Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1904-10-26

-. cD=< his boyhOOd home, picture possi-
a -EA bly, 6miliar to many Of Us:
'~2IJf2l2 Twenty. one years is long time
to be away from the home OF your youthi that ls u
seems long to the youth looking ahead but someno"
or other it doesn't seem long to look hack over
The old landmarks haven't changed so much az
we had supposed they would. We found the ola
path through the wood lot along which we used TO
drive home the COWS at eventime. Tile drains nave
destroyed the springs town IN the marsny ianos anu
the swamp where the frogs to sit and carol their
songs and eroak their croaks has been drained and
turned into rich corn fields. The old well where we
used to draw water with chain pump and we use
to think it was the sweetest cOldest water tDat ever
came out of the ground, is now htted up Win "inu
pnmp and that some how or other was dlsappOint-
ment TO us The old orchard where used TO grow
some of the best and Of the sourest and orner
iest apple trees ever bore is mostly gone and the
trees we dotted on the most, the trees we useo 20
climb "a soon as the blossoms fell off in the spring
and the little green apples began to form, have all
rOted dowR and not one OF th old time apples coald
we find.
We wonder il cur 80 year old stomach could
stand it to fill up that green rnt snch as we used
to ill our bOyish stomach with when boy.
The old woods have mostly been cleared away ana
things dent look quite natural but then there are
some of the old worm fences left where the black
berry and raspberry bushes still grow rank ID tne
corners andhe pawpaw tEicket still remains aud part
Of the beech woods where the little red squirrels
wild grape vines loaded with the little sour grapes
which we use to like after they had been touched Dy
couple of white lFOsts.
Young men and maidens who have been born and
grown TO manhood and wOmanhOod since We left the
old home looked at us curiOusy as we wandered
about hunting for places that used to be familiar to
our boyhood wondering evidently who that old gray
haired greezer was and what be wanted and why he
was wondering about looking at old trees ana ola
fences and trampipg wood lots along the OlO
khn
where memOy brought back The sghtOf grazing sheep
and meek eyed cattle feeding or lying down among
the rich blue grass and chewing the guilds Of con
tentment.
Things seem to have shrunk up considerably since
we we're there before The big fields look like little
pasture lots and the wood lot isn't the wide expanse
Of forest it used TO be when 8 bareiooted boy We
vent ont after dark to hunt the COWS and saw old
stumps and eafess trunks take Ieariu Shapes =
the gathering shadows The wood lot used TO be
peopled with uncanny gOblins after night when We
we're ahov and in our imagination when night fell thai
forty acre lot stretched away until it Tvaled the Ole
black forests Of ancient Germany where roDOers ial
in wait for travellers seeking shelter ct lonely
castles.
somehov or other the woods on the old place nov
doesn't look big enough to hold single goblin o
r0bber.
It was over in that old wood where 3 long tim
aco black man whO worked at our fathers plac
vent ont with our father's two dogs to hunt 10
coous and il telling tree was killed by it. "
remember how the faithful dogs watched by To
body of the negro until morning ans then how one
them came il and gave the alarm and We have diE
recollection Of the assembling Of the c0Toner's ur
TO assertain how the old man came to bis death
though It must have been plain enough TO anybody
For many year after that time We never weL
through that part OF the woods after nghtall with
ontlo0kne about earluy for the ghost Of that Dlac
man that vre supposed might be wandering aDOu
the nlace where be failed to get the coon.
Here and there We met person We used % know
The girls We use to know are many Of them gran'
mothers and the boys We use to know have TO hul
Tor their snactacles when they read the paper stl
We told them ell that they had hardly changed
particle and they told us in turn that We locke
almost Is young as We used to look and even klnu
intimated that We had grown better looking with q
lapse Of years.
What blessed comiortit Is to be able to lie.
In case Of this kind We have no use for The ms
or woman who Is 50 cross-grained Or churlish
hide bound that they vii not lie. They did 4
fool us and We presume We did not fool them Dut
vas 40 much pleasanter than i they haq sal
ssWhv how gray and baldheaded and wrinkled y
have grown. You look as il yOu might Be 60 i =
ere 8 day.
And ii We bad said to the girls We used % kno
owen You have grown double chin see ana Z
erowsa feet are pretty thick around you1 eyes =
6ur voice seems 10 have several cracks 1n IL ane
notice that ron waddle as y0u walk end anouio !
vour waist would measure nov somewhere near f
6v inches wouldn't itI9
= ~ s ..atfav 81 faef khia Is about What We 81