Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-09-11
IDYLs OF THE CLOUDS.
Traits of English Farm Laborers.


There break out, now and then. signs OF
incipient art There was man in the
village who had a gift of painting. | die
not know him-he was before my time
but have seen a small picture of his, Of
two children clinging to the back of a
rough pony. which if not quite correctly
drawn, has yet a motion, life IN it, that
some b. AS might envy. The man
ended miserably took to drinking, think,
and could hardly exc out livelihood by
sorry sign painting Too often uncom-
mon gifts among the poor are at best doni
fatal, leading those who possess them, and
who have no lower to cultivate them, to
unrest and dissatisfaction with their sur
roundings
The blacksmith writes poetry, and not
very bad poetry either. One family have
been known for a couple of generations as
musical" The father plays the fiddle;
the mother had a fine voice: the eldest
daughter, a sweet pretty girl of 9 or 10,
was found playing tunes on her pincush-
ion; she had arranged the pins IN rows
like key board, and pulled them in and
out according to the notes she wished to
to strike. Now she is being taught to
play the piano, to her great joy.
The strong unconscious passion of the
lives of the poor men, is love of work.
What they feel most bitterly when the
Unsuitable ''rheumatics creep up from the
toes to the ankles, from the ankles to the
knees, from the knees to the hips. till there
is nothing left to do but sit in the chair
and wait for the least travels that they
can work no more. One man
broke blood vessel in the bayfield,; in
In two hours he was back moving, and
moved till bedtime, when he lay down
not to rise for many day.
Sadder still than loss of work from i'll
ness or old age, is its loss to the still able
bodied man from economic changes, which
may have brought gain to the community,
but which Of Il certainty have pressed hard
on the individual In the country there
were once so many little industries which
could be pursued at home employing thus
4the hands of those who were unfit for field
labor. Now there are none. | knew a
man who was friend of mine, for he had
sold me rabbits when [ was child; he
was good old man, in d dim, middle
headed way; but his neighbors thought Ill
of him, and the farmers specially-who
knows that he had not done a little poach
ing In his time? He followed the trade of
a shoemaker and this, for so long as he
could sit at his last seems to promise a
maintenance for himself, his old wife and
his orphan grandchid. But fashions in
shoes changed; there was some new
method in cobbling-l never quite under
stood what-which he could not master
All the village customers left him and went
to buy ready-made shoes at the market
town. The thing weighed on his spirits
and he talked of putting an end to his life.
He was asked not to do it by one who was
kind to him, and whom he liked; but this
friend went abroad one autumn and the
old man took the opportunity by hanging
himself on tree In his garden.
The grandchild had lost her parents of
consumption when she was a baby. She
used to bring me flowers; wonderful were
those nosegays brought weekly by her and
the other children! Such magnifcience of
iris and kingcups and water-lines and
red peoples and ragged robins! Such
sweetness of violets and cowslipS and
honeysuckle! Each child had her own
way of arranging the flowers, so by the
nosegay | knew the child before hearing
her name. The old mans grandchild
rather looked down on wild flowers; cab
bage-rose and white pink. southern-wood
and rosemary were her offerings. She is
in service now; the other day she wrote to
me; Il love you and take my best love
from me, | write this short note to let you
know that love you and often think about
you.
Village life is not wanting in tragedies
There was poor woman whose son had
gone a good deal to the bad, and having
been sent to Jail, committed suicide before
his trial. His mother, till she died, was
tormented by the thought Of that act,
which seemed fraught with evil and terror
to her simple mind No kindly counsel
could quiet her sorrow. She carried it to
own soul, of him who had been the light
cused. perhaps had in it as tragic elements
justice in Rizpan.
One common form of village tragedy.
passive yet full of pain, is the disappear
ance of sons, husbands, fathers, who go to
foreign lands, and are heard of no more.
Many of them no doubt are not heard of
because they do not wish to be. Some 60
away and die An old woman told me
often of how she had dreamt of the deaths
of three of her sons: one had died IN
Birmingham. another in India; of these
two later news had confirmed her dreams.
But of the third. he whom she had seen
surrounded by great waters. she had never
heard, she was convinced. nevertheless,
that he had been drowned. She was a
hard-headed old soul in other respects,
and of queenly manners; when she rose to
greet you she seemed to be comforting a
regal favor. She had a severe opinion of
a curate who had not won her good
graces. she said: He spoke to me of my
naighbors when | wished to hear of my
SOUL" She was keen theoogian I'm
the book you lent me, she remarked, lit
is said So andso went to heaven Sure
ly none may go to heaven before the last
day." She kept her poor house as tidy as
her own irreproachahle white caps, an6
had an instructive shrinking from any one
who sought to interfere, even on the ples
of giving help When she sickened il
her last illness she was SO or S4. She re
fused to send for doctor, saying: Il
anybody thinks | am going to make m!
stomach an apothecary shop he will fine
out his mistake" | saw her as she wa
dying; she had lain in a sort of coma
from which it was not thought she would
revive. But when came in she rouset
herself, because. perhaps, she had beer
fond Of me ever since | was child; ant
when we were alone she poured into M.
ears, In the most collected way, her griev