The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-11-08
LEAVING THE FARM.

~ L
10. william, we must go to town. ana leave the
~ dear old place.
vopr hair is gray, your form is bent, and
wrfukled is your face;
And when stahd oeloIe tue si''s' ~ pos my
: Yecarce can see to pin it straight, my light is
so near gone.
The children say were growing ola, TOO OLD
for such hard work;
he's not Il shirk-
And chat young WIG OF MS, thlHK, is sIlaFG
sb4,t FIGHT of foot, and light of heart, ard
good to you ana me.
rb .v'Te sure to keep the farm in shape, and
not let things run down;
Rnt I'm afraid wen never be content to live
In town.
wa know since Mary married we've been
there on and on,
AMI once ! stayed Il month or more, the
epring I had that cough.
Mary was good and loving, and her husband
he was kind:
Rut got SO tired and homcsick feared I'd
lose my mind,
II wasn't laekof company some one was al
yos know that folks who live in town have
lots of time TO spare.
The church was very handy, and / liked the
preacher too;
Ans tended al the meetings; what else had
Bu5 obi Tlonged to hear the COWS come lowing
down the lane,
And to hear the horses champing as they ate
the golden grain;
Ana to hear the proud hens clucking, and the
mother Turkeys call II
The pleasant music of the farm, did so miss
Ii all. f,
AMI / longed to see my garden, and the apple
trees in bloom,
Ana to pull the clover blossoms and breathe
their sweet perfume;
AM. william you'll be like me; you need not
laugh or frOwn,
For you'll never be contented to settle down
In town.
JUST think about It, William, it's forty years
and more
mind as if 'tWere yesterday, my mother S
tear-wet face,
The Arm cIaspof my fathers hand, my sisters
warm embrace;
And oh never shall forget how the prairie,
wide and vast
Stretched out before me, when you said,
''WelL dear, here's home at last"
The words seemed such mockery, where
nothing looked like home,
The very clouds seemed farther Off, and higher
heavens dome.
Now as ] look around me ON the fields of
The orchard and the meadow, the farmhouse
and the barn,
All the past comes up before me, can see the
cabin small,
The little loW-roofed cabin. that barely held us
all.
And the lonely, lonely prairie, with not a
house in sight;
All! the tears that wet my pillow when you
thought slept at night.
Yes it's true we soon had neighbors; and how
homelike it did seem,
When of evenings from our doorway we
could see their candles CLEAN.
LOOKING round upon the prairie, where we
watched that lonely light,
Now from many Il friendly window shine the
earth stars clear and bright.
butne beacon to the sailor, homeward bound
upon the sea,
Ever sh0ne with brighter luster than that
twinkling light to me.
Then the children kept on coming till the
small house .overfiowed,
and their childish love and laughter helped
us all along our road;
How we toiled both late and early, and how
through all our days,
The dear God blessed and prospered us: to
Him be ali the praise:
Then when we bniltsthe new house, what hap
py times we had.
Peace and plenty dwelt among us, and the
days were short and glad
know We had our trials, crops would fail
and sickness come.
And Before deaths awful presence we have
bowed in anguish dumb;
bat We comforted each other, for we said
Ills word is sure IA e7
though we walk amid the shadows, still s'His
promises endure
NOW the shadows all are lifted, we are in
sweet 'sBeulah land" @
Aha his presence is about us, we can feel His
guiding hand.
II Is hard to leave the farm-but the children
are all grown
As We were when just we welded, you and
are now alone.
nut On! the difference to usl then our lives
had just begun,
ana our Hfe-work lay before us; now olll
r,, hte-work's almost done.
Nny the sun is setting, William. How fas
. the days go by.
see those clouds of blue and crimson lying on
the western sky.
Inls world is very beautiful; sometimes il
seems to me e.
lean hardly bear to leave III. and tI,av, 5aar
when see
to go. eNA'>
Ihe children do not need me, and you'll come
Low sprltea2 All, no. I'm not "He doeth al
things WELL"
ana happy and God fearing the chiidrer
round us dwell
aug m ready for the fitting, like the leaves
~ autumn brown
n1s 7. y afraid we'll never be content to live
.ais. ~ Y. wilson. IN Chicago Iater-Ocean.
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