Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1897-11-12
:, . FOLKS ON THE FARM.

noon out to the medder. wife. to see
I'e Iohrr's new machine
!. .c,,ttin' oats an oindin' 'em-the like
i've never seen.
It jest beats ~ "a, an c'A'''' '''e WORN o'''''
80, t he oats an binds 'em up in bum
u W" dles straight and true.
-oei bit downhearted, Though. an
! kinder out O. date,
,,,.., all the great improvements comm on
at such q rate.
think O. my old cradle: suppose it's
" hanrin' still
~, where left it-yonder in the old barn
on 1oo o1se back some forty years an see
Az me old times when,
,,;., that old cradle hangin' there. led
a crowd O. men.
90. yorty years have passed, dear wife.
'''' aimee you an were young;
A., Iookin' backward now. they seem jes'
aus like song that's sung.
A.. 1ohn was jes' a-toddlin' round an
gittin' everywhere.
,r., little blue check dresses you made
fer him to wear.
=. von remember them. dear wife? All,
yes, know you do
p.rember ev'rything he wore, down to
,,.eS to love to have him round. most al
ways In the way.
An, heggin' me to toss him up high on each
load o. hay
p,,-forty years; an baby John q stalwart
man has grown.
kind an true an loVin' one, with chill
dren OF his own.
rbev're mighty cute, those children are.
an smart as they canbe;
,rras nice in John am Nell to name the
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.
or home is nice am pleasant; we're never
in the way.
,ohn always comes fer my advice bout git
tin in the hay
An things like that: an then again I've
often noticed, too,
Nelrs sure to come to you TO ma the way
you used to do:
Yes, I'm mindful Of our mercies. an try to
be content;
But when l think how old I've grown. an
see how thin an bent
In spite of all that can do the shadows
sometimes fall;
But when the clouds an mists come down
an gather over alb
I always seem to see light that shines
from hills afar.
An l git to lookin' westward. where the
sunset glories are.
the skies.
An a-coverin' all the heavens with the
rainbow tints and dyes.
mind me Of Gods promises about His
place O. rest,
An blessed sense O. comfort comes home
to my old breast.
Then, when the sunset glories fade an
darken into night, ',
know there'll come q dawnin' soon of
Gods eternal light;
An we shall see the dawndn', wife; we're
lookin' DER the way,
An waitin' fer to enter in on His unendin'
day.
Well know the won<lrous Workman then !;
we'll see the Master Hand
That out of Heavens crucible can form the
sunset grand;
An all the dark an gloomy ways shall
open to our eyes.
For with His understanding we shall know
His mysteries
An we will not be mournfn' here an griev-
In john 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.
Tneyll keep the grasses CROWN. dear,
shove us. fresh an green.
And-there, that's John a-comin'! He's got
the oats all bound:
That new machine beats ev'rything the
hull creation round
III GIT my etaff an help him. fer he al
ways makes It seem
Dn ne loved to have me round to help un-
hitch the team
-Sheldon c. Stoddard. in Country Gen.
tleman.