The Vinita weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1905, 1904-10-06
MEMORIES OF FARM LIFE.
Thoughts OF Boy of Ten as Related
by Him When Man OF
Sixty-Six.

At $3.50 a M. the boy is perched
on the barnyard fence, impatiently
waiting for the hired man" and
"hired girl" to finish milking the
cows. The boy bangles his bare feet
TO drive away the mosquitoes. while
he uses both hands to relieve the itch
ing and burning caused by the invlsi-
BILE "no-see-ems," says Forest and
Stream. He looks at the mud nests
under the caves, and wonders why the
swallows desert the cliffs when barns
appear in the wilderness. 'It shows
sense, anyway" he muttters to him
self.
Before the mixers are out of the
yard the boy jumps OF the fence; the
straight spruce bars rattle to the
ground, and the cows pass out, one by
one, with clicking OF toes on the
lowermost bar. The boy puts up the
bars, then waits for something to
happen, ''0ld Short Legs" the leader
OF the herd, braces herself, throws up
her head. and sends out a blast that
causes the air to vibrate, and the boy
TO wonder, for the hundredth time,
what IL is all about
Down the hill through the narrow
lane the boy follows the COWS, listen
ing to the rattling Of hoofs, while he
wonders why COWS have split hoofs
and the horses round. The end OF the
lane is soon reached. The boy drops
the bars, and as they rattle to the
ground he hears another boy letting
down bars in the edge OF the woods
across a burnt land clover aeld But
the boy does not care for echoes this
June morning; 1t is bird life that
claims his undivided attention.
Down by the brook in the alder
grounds blackbirds are sending up a
wild chorus. On all sides the boy
hears the songs Of native birds. The
loud carol Of the robin. the clear notes |
OF the song sparrow. the tender strain |
OF the Peabody bird, the rich. rolliek- /
ing roundelay OF the bobollnk. the /
sweet, canary-like triil Of the thistle
bird. and over in the burnt land clover
field the sprightly song Of the house
wren arises from many a blackened
stump. Why the little bird was called
house wren was beyond the boy
knowledge He had never found
nest near a house. while nearly every
hollow stump in pasture and field had
its tenants. years later the wren5
disappeared with the hollow stumps.
but In that locality-northern Maine
did not build In or around farm balld-
ings) The boy visited several robin
nests In the pasture The nests were
all In the roots OF upturned trees. The
boy wondered what the robins would
do when there were no upturned trees.
The boy climbed over the rail fence
into the clover field He was no stran-
ger 10 the birds: he had provided
breaderumbs and nesting material, so
The birds did not resent his curiosity
Two mornings before he had saved
The eggs of pair OF house wrens by
killing large striped snake that had
made its way to the top OF the nest
ng stump. Il was this nest towards
which he struggled through the
.angled clover {
II tie birds did not resent his visit
he bumblebees did The humble 9
bees, little and big. thronged the
lover field. and a scent Of honey was
n the dew-laden air. but the boy
'ould not tell whether il came from {
he bees or from the sweet clover 5
blossoms. He found nine eggs in the
Fren nest They were rosy white ,
ensely covered with brown dots and
'atenes The boy thought they
ooked like costly gems. such as his q
airy books claimed for the prince and
rincess r
While inspecting the wren's nes.
be boy thought Of breakfast and y
hereupon he climbed back to the lane
omeward bound He did not follow
be lane TO the barn. but turned of
, visit the spring AZ the foot Of the
Ill When he stopped down TO 4
ueneh his thirst there looked M 10 81
i'm a ten-year-old boy with round u
ice. blue eyes, and mass Of curly x
rown hair.
To-day. Sc years later, the same boy n
neit 70 drink from . Massachusetts, fc
BRING. The face that looked M to y
In was the face Of an old man. long h
nd wrinkled. The blue eyes wera "
iere. but the mass OF brown hair haa u
sappeared. and thin white locks had
ken It's place Be-
Al. me- How the years are drift v
e. b
a