Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1882-09-14
AFTER THE SALE.


La the chill March wind Hurry up!' he
cried.
And gathered in the reins.
The old wife bows her stricken face
ON the doorstone, weary and worn and gray,
The old man fingers about the place.
Taking last survey;
Looks in once morn at the great barn door,
TN the empty NOV and the vacant noor:
All the gains OF his life have gone before,
And why should he care 10 stays
Only stool with broken leg
is left, and n bucket without bail
The harness Is zone from hook and peg,
Even the whip from It's nail:
Drenry shadows hang from the wall
No friendly whinny from shed or stall,
Nor upmiIked heifers welcoming call;
The poultry and pigs have vanished. all
Swept ont by the Sherins sale
Back 10 the door-yard well he goes
For parting look, "A farewell drink.
How drippin2ly that bucket rose
And poised for him on the brink
In the summers gone. and FLASHED his feet
When the men came in from the harvest heat!
Hos hessedly cool the draught, how sweet,
'Tis misery now To think.
What scenes of psscefui. prosperous life
Once filled the yard. So desolate now!
When he often would say to his pleased, proud
wife,
That the farm appeared. somehow,
More thrifty and CHEEKY than other mems.
With its cattle in pasture and swine in pens,
Heating Of lambs and oacklc of hens,
And well-stored crib and NOW.
The early years of their proud success,
The years Of failure and mutual blame,
Are past with the to,i that WIS happiness,
And the strife that was sorrow and shame.
She came 10 him hopeful and strong and fair
Now who is the sad wrath sitting there,
With her burden OF grief and her old thin hair
Bowed over her feeble frameg
do you remember This WELL" he said.
"was sunk that summer when Jane was
born.
She used to stand in the old house-shed
And blow the dinneE-huru
In after years-or clint, a rail
pf the dooryard fence for n CHEEKY hail
Then run u the curb for a trimming pail
When 4 came up from the corn
Why think Of her nowg against whose name
His lips and heart long since were scaled;
Whose memory IN their lives became
SORROW that never has healed.
Her step ia on the creaking stair.
Hcr glrlish image Is cverywherei
He hears her laughter, he sees her hair
Blow back in the wind, as she comes to bear
His luncheon 10 the field.
"'Tw.as a terrible wrong.'' The old wife
spoke,
Swnying her raunt frame to and fro.
Into wall Of woe.
= IL haunts me awake, ii haunts me asleep.
And silence has been SO hard to keep
~ long tbtli I1t-Tt IL Efltf 100 q ttp
For eyer man 30 know"
A quaycr CT anguish shook his tone,
His look was pierced with n keen remorse;
" The blame. suppose, WAS ali my own:
And have no hears. of course,
SIR NJ Heaven. nor any grief 10 hide
Lifting his gloomy hat aside.
He looked up. hagg mi and hollow-eycd
Like one whose burning soul had dried
His tears At their very source.
mo. no. j don't mean that she wept,
I've felt You suffering many day,
And often al Night when YOU thought slept
And when have heard you pray,
Until II seemed That my heart would burst
And as for the blame. you know. at first.
| claimed YOU We're right and did nv worst
To force her u obey
..For tha dream &C our lives had been to make
Our Jane 4 lady III for lord;
Our schemes were all foT our chii1rens sake,
And iitseCmed a cruel reward
To see her with c;;reics> sc)rn refuse
For all the arguments we could use
The man You mos; approved. and choose
The enc yon most ahhorred.
'' But when She had chosen and all was done,
hOu necin't have been 50 hard aud stern:
We might have forgiven the poor dear QUE,
Aud Welcomed her return.
NoI never could know what she was TO me,
You never viii Know h.,w yearn 10 see
My child again now homesiekly
ycsill, and ycarn aud ycaTni ~
" She chose Tor herself. aud who can tell
shr hgsvSd your will. it's true, and ye
She may. Cor all that. have chosen well.
And how csn we forgctg
~ chose Ior Alice ana unawares so
Rushed with Der into rich mans sgares. u
" ho tangled US mp in his loose affairs,
And drlsgcd Us down siih dett.' a.
" Wetl. We'll with heavy ssCh-"Iets go.
haven't been always wise. All. Jane,
SonethnV- might not be done just so,
II they were u 30 again.
Bn' Alice is dead and the farm is gone:
our hopes. ami all that we built them on.
Friends, wealth. ar- scattered hi.her and yon,
And only ourselves remain