it, and one on the West
oft; and old Mr.. Pennsylvania and Mrs.
Pocahontas sat in the door of their tent and
saw the sun go down in the wilderness be-
fore the western river, which with sweetly
haltingsspeech she called the Skulekecl, and
listened to the growls of the bears and the
roars of the storm beyond the waters and
thanking the Good Spirit that nothing hurt
full could get to them, they crept into the
hollow Elm, and laid them down in peace.
And the sun still goes down beyond the
Skulekeel, and the bears still growl on the
other side of the river, and the storm still
howls in the darkening forests, and the lit
tie people of Philadelphia still creep for
safety, into the shadow of the old Elm and
close their eyes in sleep in the protection of
its hollow trunk.
No genuine descendant of old Mr.. Penn
sylvania and Mrs. Pocahontas has ever been
known to cross over the terrible river-to
them all beyond the Skulekeei is still Il
bowling wilderness filled with bears and
catamounts and storms. Darkness is the hab-
itation of the mountains, and danger and
death walk hand in hand in the painless for
est.
One poor little fellow lately went over the
river and nothing has ever been heard of
him since-nu doubt an evil beast hath
devoured him, the storm and the darkness
have overtaken him, and thejpleasant places
that knew him, will know him no more
forever.
The horror is heightened by the mystery,
and now men in uniform parade day and
night along that terrible river that comes
out of the darkness and the mountains and
the forest, and no foolhardy adventurer is
allowed to do more than gaze across the
and the disappearing sun Then at the
ringing of bell, all the population gather
under the lengthening shadow of the old
Elm, and being counted by the schoolmas-
ter, lie down about the tree with their heads
to the trunk, and sleep the sleep of the
unsophisticated.
Happy People if the watchful sentines
could only keep out the barbarians beyond
the river, as well as keep in those already
there!
But alas alas occasionally stray son
of the mountain and the flood eludes the
vigilance of the watchman, and in the set
ting sun comes to the Elm tree to be count
ed. One such, known among the high
hills as MacLure,. went lately across that
roaring rivera head and shoulders above |
them, he strobe the streets a giant His |
voice was terrible-the rulers fled before |
him, the Pilgrims skulked off in the night |
and hid themselves from him-every morn
ing the streets are filled with the dead and |
the wounded, and in all the high places, |
and all the byplaces, and especially at the
old Elm tree there is weeping and wailing
and gnashirg Of teeth. If one native of
that undiscovered country to whose bourne |
no native Philadelphian ever travelled makes
such havoc, what might not happen if two
or three were gathered together at the old |
Elm tree
And so the guards are doubled, and the |
banks of the river are patroled, and the peo-
pie stop their ears and turn their backs to |
the setting sun so as to shut out the blacken-
ing mountain, and dull the moaning of the |
forest, and drown the growing of the bears,
and in mortal dread of MacLure, gather
ronnd the old Elm to snatch a few hours of |
troubled sleep.
NISr Dprtr-