The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-10-13
LEAYING THE EARN.

LEAVING THE FARM.
So William Villa we must go to town, and leave the
Your hair is gray, your form is bent, and
Ava VIII, Mrlnkled is your face;
collar on,
scarce can see to pin it straight my sight is
so near gone.
The children say we're growing old too old
Tor such hard work.
And Daniel he will take the place-you know
he's not shirk-
And that young wife of his, think is smart
as queen bee;
She's light of foot, and light of heart, and
good to you and me,
Ihey re sure to keep the farm in shape, and
not let things run down;
But m afraid We'll never be content to live
in town.
You know since. Mary married we've been
there on and off,
AND once | stayed a month or more, the
spring had that cough.
Mary was good and loving, and her husband
he was kind;
But got so tired and hOmesick i feared I'd
lose my mind.
IL wasn't lack of company-some one was al
ways there
You know that folks who live in town have
lots of time to spare.
The church was very handy, and 1 liked the
preacher, too;
And tended all the meetings; what else had
/ to do?
But oh l longed to hear the COWS come lowing
And to hear the horses champing as they ate
the golden grain;
And to hear the proud hens clucking, and the
mother turkeys call
The pleasant music of the farm, did so miss
it all.
And longed to see my garden, and the apple
trees in bloom,
And to pull the clover blossoms and breathe
their sweet perfume;
And, 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 wears
and more
Since you and together left old Ohio's shore.
mind as If 'twere yesterday, my mothers
The firm claspof my fathers hand, my sisters
warm embrace;
And oh! | never shall forget how the prairie,
wide and vast,
Stretched ont before me, when you said,
We'll, dear, here's home at last"
The words seemed such a 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
All! the tears that wet my pillow when you
thought slept at night.
Yes, it's true we soon had neimhbors: 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 friendly window shine the
earth stars clear and bright.
But no beacon to the sailor, homeward bound
upon the sea,
Ever shone with brighter luster than that
twinkng 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 all the praise;
Then when we built the new house, what hap
Ply times we had,
Peace and plenty dwelt among u.s. and the
days were Shorthand glad
know we had our trials, crops would fail
and sickness come,
And before deaths awful presence we have
bowed in anguish dumb;
But we comforted each other, for we said
His word is sure"
Though we walk amid the shadows, still His
promises endure"
Now the shadows all are lifted we are in
sweet 'Beulah land"
And His presence is about us, we can feel His
1t is hard to leave the farm-but the children
are all grown
AS we were when just we welded, you and 1
are now alone.
But OH the difference to us! then our lives
had just begun,
And our life-wOrk lay before us; now our
fireworks almost done
Why, the sun is setting, William. How fast
the days go by,
See those clouds of blue and crimson lying on
the western sky
This world is very beautiful; sometimes if
seems to me
can hardly bear to leave it; and then, dear,
when | see
How feeble am getting feel ready quite
to go.
The children do not need me, and you'll. come
soon ! know.
Low spirited? All, no, I'm not "He doeth all
things we'll"
And happy ard God fearing the children
round us dwell
And | m ready for the fitting, like the leaves
in autumn brown
But I'm afraid wen never be content to live
in town.
Mrs. E. Y. Wilson, in Chicago Hter-Ocean