The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1902-09-11

chair factory, and devoted his
life to the promotion Of its pros
perlty. He was ffty-fye years
old. sQuare-headed and firm OF lip, and
esteemed as one of the most successful
citizens OF Dorhampton. He had be-
gun life on farm, saved money until
he had sufficient to begin a small busi-
ness of chalr-mendiag, and from the
first he had prospered. In addition
to the chair factory he possessed half
interest in the opera-house and was
one of the chief shareholders in the
Dorhampton street railroad The name
of John Z. Hough was synonymous
with success. lie was a man who had
made himself what he was legitimate
ly. before the eyes of his fallow-towns-
men; his attainment was in a measure
the towns attainment. He was re-
spected, admired.
He lived in large white house with
a cupo!a. and every weekday morning
he walked to the chair-factory, situated
on the edge of Dorhampton. and
walked home at noon to his dinner.
He had Il wife and one child a son.
tweuty-two years old. named Herbert,
whom he had sent TO The best college
that his son knew Of Mrs. Hough
was large woman with 4 plain. hC1id
face. she would have been singled
out by stranger from among the
women Of Dorhampton as the wife of
John T. Hough.
On Sundays Mr.. Hough attended
church with his wife, and after
hearty dinner. if the weather was fine,
he walked out alone into the country,
oftenest in the direction Of Krafners
woods. a considerable tract of timber
two miles from town. He looked about
him as lie walked: 1T tha trees, at the
sky, at the wide meadows over which
cloud shadows swept Once he stopped
to watch a calf frisking about its
mother. Again he paused to listen to
chirp OF 4 bird on the telegraph wire
He stood with his head on one side,
his large hands hidden in the pockets
Of his smooth gray overcoat. Reach
ing the woods, he proceeded slowly,
stopping often. and sometimes seating
himself on a log. Ee followed the
flicker Of red squirrels tail; stopped
over pale forest flower; stroked a
cushion Of delicate moss at the base
Of decaylng stump.
On one occasion a tree, recently
fallen, engrossod his attention for a
long time. He observed the withering
leaves, some OF them brown and brit
tie, others with a green patch Of per-
sisting life at their base. lie followed
the far sweep OF the branches, and sur
veycd the screen of roots higher than
his hat. Finally he seated himself on
short stump near by and took from
his pocket some sheets OF notepapor.
He held pencn tightly near the lead,
and put it frequently TO his lips Then,
recrosslng his legs, be wrote On the
uncertain support Of his knee:
Alas. you have fallen. o king
OF the forest! No longer VIII ring
The song Of the birds in your branches.
He ceased writing for a time and
compressed his lips. lie scratched out
branches and wrote over 1t "leavos."
Then be proceeded:
The winters cold storm when it heaves
Through the forest viii miss your
strong might
That resisted 1t all through the night.
Through many a gale you have stood.
Proud monarch Of all In the wood,
But at last the buffet OF Fate
Has brought you 70 this fallen state.
He read over what he had written
and resumed his contemplation OF the |
uprooted tree. Then he put the paper
and pencil IN his pocket and walked
home, his chin sunk on his crayat.
In the evening, after his wife had
gone upstairs to bed. he spread out the
notepaper under the sittlng-room lamp
and wrote, with occasional erasures:
So man, who has riches and might
Believes himself strong for the fight.
He has weathered the gales Of life
And expects to last all through the
strife.
But. alas. the time comes when he. too
VIII find that his triumph is through.
And he, Of whom people have thought
Ihare was no one so powerfully
wrought.
WIN be swept from his place by
breath,
The breath that we mortals cali Death
He copied the lines on a sheet of
fooiscap. writing in tail. back-sIantine
hand, quite different from the short
square characters on the notepaper. In !
making the copy he used a pen with
porcelain handle. which he diDped
In an ink-bottle covered with red
leather He had taken these from be. |
hind a clock on the mantel. At the
top of the sheet he wrote. ron Fallen |
Tree," and at the bottom, beneath the
last line, to the right. the word "Anon.y
He placed the paper in an enyelope.
which he addressed In the same tail |
back'hand to the editor OF the Dor
hampton Bugle Call.
Some time In the week following the |