, 1882-03-17
THE OLD SETTLERS STORY,
nv ?. =. ROWLAND.

Der or two,
AMI will be back in a minute-soLf yer'vc moth
in to do,
III spin yer a yarn how Martha and iu't
struck this place
Nigh onto thirty years ago, when thar wasn't
the smallest trace
OF hous, or m-m IN Bloomyie, thet's 50 full OF
hub-bub now
Then we were young and hardy, with no fur
rows on our brow.
Martha an were chi'der, and liyei in sea-
port town,
wha. the hilsclme slopin' grecnish down to the
waters brown
We tended the village school, an romped as
gal and boy
Over the wooded uplouds, with hearts chuck full
o'joy,
And we learned to love each other--strange wer'
it otherwise
had sech brownsh clusters, she seech enchant-
ing eyes,
An the old folks SAID it was good an Martha
an held on
An h We in the place wer' happier-ah, how the
years have gone.
Our fathers were honest sailors fishermen bold
an brave,
So Martha an hev often been out on the riley
wave,
An the old folks had pretty houses, an women
good and kind,
The best in the thrifty village thet any man
could find;
And they loyed to see us together, because they
wer' gettn' old,
An theyd hev hated to see their children alone
in the bitter cold
So the Years went an the old folks lay under
the sally tree,
NJ I ,,,lb a. Col
can be.
An for years we lived in the old place, nor
thought orCoin' away,
Till the chidrr came IAN the childer ia what
one lives for, they saw;
An the village had grown to city, an was full
q evil then,
With its evil minded women, an drunken
beastly men,
An we thought if We raised the chider amid
sech heap O. sin
They'd surely go to ruin and never enter within
The Kingdom o. Gods selected, whar rich an
poor are alike, 90.
Nor hearts are crooked with envy, with malice
or dislike,
So Martha and had chat, an the upshot of
twas all this:
We took it into our heads thar TO come to this
SpOC U OlloS,
So we sold every piece o. furniture, our cottage
an patch of land,
An faced for the Western prairie with axe in
the swingin' hand,
An Martha was great as a woman(God bless her
for what she's done),
She swung the axe in the timber, under our
scorchin' sun;
An drew the plow in the turrow, as good as The
best Of men;
Came home an nusted the house clean then
out to the field again.
Were we very lonesome?-- no, we had
heaps to do,
Cleanin' the land O. timber, plantin, and gath
erin, too;
An teaching the chder learnin', and readin'
the blessed page,
Film their minds with virtue (then at tender
age).
But the neighbors came as the time went, an
happy was Martha and I,
An we'd many "sleghin' party" in the days
that have flown by,
An then when the Parson came our hearts grew
sudden light .,r..
An the sky above dear Bloorville changed to
CHEEKY bright.
Come here to the window, Marcy ,thar's Ransom,
our eldest son,
Over thar in the acre clearin', goin' Off with his
dog and gun.
Mark you the stride o. the lad, the fr swing Of
the horny hand,
Strong as the mountain grizzly-ah, his the best
in the land
An list to the sound O. the axe clang' tits Ru-
pert who deals the blow;
Wait an you'll see yonder towerin' beach lay
low.
Hear you that voice from the kitchen, tits Ger
tie, singin' sweet
Not in the worlds compass a merrier maid
you'd meet.
How can we have the heartache, when God has
been so good,
We've alters been contented since this was SOL
tude,
We brought up our han'some children in ways
that are true an Just,
An in the bounty o Heaven we allus put our
trust;
An when Martha and are gathered unto the
God we love,
We still will watch our darlings out Of the realms
above;
But we are not skeered to leave 'em, they II never
go astray,
An when we do we'll meet 'em again on the
reckonin' day.
I'm wOnderin' what's keepin' Martha, the sun
is cloudin' so
As judge of the weather,I could swear it's goin'
to snow.
II may be some neighbor's sick, that keeps her
away so long;
| reckon she'll soon be here-Martha is not SO
strong
As when first we struck this place-she's worked
too much, by far.
What figures thar by the Clearin' mile away
ever thar.
Rupert has shouldered his axe and both are
headin' this way.
Why it's Martha! My Visions duller nor it has
been many day.
How beautiful is the exhibition of hui
manity in the young. A boy found a