The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-10-22
OLD FOLKS ON THE FARM.

,,va been out to the medder, wife, to see
Johns new machine
4 -clttin oats an bindin' 'em-the like
rye never seen.
| :, lest beats all creation, the work that
thing II do;
n cuts the oats an binds EN- up in bum
dies straight and true.
feel a bit downhearted, though. am
kinder out o. date,
with all the great Improvements comm on
at such rate.
think O. my old cradle: suppose it's
hangin still
les where l left it-yonder in the old barn
on the hill
An l hook back some forty years an see
the old times when,
with that old cradle hangin' there, | led
i a crowd o. men.
Yes, forty years have passed, dear wife,
: since you an were young;
An. lookin' backward now, they seem les
like a song that's sung.
Our John was jes' a-toddlin' round an
gittin' everywhere,
With little blue check dresses you made
fer him to wear.
Do you remember them, dear wife? All,
yes, know you do
Remember ev'rything he wore, down to
each stubby shoe.
used to love to have him round, most al
ways in the way,
An begin me to toss him up high on each
load o. hay.
Butterfly years; an baby John stalwart
man has grown,
A kind an true an loviR one, with chill
dren of his own.
They're mighty cute, those children are,
an smart as they canbe;
'TNvVas nice in John am Nell tn ma mo tha
twins fer you an me.
They're kind an true, are John an Nell
an jes' as good as gold;
/ only wish that all might have such chill
dren when they're old.
Our home Is nice am pleasant; we're never
in the way.
John always comes fer my advice bout git
tin in the hay
An things like that; an then again I've
often noticed, too,
Nells sure to come to you to find the way
you used to do.
Yes, I'm mindful of our mercies, an 1 try to
be content;
But when l think how old I've grown, an
see how thin an bent
In spite of all that l can do the shadows
sometimes fall;
But when the clouds an mists come down
an gather over ALL
/ always seem to see light that shines
from hills affair."
AM l git to lookin' westward, where the
sunset glories are.
An when l see the red an gold a-fiamin' in
the skies,
An a-coverin all the heavens with the
rainbow tints and dyes,
I mind me of Gods promises about His
place o. rest,
An a blessed sense o. comfort comes home
to my old breast.
Then, when the sunset glories fade an
darken into night,
/ know there'll come a dawnin' soon of
Gods eternal light;
An we shall see the dawndn', wife; we're
Rookfn' DER the way,
An waftin' fer to enter in on His unendin'
day.
Wen know the wondrous Workman then:
Wen see the Master Hand
That out of Heavens crucible can form the
sunset grand;
An all the dark an gloomy ways shall
ope.z to our eyes,
For with His understanding we shall know
His mysteries.
An we will not be mourninf here an griev-
in Johns an Nell,
Because we know fer certain that they love
the old folks we'll;
An when our eyes are closed, dear wife,
to ev'ry earthly scene,
They'll keep the grasses CROWN, dear,
above US, fresh an green.
And-there, that's John a-comin'l He's got
the oats all bound;
That new machine beats ev'rything the
hull creation round
III git my staff an help him, fer he al
ways makes it seem
As If he loved to have me round to help I'M
hitch the team
Sheldon C. Stoddard. in Country Gen.
tleman.