The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-01-08

portunities OF his wife and daughter, who looked
away to the Prim little village down the Valley as
SHINING land OF leisure and OF possible social triumph
1t 7ooS lonely place for the women--that Stephen
generously admitted 4 long ridge, some fivc hundred
young people were leaving by and threcs as fast
as they grew up and the roads very bad and vsi
tors few.
So at last he sighed and said, "Al right mother, we'll
go, but III declare hate to give up the farm-I don't
know what in time III do with myself"
Stephen. that he was about to lose his treas
ures, recalled Martha'S delight she watched the work
men set the old oaken slab in its place He relivcd the
party she gave when the first fire was laid and thrilled
to remember how pretty she looked as she touched
match to the shavings and rccited little verse from
The Hanging OF the Crane" She was cheerful and
Stephen believed, happy; but when she went away he
began to realize that she had really taken in
the West. and now that he was growing old he him
self began to dwell more and in the land of his
Hampshire intervac
Yes, it was hardest OF all to loose the tendris of
lis heart from the hearth for though Serbia had
lrranged and rcdecoraed after her own heart Marthas
fireplace remained unchanged.
III let you have your way in most things Serilly
left left it, ~ ' O'' - -'' o0eS now just as sne
As The time for the migration drew near. Steohen
stole away from the dlsordcrcd kitchen to muse sadly
before the fire. He had consented to "vanduc" and
willing Serbia should sell all the furniture they
had, except few pieces that had been Martha's and
as there was no demand for the irons and brasses
around the fireplace, he expected to box them up
keepsakes.
The cottage in town seemed to grow smaller after
they moved into it, but Serbia and Carss were de-
lighted with It's snugness and went about cxtong Its
advantage" with fluent tongues rs small, of
course; but what do want with big house2 It's
just that much less work to take Of Besides here
we have pump right in the kitchen, and furnace,
and bathroom, and everything IS as neat as pin
10 cracks dark corners"
BY June he was settled into certain daily groove
You want 10 just lay back and rest, said Hiram Fox,
another veteran OF the pow that's what all the
of dom and we're dom it consccnously. The
town is full of tired farmers like us
Sometimes at night, when his wife thought him doz-
ing, he was really back in the old Cooy house watch
ng the blazing logs, his mind filled with delicious sad
ness. his eyes wet with tears. What it that had
gone out of bis lifc' Here he in perfectly COM
Portable room possessing horse and carriage, with
abundance 10 cat and cares-and yet the past,
with all his toll called to him that his throat accd
the thought Of it Oh, if he could only re-live it ali
In those dear days the wind was fierce the woods of
Winter desolae; but Marthas face shone ike star,
and the old heart rendered each night with his children
a poem. Work hard in those days but rest was
sweet Hunger was Keen but eating brought no i'll
in its ira in.
He was loyal to Serbia, the mother of his children;
but Martha was the wite OF his youth the one chosen
wholly OF his bcart-and her fireplace came to typify
all that sweetest aud most poetic in his life and in
the lives of his children 1t altar. Around it
they had gathered when the corn cribbcd and the
cattle housed for the night In its light they had
danced when the threshing and at Thanksgiy
ing time.
What will we do Thanksgiving Day and at
Christmas" he asked, one night We can't all get
into this little box OF place There amt tho
have nothing but hole in the floor to look at de-
clare it clean dishcartens me
Serbia little dashed but replied, comfortably,
"Wcll manage somehow, guess We can't have but
part of the children at time, that's all We can bid
your folks for Thanksgiving and my folks for Christ
mas"
This ranlled in Stephens mind, and thereafter he de-
spised his toy house 1t was good enough tenement
place to rent for while but as home IN which to
old, it revolving spite OF its shining paint
and spick and span furniture,
In reality 1t held out CHARM poetry, no assocla-
tons; rectangular dry-goods box and as
hoPelcssly prosaic as a golden oak wash-Stand
OF dim wide rooms lit up by the dancing freight;
robbed of the sagas the great trees chant as they roar
outside in the wild wind deprived OF all shadow. all
suggestion Something of this fitted through Stephens
thought. though he could not give it voice.
Mother" he said ono day, Il wish we had one
old-fashioned chairs and lireplace-
his wife frita6Iy NOBODY has freplaces now, and
how arc you going to have big room in this mousse
Nonsense This house is all right plenty big enough
for us-with Carss likely 10 go off any minute And
as for Thanksgiving and Christmas, we go to the
hotel and get dinner, or take cm in squads here at
home"
That wouldn't do" he protested ut wouldn't do
at all II wouldn't seem natural right for US to go to
hotel on such days Wed ought o have all such meals
At home"
well, you wouldn't build big house just to use for
Thanksgiving, would you?" - ar
:" d know but would" he answered, sturdlly
d know but it would be just about as good way 10
coop Let's buy the Merrill place and have room to
dance jig If to"
No, sirrce You don't kctch lvin on the edge OF
town. with sidewalks. j want TO be right III tne
centre OF things, where can have our telephone
lccrc lights and ALL
could put in the telephone" A.
i won't hear Of it, Steve 1 came away from the
farm to live town. and don't want no halfway ous-
ness in mine
Stephen surrendered to her Will and made 10 further
complaint.
They took their Thanksgiving dinner the hotel
and on the way home Serbia said, There! roI oce I
IN our lives. Cariss, we don't haze TO 'hI''S oi
That's right answered Cariss.. and yet it doesn't
seem a bit like Thanksgiving. does ii, pa t
Stephen did rot answer, for he lar away in the
holidays of the past
1t is traeic thing 10 grow old in daily labor but
it is almost as sad to grow old with nothing TO DO