Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1908-07-15

near Los Angeles, Cal., june AL
,yssn we think of Maine, our old home
s,.,e-apd we think OF her often, else We.
..0,ld not continue our association meet
..as and annual picnics each OF us thinks
=, things. scenes, neighbors and associa-
.,ons with whom we had to do aud with
-.or, associated at every turn OF our life
more on the farm, on the river, bay, or in
the shop.
r,ere comes in memory picture after
..;c.ure of old and familiar scenes; and SO,
hen we meet a brother and sister Maine
70 ant in this golden West, it surely is all
right and proper for US to entertain him or
her and he or she us, with "reminiscences
a, those other days so dear to Us, and
which formed so important part of our
,ie then and helped make it what it is
now.
1hsd such brother doing little job
NJ work for me not long ago, and while he
,,orked | talked and he talked. We were
comparing notes, as it were; refresh
ing our memories on past events, the
events of our boyhood days together; for
ne was a neighbor boy OF mine-we at
landed school in the same little red school
house: we had sat on the same hard
benches; tried our sharp iackknives on
tse same soft pine desk-tops. We had
carved much and ciphered a little;
.crstched and ruined our states with poor
nencils; recited poorly, sitting on the
same front benches, recitation seats; stood
in line. toeing the same chalk mark or
crack in the floor in the same spelling
class; missed the same words.
We had had our brains roasted at the
same hour before roaring fire in the
same cylinder stove thatI stood in the
center Of the schoolroom floor, with its
long pipe rising up to and running along
the low ceiling, hung on many wires and
ornamented with many dinner pals of
various sizes to meet the needs of the
representatives OF the families OF the dis
triet. We had felt the same wind at the
same time as it whistled through the
cracks around the windows and in the
open-work floor.
We had played bat and ball on the same
green, in the same game; climbed the
same cedar rail fence, too, and drank from
the same little spring, from the same din
er-pail cover. This spring had been dug
out and walled up as little well, only
foot deep, and had an abundance OF green
moss clinging to the rocks which grace
fully waved in long richifolds toward the
center OF the spring caused by the restless
ness Of the water bubbling up from be-
low. And there were little pools about
the spring filled with pollywogs and tad
poles of all stages Of growth, wiggle-w ag-
ging their way from rim to rim OF the
shallow basin. And in the path that led
through the little piece ofispruce forest
to the spring, my friend ..and had trod
upon and assisted: the Iother half hun
dred pupils, more orr less, in wearing
smooth tree roots that made sort of cor
duroy OF the path.
Empty tin dinner pals and their covers
were used for drinking cups. Talk about
I'osken buckets, mOss-covered'' hung to
long well-sweepslXrhe boys arm is sweep
enough at a bubbling spring., and his
thirsty lips will want nothing better than
a bright tin cup in which he can see mir
rored his rudy face as:he gulps down the
cool, sweet, sparkling water, almost losing
his breath in his hurry, his countenance
beaming with delight.
Each one OF US has mind the memory
OF some dear spot in Maine where we
hunted or fished, where we trod wood
roads and cattle pathslthrough the forest.
We remember how we tipped our heads
back in discomfort, almost dislocating
joints in our necks, looking up to the tall
pines, watching their graceful, tasseled
tops sway to and fro inIthe light wind or
the gale.
We remember thereagle and the fish
hawk, the crane andlthe crow; we spent
many an hour watching their maneuver
ings on the wing. The fishhawk seemed
especially to enjoy sailing the sky when
swept with stiff breeze. He would, with
apparent great effort,.h to windward for
awhile; then come gracefully sailing back
with the wind. We have seen him practice
this maneuvering, making many trips
against the gale, in which he appeared,
70 DC very proud of. his skill and sue
cess. We have enjoyed watching him
and wished we, too, could fly like him.
we may be able to before long; it looks
like it; the signs OF the times seem to
point that way
Even then we tried to fly, making wings
Oh our coat-tails, lifting them over our
neads with firm grip. upon their corners
with our hands; not .onIy the boys, but
The girls tried to fiy,:too,land their dresses
made better wings than our coats. have
seen some of the girls come within an ace
Of flying when strong wind swept the
neid, bending low grain and grass and
shaking apples from trees in the orchard
near by.
we boys and girls ofthatsperiod enjoyed
the fun OF trying to fly and building air
castles to fly to, and our failures, perhaps,
IS much as the fishhawk his successes in
sailing through the air when he would