The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1882-03-23
THE OLD SETTLERS STORY.
ny T. r. ROWLAND.

And will be back in q minute-so,if yer've moth
in to do,
I'll spin yer a yarn how Martha and fust
struck this place
Nigh onto thirty years ago, when thar wasn't
the smallest trace
OF house or farm in Bloomville, thet's so full of
hub-bub now
Then we were young and hardy, with no fur
rows on our brow.
Martha an were childer, and lived in sea-
port town,
wha. the hilscame slopn' greensh down to the
waters brown
We tended the village school, an romped as
gal and boy
Over the wooded uplands,wi hearts chuck full
o. Joy,
And we learned to love each other-strange wer
it otherwise
had sech brownish clusters, she seech enchant-
ing eyes,
An the old folks said it was good an Martha
an l held on
An h We in the place wer' happer-ah, how the
years have gone.
an brave,
So Martha an l 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 tibet any man
And they Loved to see us together, because they
wer' gettin' old,
An they'd hev hated to see their children alone
in the bitter cold
So the wears went on AN the old folks lay under
the sally tree,
An Martha an were spliced and happy as folks
can be.
An for years we lived in the old place, nor
thought of goin' away,
IT'LL the chdr came IAN the childer is what
one lives for, they say;
An the village had grown to a city, an was full
O EVIL then,
With its evil minded women, an drunken
beastly men,
An we thought if we raised the childer 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,
Nor hearts crooked with envy, with malice
or dislike,
SO Martha and had a chat, an the upshot of
it was all this:
We took it into our heads thar 10 come to this
spot o bliss;
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' SUM-
An drew the pillow in the iurrow, as good as the
best Of men;
Came home an dusted the house clean then
out to the field again.
Were we very lonesome?-why no, we had
heaps to do,
Cleanin the land o. timber, pantn' and gath
erin, too;
An teaching the childer earnin, 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 "sleghn' party" in the days
that have flown by,
An then when the Parson came our hearts grew
sudden light
An the sky above dear Bloou,ville changed to
CHEEKY bright.
Come here to the window, Marcy ,thar's Ransom
eldest son,
Over thar in the clearin', goin' Off with his
dog and gun.
Mark you the stride o. the lad, the fr swing of
the horny hand
Strong the mountain grizzly-ah, his the best
in the land
An list to the sound o. the axe cang' It's Ru-
pert who deals the blow:
Wait an you'll see yonder towerin' beach lay
low.
Hear you tina; voice from the kitchen, it's 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 50 good,
We've alters been conteuted since this was a SOL
itude,
We brought up our handsome 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 not skeered to leave EN-, they II never
90 astray,
An when we do well meet 'em again on the
reckonin' day.
I'm wonderin' what's keepin' Martha, the sun
Is cleudin' 90;
As Judge of the weather,I could swear it's goin'
to snow.
II may be some neghbors sick, that keeps her
away 50 long
J reckon she'll soon be here-Martha is not a
strong
As when first we struck this place-she's worked
too much, by far.
What figures thar by the clearin' a mile awav
over thar.
Rupert has shouldered his axe and both ara
headin this way
Why It's Martial Ny visions duller nor it has
been many day.