River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-04-30
SOME OF
6Ilankfuf Strung s
AExPERtENcEs.A
BY SARAH wADswoRTH GETcHELL.
BY SARAH wADswoRTH GETcmELL


in that trip than | can tell you in a
year. Since then it seems as though
we had been nearly every where and
that we had seen almost every thing,
Have visited mines and cities, Pixies
Peak, and we have fairly reveled in
the Garden of the Gods, have Toasted
our souls upon beauty ofevery shape.
We visited the home and haunts OF
Helen Hunt ackson and felt such a
nearness to her as if we had been
friends from childhood.
Through all of these scenes OF
grandeur and beauty there has been
such feelin' of smallness in myself
and realizin' sense of the greatness
of God, that at times it has seemed
almost overpowerin'. But when we
stood before the Mount of the Holy
Cross my weak old self seemed to
fade away. The first thought that
came to me was, "None Of self and
all of Thee" Joseph, who stood
spell-bound, as it were, for long
time, at last began to sing in his
clear tenor voice, "Rock of Ages
cleft for me-" The whole party
joined in, even to Caleb with his
dear cracked bass. After the sing
ing silence fell again and | heard
my husband whisper: "On Calvary's
brow my Savior died." None but
the dear Lord knows how near we
were to the "Secret of His Presence
that day.
| have met people of all kinds and
classes. Have heard the heart his
tory of many, and | find that the
heart-ache of the clerk, or seamstress
differs not at all from that of the
philosopher, the statesman or the
author. One noted writer who has
never married told me sweet sad
story that would bring 'stears to eyes
unused to weep
One of Joe's most intimate friends
is noted statesman and of him Zoe
often said: Smother, there is one
man in this country whose heart
history you will never know" So
! was much surprised one day by
this question: another Strong,"-
he always calls me that-''what do
you think of men who never mar
ry?" "Why," said /, s'that all de-
pends." "Well, what do you think
or me?" / laughed and told him
that | thought him very nice boy.
swell, Mother Strong, the reason
that Pm not married is not because /
would not like home of my own,
but once when was young | drank
deeply at loves fountain. Just as
my dreams were to be realized, Just
as the goblet full of earthly Joy was
to be raised to my lips it was for
ever snatched away by the Implying
hand of death. l have met many
fine, brave girls since, but have
never again felt the love of my
youth return. So | shall remain as
| am, lonely, homeless man."
"But," said |, 'syou can never drink
from the goblet of youthful love but
once. Yet | don't think that you
need to live homeless and alone if
you could realize that your next
draught must be a sober one, yet it
may hold as much of real sweetness
as the first"
i have always had a curiosity to
see a dude. | have not seen one,
but one who was studying to be one
is quite sight. The morning that
we were goin' to Pixies Peak he
stood seemingly watchin' the riggin'
of the party. Joseph and Caleb
were goin' about together. | was
standin' by myself and he was near
me-this would-be dude. Not
knowin' who | was he was not over
careful of his language, and drawled
out: "Oh, by the way, who is that
old 'hay-seed' with Judge Strong?
Hugh! it makes me sick to look at
him; seems to me | can smell COW
barns; how can the Judge be so
taken up with such an old clod-
hopper?" at is his father, and it
would not be healthy for you, my
pretty little man, if he should hear
your remark" answered the young
man to whom he was speaking. /
believe that | haint lost all of the
mischief of ,-outh, for when they
came up where I~was standin' l
turned and said: "Joseph, this fine
young man wants an introduction
10 that 'old hay-seed'; he admires
such clod-hoppers who smell of cow
barns" 1t was better than a clam
bake to see Joe's face. He went up
to the fine gentleman, took him by
the coat collar and said, not very
gently: "I'll introduce you, with the
toe of my shoe, you pretty young
ster. I've notion to roll you in
somebody's cow barn; would but
for the bad influence it might have
upon the stock, you small souled
rooster" / tell you there went up
a shout from the crowd, and he will
be addressed by that title for some
time.
ado you know Edgar Wilson
Nye?" is a question that has been
asked me many times. | am sorry
that | have to tell them that | do
not, yet glad that | have heard him
so often and kindly spoken of by his
old friends and neighbors. / often
read to them this part of letter
which / have received from an old
friend: "The bells have ceased to
toll for Edgar Wilson Nye, but here
in the Kinnickilnic valley, where
his childhood and youth were passed
here where lies the foundation fol
MANY of his writings, they seem tc
ring on aud on. We of the valley
can scarcely speak of him without
instirctively thinking of his brother
their lives were so closely knit to.
gether. They were always anc
always will be to us the sNye boys.
have often heard their father tel
this story of their childhood: s'Wher
Edgar and Frank were little fellow:
they used to torment me nearly t
death by losing things. | said one
day, Boys, if you lose another thing
l will whip your The next day
thew dragged log chain off into tax
grass and lost it. They hunted /;
lons time lat could not find it, ther
4 II Il