Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1903-04-30
NItAI1llR 1.

mus Stands large OG-i0SnlOnCu lArh
house, around whose hearth stone not
many years agone q band of merry, noisy
children played myself the mcrricst,
noisicst Of them all. 1t stood upon an
rnincnce overlooking broad slrlp ol
roliing meadow land. at the extremity 0l
which was the old gray rock, where the
golden rod and sassufras grew where the
green ivy crcpt over the crnmbling wall
and where, under the shadow 0t the
tuorn apple tree, we built our llay
houses. drinking our ten from the acorn
taucors, aud painting our dolls races
with the red juice of the poke berries
which grew there in great abundance.
Just opposite our house, and across the
green meadow, was a shady grove, where,
In the spring time, the singing blrds
made their nests, and whore, when the
breath of winter was ON the SnO"-clau
hills Lizzie, Carrie and |, and our taller
stronger brothers dragged our slcds, dash
Ing swiftly down the steep hill ana away
over the ice-covcrcd valley below. Truly
ours was joyous childhood and ours
u happy home; for never elsewhere iel
the summers golden sunlight 80 softly,
and never was music sweeter than was
the murmur of the dancing water brook
which ran past our door ana down the
long green lane, losing itself at last in the
dim old woods, which stretched away to
the westward seeming to my childish i'm
agination the boundary line between this
world and the Eext.
In the deep shadow of those woods
have sat alone for many an hour, watch
ing the white, feathery clouds as they
glimmered through the dense foliage,
and musing, | scarcely knew of what.
Strange fancies filed my brain, and
loftentimes, as | sat there in the hazy
Tight of an autumnal afternoon, there
eame and talked with me myriads of lit
tie people. unseen, II is true, but still
real to me- There, on messy bank,
felt the first longings for fame, though
il did not thus designate il then. only
knew that ! wanted n name which should
live when | was gone--a name of which
my mother should be proud. 1t had been
to me a day Of peculiar trial. At school
everything had gone wrong. | preferred
filling my slate with verses, instead of
proving on 1t that four times twenty were
eighty, and that eighty, divided by TWEEN
", equaled four, and my teacher must
needs find fault with me, calling Inc
lazy" and compelling me to sit between
two hateful boys, with warty hands, who
amused themselves by telling me how big
my eyes and feet were. | hardly think
j should now mind that mode of punish
ment, provided | could choose the boys,
but | did then; and III the worst of hui
mors, l started for home, where other
annoyances awaited me- Sally, the house
maid. scolded me for upsetting a pan of
milk on her clean pantry shelf, calling
hn l..
saw and predicting that I'D one day
come to the gallus if l didn't mend my
ways"
Juliet my oldest sister, scolded me for
wearing, without her consent, her shell
side comb which, in climbing through
hole in the plastering of the school house,
accidentally broke. GRANDMOTHER
scolded me for mounting to the top of her
high chest of drawers to see what was
in them; and to crown ALL when toward
sunset, came in from a romp in the
barn, with my yellow hair flying all over
my face, my dress burst open, my apron
split from the top downward and my
sun bonnet hanging down my back, my
mother reproved me severely, telling me
l was "a sight to behold" My heart
came up in my throat, and with the am
cry response that 81 couldn't help my
looks--l didn't make myself" ] started
through the door, and running down the
long lane to the grape vine my favorite
resort, l threw myself upon the ground
and burying my face In the tall grass,
wept bitterly, wishing l had never been
born, or, being born, that the ban of ugli-
ness were not upon me.
Mother doesn't love me, | thought
nd Z, \
could die, for had heard that the first
dead of family, no matter how unpre.
possessing they had been in life. were
sure to be the best beloved in the mem
CRY of the living, 10 die. then. that |
might be loved, was al asked for, as
! lay thefa weeping alone and thinking
= my childish grief that never before
WINS a girl, nine summers old, so wretch
ed as myself. And then I fell asleep.
unconscious that the daylight was fast
declining, and that the heavy dew was
falling upon my uncovered head.
Meantime, at home many inquiries
We're being made concerning my where
abouts, and when, at last, night came
Oh and was still away, my oldest broth
er was sent in quest of me. | was just
dreaming that the trumpet of fame vas
sounding forth my name, when, alas!
invoke to find it was only brother Char
lie. making the woods resound with
Rosa Lee Where are you? Why don't
You answerT He stumbled over me Ms
lay. SEEKING me by the shoulder, he
exclaimed, "You are a pretty bird, scar.
Ing us out of years growth. Mother'l
scold you well for this"
But he was mistaken, for mothers
manner toward me was greatly changed
The torn apron and the chewed bonnet
strings were all forgotten, and in tn,
kindest tone she asked, IF | were no
cold, and why | went to sleep on tn,
grass" There were tears in my eyes, bu
l winked hard and forced them back
until Lizzie brought me piece of Gus
tard pie-my special fovorte-which
she said, "she had saved for me. becaus,
she knew how much loved it,"
This was too much, and sitting low
u Carries little chair, cried aloud say
ng in reply TO the oft-repeated question
rs to what allied me, that II didn't know
only 1 was so glad"
"Hystericky as u WITCH" was Sally