The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1883-11-17
LEAVING THE EARN.

LEAVING THE FAhM.
o. wu,,ou wa must 90 to town. and leave the
your hair o Is gray. your form is bent, and
wrinkled is your face;
scarce can see to pin it straight, my sight is
The children say we're growing old. too old
for such hard work;
And Daniel he viii take the place-you know
And that ' Young wife of his, think. is smart
She's iight of foot, and light of heart, and
good to you and me-
THEY'RE sure TO keep the farm In shape, ana
not let things run down;
But I'm afraid well never be content to live
In town.
You know since Mary married we've been
there on and on,
And once / stayed a month or more. the
spring had that cough.
Mary was good and loving, and her husband
But got g 90 tired tired and homesick feared I'd
1t wasn't lack OF company-some one was al
You know that folks who live in town have
lots of time to spare
The church was very handy. and liked the
And tended ali the meetings; what else had
But obi I ionsed to hear the cows come lowing
down the lane,
And to hear the horses champing as they ate
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 pun the clover blossoms and breathe
And, William, you'll be like me; you need not
laugh or frown,
In town.
Just thiiE about 1t, william, it's forty years
Since YOU and together left old Ohio's shore
mind as If 'twere yesterday, my mothers
tearswet face,
The Arm clasp Of my fathers hand, my sisters
And obi | 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 a mockery, where
nothing looked like home,
The very clouds seemed farther on, and higher
Now as / look around me on the fields Of
The orchard and and the meadow, the farmhouse
All the past comes up before me. can see thu
The little low-roofed cabin. that barely held III
all,
And the lonely, lonely prairie, with not
All the tears that wet my pillow when 20,
thought slept at night.
Yes, it's true we soon had neighbors; and how
homelike it did seem,
When of evenings from our doorway WI
could see their candles CLEAN.
Looking round upon the prairie, where WI
watched that lonely light,
Now from many friendly window shine tn
earth stars clear and bright.
But no beacon to the sailor, homeward boun,
upon the sea,
Ever shone with brighter luster than tina
twinkling light to me.
Then the children kept on coming till tn
small house overfowed,
And their childish love and laughter helpe'
US all along our road:
How we toiled both late and early, and hoy
through all our days,
The dear God blessed and prospered us; :
Him be all the praise;
Then when we built the new house, what haT
py times we had,
Peace and plenty dwelt among us, and tn
days were short and glad
know We had our trials, crops would IA
and sickness come,
And before deaths awful presence, we hay
bowed in anguish dumb;
But we comforted each other, for we sait
His word is sure"
Though we walk amid the shadows, still "Hi
promises endure"
Now the shadows ali are lifted, we are
sweet ''Beulah land"
And His presence is about us, we can feel HI
1t is hard TO leave the farm-but the childre
are all grown
AS we were when just we welded. you and
But obi the difference to usl then our live
And our ffe-work lay before us; now on
life-work'e almost done.
Why, the sun is setting, William. How IA
See those clouds Of blue and crimson lying O