Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-03-21
Old Times.


Ed. register. How good it seems to
see the ground once more, and the
green grass begin to start up, and the
flowers come pushing their tender
leaves out into the sunlight; and the
birds, the little birds, how sweet they
sing, O, it makes me feel like sing
ing
''The winter is over and gone,
The thrush whistles sweet on the spray;
The turtle doye breathes his soft moan,
The lark mounts up and MARBLES away"
| have always been a loyer of birds.
Well do | remember, at my old home
as | was lying sick on the bed in the
south room, as it was called, for it was
in the southeast corner of the house
the room where all of US brothers and
sisters were born-the sun shone into
the room through the east and south
in front of this room, and a large
flower garden just over the other side;
and such beds of moss pinks l never
saw in any other garden. On the fur
ther side of the garden large apple
tree and large elm tree stood near
each other. | remember it was early
spring, and the sun shown bright and
| warm; | heard robin singing; l ask
ed my ma if she would please draw my
bed before the window so could hear
the robin sing. As she moved the bed
before the window, l saw in the very
| top most branch of the tree-and it
was very large tall tree-a robin
! standing with his head thrown back
and singing with all his might. 0,
how sweetly he sang, and how good it
made me feel as l lay and watched
him. 1t made me feel as though |
| wanted to sing with him:
"Come lets US join our cheerful song,
With angels around the throne;
Ten thousand thousand are thine tongue,
But all thine joys are one"
As l lay and watched that bird I
seemed to drink in health and strength.
How it brought sunshine into my
heart! There is something peculiarly
pleasant and sweet to me to hear the
birds sing in the early spring time. /
often feel like l would give a great
deal if / could hear the birds. Yes, a
pup frog, or bull frog. There was a
sunny nook up in one of the mountain
lots on my fathers farm, where two
small trout brooks came together with
dense growth of pine and hemlock.
The ground was covered with a thick
mat of pine nudes. The doctors
would order me to take my hook and
line and go fishing. l would always
go to that lovely spot and lay me down
on that carpet of pine nudes In the
sun, and listen to the dreamy sound of
the water running over and among the |
rocks and dream the happy hours
away. As | lay dreaming | saw over !
on the opposite bank large rock that
juted out over deep pool of water. |
out of the reach of any animal or
snake; a pair of phoebes had built
their nest on the face of the rock, and |
as lay and watched them one day l |
bay di-.,rhp6 ahGnf |
something. After looking awhile l
saw water snake craving along un-
der the bushes at the foot of the rock |
saw he was trying to find Il way to
get to the nest, so | had the curiosity |
to watch and see what he would do. l
lay perfectly still so as not to disturb
the snake, and was quite excited to
see how many ways he tried to get to
that nest; l said to myself, "Well, old
fellow, | guess you have found your
match once in your life, for | don't
see how you are to reach it without
you can set up a pole or makea ladder
to climb up on" Finally, after trying
every way, the old fellow had to give |
it up as bad job. and be slowly |
crawled off out of sight.
Although the snake did not get |
the little birds. is had just the effect !
on me that doctor wanted, to excite |
me, and get me interested out of my
self, to think of something besides my
aches and pains. l believe there are
more people die every year from fear. |
love, spite. downheartedness, the bliss. |
inconsistencies. kind of fgive-up-a-tive-
ness Qf may coin word) than from
real rightdown sickness.
But excuse me, am getting way off |
from the birds. / said there was a |
large elm tree standing near the apple |
tree. At the same time that pair of |
robins were building home in the ap-
pie tree for themselves. A pair of |
gold robins or Baltimore orioles had