Rocky Ford enterprise., 1908-05-08

Open and the people inside would
slowly emerge for the last rites 10 the
drama of -uneis BILLY"
Country ehurchysrds are generally
very beautiful spots. and flowers grow
in them on all sides The sense of an
eternal Sabbath seems broodihg
among the white hssdstones and over
the soft. grassy mounds that hease
between tho quiet paths
When Ne did rot 60 To church se
used tn drift, on To the woods and lie
down under the century old oaks and
watch the suhshins sift down on the
grass and tho leaves. There vas an
Understandable sense Of perspective in
looking Into the tops Of these wood.
land elders and wondering Just What
life and color aaa motion had passed
before them In long review since tho
time when the tree arst sprung as .
sapiinx from the hiiisides.
One Of these oaks sianted from a.
abrupt slope towards a shallow creek.
and under Il a sprink babbi~d up. /
where ~atrEcress~s grew. and where
the meadow. frogs rrndrxSoued. To
this spring resoEted sandry catbirds.
Jays and robins. tiitinx their heads
back and draining tn. cool water with
n particular relish. Fox squirrels
seamp~r~d up and down tho broad In,
eiinc Of this great tree. and occasional,
iy ~ayfsrink crows p~reh-d In the top
most branches. The grass beneath II
Vas thick and soft. and . continual
breeze seemed ~Scrpr-s-ni In iis up
per t~iks. however stiii the air vas al
Its base. Il was a v-fi,abic cioistcr.
The sTos.s ~-r. uei's hrst temples: sfs
man i-srn-i
To h-~ III. shaft. and lay the arehi.
traN-."
And many an hour ~- dreamed and
mus~d under the shade OF this forest
'-Siaihan until the waning run threw
shadows down from western battle
mcnis.
In the pastures and meadows the
sheep nibbi-d. haidiing In wooliy
mass mt III. approach Of any Intruder.
and dashinE away In panic At the SIGHT
OF dog. Cattle .razcd on tn. slopes.
or. nj III. approach Of noon. chcwed
the cud In the shade OF cims and
naples.
After church vas over the Sunday
schools took up. and the children SANG
Sunday school hymns and studied or
rccitcd their lessons until the time
came for them TO go home. The usual
custom after church was to go visit.
ing" This meant another hitchinE up
OF tho horses and trip Of from three
to seven miles to some ncishbor's.
there TO unhitch and stay TO supper
80 Ill all ~
news OF the ncighborhood.
The morning sermons are thrashed
over. the funeral. II there has been
one. carefully gone over. and the ante.
cedents Of the deceased. and OF his
Immediate relatives commented on.
Crops always furnish fruitful theme
for argument or prophecy. and the
men and the women Invariably sep.
arate and talk In different groups. The
men often gravitatc to the barn. the
women to the parlor. and the children
usually play In the yards. Visiting
Is one Of the tokens OF society among
the married folks. and the organ is
generally pressed into service and
little Sunday music and singing in.
dulged in. A girl who can play the
organ well has an accomplishment
which is considered an enviable one
in the country.
The advent OF some one from dis.
tant settlement always is hailed with
great interest, and have seen such
an arrival cross.questioned at length
by group Of interested bystanders. A
man like that usually has a grist of
fresh news to dispense. and until he is
pumped dry is an object OF general In.
terest.
One Of the peculiarities in life in
the country is the fact that great
many families are related to one an.
other by marriage. and nearly every
body is everybody else's thirty.second
cousin. The result is that there is
sort Of tab kept by each person on
all the births. deaths and marriages
that occur In the surrounding counties.
and the interest manifested never
grows less on account OF this distant
relationship.
Even when a man takes his family
and moves to another state he general
ly takes his old paper, just to see how
things are progressing in his old coun-
ty. and when he comes back. as he
often does, to take up his residence in
the same neighborhood from whence
he formerly departed. he is up to
date" as to the neighborhood happen
ings and can tell just who has died.
who's been married. and all other
items Of local moment.
These Sunday "visitings" are the
free.for-all debating societies of the
district, and friendships are cemented
or feuds started at them. according to
circumstances.
No business is ever transacted on
Sunday. and the inevitable remark is,
'.1ll see you tomorrow about that" IL
any talk approaches the semblance of