Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1877-12-02
ANOTHER OLD TIMER GONE.

One weeds up weed, digs potato, or
burns to ashes stick of frewood without
conjunction Also we uproot a brush
which has withstood many winter, or de-
molish a rabbit weed whose hares have long
since turned grey and feel no pangs of con-
science,-hot any more, indeed, than one feels
at treading down blade of grass or moving
to premature death field of clover But
we, weak, illogical and impossible creatures
that we are, respect tree because of it's age,
and condemn by jury of our own selection,
anybody who is cruel enough and inconsider-
ate enough and Vandalstic enough to fell a
tree whose shade has cheered US, or whose far
branching limbs have lent their shapes to the
qualification of our love of the picturesque.
The accustomed stroller has lately missed the
old pitch pine which has stood for goal to
his afternoons walk as he has finished his
counting of the railway ties, hence toward the
Sierra. The other day Mr.. James Wood
felled it and entered upon the task of cutting
it up into cord wood. The first blush of feel
ing leads one to summary condemnation at
this assault. The tree has been landmark
and delight; also it has served as a camping
place and valued incident in a treeless land
scape. Yesterday we had talk with Mr..
Wood. But for the mutual bashf illness of
the encounter it might have been called an in
terview In truth, Mr.. Wood ION whose land
the tree stood), opened the subject himself,
by his own motion. He seemed (and the
i - h.
He began by saying that he had chopped down
the old tree yonder Gerking his head in the
direction of the defunct.) We nodded re-
spectful but disappearing acknowledgment |
Then, with his cause strong upon him, Mr.. |
Wood reminded us of the fact that the tree
had gone dead. 1--WE were ready to receive |
this intelligence from having noted the red |
dening of our old friends frontage consequent
upon his wanton and objectionable girdling,) |
Then, among many lesser incidents, the facts
were recited. The tree, he reckoned, would
yield no less than twenty cords of wood.
(How soon doth our sordid part lead US to
reckoning of the value of our best friends es-
tate y The facts, not too much distended,
are, That the tree showed by its growth
marks that it was no less than three hundred
years old; that the lesser rings, here and
there accumulated, show (by an accepted the
DRY of arborescence), that there had been, in
the experience of its growth as many as eight
successive years of drouth, as well as dry sea-
SONS of less extent. Msny other interesting
facts were divulged as to the terms of con-
tract with some Chinese choppers etcetera and
so forth. But the fact remains Our stout
friend has been sawed down. He dated (at
least) from 1877. He antedates John Smith
and is almost contemporaneous with Christie !
pher Columbus. He was big enough for spar .
of ship in the Spanish Armada He might =
have been a considerable bulk in the Old Y
French War. Now, as Rev Joseph Cook -
quotes, he is timber. As to Mr.. Wood he is =
among the mourners, as he has done the best y
he could With well conceived respect he
will cremate the remains.