Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1892-02-04
@H@ y the extreme
@~ point of ar

land, jutting into Lake Erie from It's
southern shore. rising for fifty feet
without n limb and then spreading
wide its immense branches tall and
solitary. stood the old tree whose COM
panions had long since been swept
away by the heavy surges of wave and
storm that had washed bare its own
great roots and seemed ever tryiny TO
wrench the old oak from its moorinv~.
but in ain A landmark by sea and
land for miles around. il held its ex-
posed position n IL in proud defiance
of h forces of waves and winds
But not alone for its great size and
striking situation was the old oak
noted High up in the topuaost
branches. 80 high hat the foot Of the
most expert climber had never ventu-ed
there. n mass of sticks and dead limbs
was the nest of q pair of eagles who
sought Il every spring to rear their
young. and prey upon the gulls and nsh-
hawks who sought their food in that
vicinity. A magnificent pair were those
old eagles the pride and admiration Of
all for miles around No one could
remember when this had not
heen their eyrie, and the time
81 their coming lay far back
IN the time Of Indian possession.
Prom the Indians had also been
handed down the tradition that even
than sentiment or local pride had
preserved the lives Of the eagles and
restrained the inhabitants from any
act of violence or harm. For. so
ran the legend. whenever the eagles
nest should be touched by a disturbing
hand. the eagles would leave il never
10 return again. and with their de-
rarture dire calamity would over
whelm the neighhorhood, while i'll luck
and misfortune would ever after fol-
low the rash mortal who should dare
to modest the birds or their habita-
ton"
Such was h prediction told by the
earliest settler ito every newcomer
and repeated in turn till the old oak
and the great nest within il came to be
almost objects of reverence and super
stitious dread. and daring hunters
stunned il as a tree of il-om-u. while
timid children playing about the beach
kept far alcof from the 'NOfd Eagle
Oak"
The tradition was again repeated to
the Van Fleets when one early spring
they anne to make their home on the
shore of the lake, about a mile from
the point where the great oak held its
solitary state.
Martin Van Fleet listened TO the
story as the old hunter Maekworth
told il, his eyes in the meantime
watching the eagles rs on widespread
wings they sailed in great circles high
IN the air above him A bright-eved
weil-knit. active boy of fourteen.was
Martin, alike ambitious. intrepid. fond
of daring and adventure, and who
as yet had to learn the meaning of the
word fear. From the first the earle.
were an object of fascinating interest
TO i'm. and also to his ounxe twin
sisters Grace and Clara and often thew
might have been seen watching them
or haunting the vicinity of the eyrie. |
FOR a time there was ~ompzrativ
quiet in the old oak; seldom wa. but
n Of the eagles seen, and he re-
manned much of the time perched on .
limb al the nest
But at last q day Martin rushed in
to the house crying: New neighbors
have come to town There are Young
eagles in the eyrier'
That such was the case was soon an
parent TO eyes less keenly watehfui |
and both the old eagles now made
long excursions in search of food for
a hungry little mouths so securely
hidden in the nest
% dear, sighed Grace one dav. as
the old bird disappeared within the
tree, how do wish I could see those
little eagles"
DO year said Martin. with a curi-
Gus smile. We'll. who knows but one
OF them may fall out of the nest one of
these days?"
But that would knl IL" reioined
Clara. and we want to see them alive
Nothing more was said on the sub
lect and but incidentally was II noticed
that the text week all of Martins
spare time was given to some work in
regard 70 which he preserved q studied
silence Finally one afternooa he
asked his sisters to 20 with him for
rev over 70 lks sysis, sas 90 ssssslaS