Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-04-05
CHAPTER II
AMONG THE GRANITE HILLS

CHAPTER IL
AMONG THE GRANITE HILLS
AS has been said, the scenes de-
scribed in my first chapter Were not
witnessed by me. But 1 had seen and
known one of the chief actors long be-
fore that memorable morning. / had
seen and known him under circum-
stances that make it necessary to due
comprehension of the narrative to state
where, when and how.
1t was five years before. To be ex-
act, it was the spring of 1913. I was
planting corn with my father, on one of
the almost sterile hillsides of thesNew
Hampshire farm. The humble roof
under which 1 was born was visible
down near the river. The Merrimac
wound along two sides of our little
homestead furnishing the only cheer
full feature of the scene. Hills-ster-
lie hills encompassed US. Twenty
miles away I could see the granite top
of Mount Kearsarge soaring to the
clouds.
Twas a boy of eleven. rather preco-
cious for my years. l attended the
public school four months in the year,
and 1abored with my father the bal
ance of the time among these rocks. /
went to meeting" on Sundays in the
old edifice on top of high hill, on the
steep1e of which a veering wooden
Goldfish denoted the direction of the
wind, and saved the people from the
proclamation which a cross in that
place would have caused. 1 listened
to the choir, elevated to a fearful
height in the rear gallery, as they
Numbered forth resounding anthems
and fugues. heard the doleful-visaged
and drawling-voiced minister pray
forty minutes at a stretch, and preach
ninety, frequently devoting nine
tenths of the whole race to exquisite
and eternal torment. 1 had thirst
for knowledge that the public school
could not supply. A Stray copy of the
Boston Daily Journal, coming like an
enchanter from the outside world,
sometimes stimulated this thirst. 1
was generally regarded as "a green
boy" IAN odd stick" etc; and once
heard of Deacon Halleck telling my
father that boy with such out
landish notions as Dorr ought to be
whipped regularly twice a week.
Doubtless should have been, had the
deacon been given the ordering of me
earlier than he was; but my father, al
1CdIC GU LII oil GI1c V1ROT Oh L
tanisns, was by nature kind and ten
der-hearted, and religious fanaticism
could not change him. To my own
puzzled youthful mind, it often seemed
as though a grave mistake had been
have been set down in the wrong cor
ner of the world, among a people with
whom 1 had no affinity.
I WAS still a mora how 7 1aarneH
1 grew older, and long before babe
farewell to my northern home, to re-
spect the intelligence. the force, the
sturdy honesty of this people, whose
very ''failings leaned to virtues side.''
Still, 1 thought then, as think now,
that should always have been dwarfed
and cramped among them.
Returning to the bleak hillside
where my father and I were striving to
plant corn on that afternoon, record
how I suddenly stopped work, leaned
on my hoe, and contemplated my
father. He was in his shirt-sleeves;
his grazing hair and refined but
wrinl1led face were turned to me as he
bent over his toll. A sudden inspira-
ton seized me.
Father! Do you suppose that when
I get to be as old as you are, L shall be
planting corn in these roclxs?''
He stopped and looked up in sur
prise.
Il hope not, Dorr-I hope you won't!
But what put such question into your
head just now2"
Its in my head all the time. The
way things are going on here, there
don't seem to be anything coming to
me but the same poverty and the same
labor that you have always had
He looked at me-a serious, plying
glance it was-and sat down on a gran
tie bowlder. He leaned his head on
his hand and sighed.
''My boy, I've often thought of this.
Your poor mother and 1 have laid
awake nights talking about it; but 1
never thought it had troubled you any.
What do you want?"
ITO go to the academy-maybe to
col1ege-and by and by to get out into
the world, try to make man of my
self, like the men 1 read of, and to see
something besides these hills and these
people. I'd like to get rich, and come
back and build a big house for you and
mother over on the lake. Yes, I'd like
to do anything rather than live here
all my life
he Smlleu at my yOuCnIuI enGnuS1aSIns
but his look of painful reflection quick
ly returned.
''Dorr, 1 had just such dreams my
self, when I was young, and presume
that my father before me had them. 1
wanted an education, and couldn't
have it. Poverty, hard toll and en-
barrassment seem to be the lot of
those who cleave to this soil. God
knows, wish things might be shaped
as you wish them; but how to contrive
it do not know"
His hoe dropped from his hand, and
his eyes sought the ground. CHANGED
to look down toward the river road
and saw a man in buggy stop at
our gate. A woman, my mother, of
course, as there was none other about
the house. came to the door. There
was brief parley; then the man got
out, hitched the horse, climbed the
fence and strobe over the upland to-
ward u.s.
fro BIZ CONTINUED
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