The Baraboo news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1884-1911, 1906-01-10

railroad company in Baraboo shops,
and had for a companion, during
the winter months for several years,
Mr.. Ed. Rich, from Kirkland, Dev-
lis Lake. During these winters [
could always tell when spring was
approaching by the restless look on
Eds face. He would watch long
ingly for the first returning robin,
and as soon as he spied one he
would fold up his overalls and steal
away. He used to say to me: "Row
can you follow this tread-mill life?
Here you are rounding out your
goth year in these smoky, dingy
shops, without one CLEAN of sun
shine-a mere machine as it we're.
Come to the country where there is
poetry in everything. The lazy
droning of the honey-intoxicated
bee to the humming of the McCor-
mick mower-the patient grunting
of the old SOW as she furnishes the
monday meal for her numerous
family to the rhythmic splash of
Charley Dykes oars as he shoots
his boat across the placid waters of
the lake-all is poetry. Only in the
country can man feel that he's free,
elsewhere the proudest are but
slaves. Why should you not live
while you do live beneath heavens
blue vault, amid the fragrant fields,
by the ripping brook, and watch
the cloud-mists creep around the
purple hills and Gods banners flung
like cloth of gold across the sunset
sky. Come where you can listen to
the warbling of the robin and the
blueiay whistling to it's mate;
where you can wander beneath the
spreading oaks and commune with
the spirits of the hills with all their
dewey hair blowing back like fame.
"Of course" he continued, 1--WE go to
bed very tired sometimes, but we
are up bright and early next morn
ing watching for the rising sun, for
we know that from the moment
that his first, earliest rays CLINT
along the eastern base of DEVILS
Nose until that hour when his last
slanting beams shall gild the west
ern minarets on poor Zeimer's tow
er 1t will be one continuous round
of pleas1te."
After several doses of eloquence
like unto the above had been scared,
as with letters of astral fire. upon
my young and plastic mind, began
to think that perhaps I was one of
"Vanderbllt's white slaves" and
began making ready to spend my
remaining days in the country
"the world forgetting and by the
world forgot" At the first oppor-
tunity 1 approached the master me-
chanic and informed him that I had
decided to trail a double-shovelled
plow in the future, and that if he
thought he could keep the road
open without my assistance l would
ike to resign. He seemed very
much pleased, and said he would
have my time check made out in
fifteen minutes. AS soon as re-
leased I began casting my eyes
around for a piece of land. My
old-time friend, Mr.. r. R. Reming-
ton, said he had 60 acres and would
be pleased to divide with me. But
[ complained that it was rather
sandy. He said that was big ad-
vantage as could get out as soon
as it. stopped raining and cultivate
or work upon it, while clay soil was
so sticky you had to wait for it to
dry. This did not appeal very
strongly to my sense of the eternal
fitness of things as I never was in
very much of a hurry to get to work
either before or after a shower. He
then informed me there were many
other things in favor of the sand
it was easier to plow, weeds did not
grow so rank upon it and it was
much lighter gathering the harvest.
With this recommend Idecided I to
buy 80 acres.
Everything went swimminglY un-
til it came to marking the corn
ground. when I feared 1 was doing
a bad job. went over to my
neighbor, John Southard, as he
generally gets things pretty