Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1891-05-28
REMoRsELEsS TIMES.
published by. request.)

visited my fathers old place, the
land OF my nativity, and the home
of my youth. But the changes that
time has wrought upon-it and sur
roundings, | cannot portray with
pen. Buildings have been added to
the old log house. the locust trees
thai grew IN the yard are all gone,
the little cedars that | set out twenty
eight years ago have reached tho
heighth of twenty feet. and waving
their evergreen in the air. The
garden was chaogcd to some extent,
and the crib and stables stood IN
another direction: the old log black
smith shop was gone, aud framed
one erected in its stead. My fathers
strong arm had grown weak and
feeble. and | dld not. hear the ring OF
the anvil as l did in the days Of yore.
The old well, with its pine BUCKET,
was gone, and the earth lay smooth
~ over it, and we'll was dug in
another place. The big post oak
tree that stoon in tie southeast cor.
ner Of the yard, which furnished my
brothers and myself shade in sum-
mer, and our pet pigs acorns in
winter, was gone. Not even a stump
was left to tell whore it stood. The
peach orchard, that was planted by
my father, had long since passed
away, but his plum orchard bad ex-
tended its boundary and covered the
hill. The persimmon in the lower
field, and the pawpaw and grape
trees that grew on the side OF the
branch, and the forked dogwood
near by them, the white bloom Of
which, announced the annual return
of the fishing season. The branch
that ran through the field was still.
there, but there were neither fish ID
ats clear water nor ducks upon its
bright bosom, and its banks seemed
neil6cr SO steep nor so high, and
the log whore we used to sit and
fish was carried away by the high
waters. Pine trees grew where the
old school house stood, and the chill
drcn We're gone from the play
ground. The girgling little spring
from which we drank was still gush-
ing forth its crystal v atcr. The old
mountain loomed up as of yore, but
its summit seemed neither SO high
nor SO blue, and mournful hue
peryaded its brow and its breast was
more bare. Deer neither skipped
over its cliffs nor broused over it's
brambles, and the volt and the bear
bad sought homes elsewhere. The
turkeys were gone-the wild bee
0, was on The wing, and only tame
ones suckeS at the bluff spring. The
Tennessee river plowed on IN the
direction of the ocean as ever with
The same certainty OF rningiiag with
lis salt waters, as our bodies shall
with mother earth, but was naylcated
with boats of a different character.
+ inquired about my school mates
but only found two. No one seemed
to know or care about tho others,
and when questioned about them,
a iswcrsd indiiferently and looked
as though they suspected me. 1t
seemed that | was a stranger in the
land of my nativity; the home of
my childhood. Although away from
my wesserh and present home, yet
| was shone upon by the same sun,
and was in tho presence Of the same
Sod. Everything was changed, ex-
oept the voice Of the whippoowill,
which SO perfectly like that Of many
years ago. that wondered if it could
be The same old bird sill piping.
Having scored forty-thrce, / too,
am changed, but alssl greater
awaits me.
As frosted leaves in autumn falling,
Remind me of the winters cold;
So silvery locks to me are calling,
Telling me I'm & owing old,
How many Of my age, whom con-
templnting their inevitable doom,
10, how many. wish they were a
child again. But the wheel of time.
as il has through all ages, answers
alas! 4 return no more. and we can
only console ourselves by the happy
reflection that beyoud this life's hn-
mauity, we shall meet and live
again. IT. H.