Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1909-07-30
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a ioIHp'H HUI iONuS' lHhi'ii7 Wv
ard wild
In the mapl"-$hadcd pasture, Where our
cottage used to sand,
And we owned a tim0ered forty OF the
richest river laird
Yes, owned it-oyerT inch OF lt-bS Ia
DORIS harH decree ,
And none. we ~thouGnt. in AL the "ofIo
were happier tAaN we.
Our cattle roWsH The Summer mis-
amid the bluegrass deep
And all the shady b~oti'm'Iands were
snowy Wlth our She'2:
twas IKE Il ale OF ltiTJ lore tAe HE
tEat we LEeI tlfn'
was barely tW"h'5-9.N and you
were only Ten:
IN the summertime OF plenty, when Your
tather went TO war.
II.
An. Jennie, r"m"mo"' We'll the day
twas late III June
I"ur la'her n" came r!uihg nom" IRON
town one afternoon.
AND his face was pale and hagGard as he
reached the door and thTPW
one arm around me daughter, Wnlie ne
iaid one hana on YOU;
And as my senses faltered, an" rceied
in bis embrace
1 read the feartnI meaning that WIS
written IN BIS face
X teit II IN the BOUNDING blood thaF peat
against my breast.
l needed not a spoken word-too well l
knew the rest;
And all that night IN dreams heard
the tramp OF marching feet,
ana tar away saw TIE tags gro" DIM
mer Down the street;
Gods finger put upoa it, when your faith
er went to war.
III.
Then you and I were left alone. We
tried a year or so,
By hiring help, to .crimp along. but
couldn't make it 20;
The sprinc-1oods swept away the corn,
tn. drouth of urnner dried
The grasses on the uplands, and we had
10 crops beside
So We parted with the cattle that we
could no longer keep.
sold the only team we had, and trad
ed off the sheen:
And when the winds of autumn shook
the pipe, about the caves,
And in the woodland hollows piled the
brown Orn,ber leaves
When the hazel-uuts were ripening in
the old familiar coDse.
And the wild geese wedging southwark.
far above the maDIc-tops.
And moved into the village, whenyour
~atncr wen. to war.
~.
linen winter came-a dreary tlme-a
night OF hopes and fears,
On every hand the widows wept, and fell
the mothers tears
a reign OK 0!ooo ana rum. Every DAY
some passing traln
Brought back a load OF mansled men
brought BACK the cotnned slaln;
Ana Jennie. ~ my Jennie ere me SHOWS
~, OF winter passed
1neE pore your laener oack 10 us-thev
y, oroush' nm nome d las,:
lucy sent h,n from Inc frozen nils' oe-
sac Lie !ennessee'
borne Gown AMIDST me oa'''e' "here tne
nv pla'es. l'te 20 t
IheS sent MN PACK a ruined man tor
ne a'oS' my chl'o!
l turned away IN agony Fa'ed as one
grown WIG.
Out why reI"ii 'ne stors now! Line
lather went TO war.
"
Times nav cnah.eu' we too' nave
changed 1o-nlSht the blue and
a. gray
slt round 1helr hres, with lighted pipes,
and pun their hates away
Bit spinning yarns about their camps,
until the drowsy stars
Put out their light and wage good
night across the twilight's bars.
Although my heart be broken, and al
though my hair be white,
And though the years have brought me
but disaster in their fight.
l am wicked in my weakness, I am cruel
to complain,
When yonder patient sufferer sits smil-
ing at his pain
Sits grooming in the Autumn moon the
ballads made to praise
The luster Of his daring in the old heroic
days
Sits dreaming, Jennie, dreaming Of the
The glory OF the ages, since your father
went to war.