The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1910-09-08

hiding place behind the garden fence
row. The long gray watermelon
sprawls It's lazy length In the sun.
shine. and the little striped pome-
gnnate plays hide-and-seek with the
black cricket in the dying crab-grass
around the old stumps in the field,
THE red wasp builds her many-celled
nest in the briar patch where the
largest backberries grow, and the
catbird still makes her summer home
In the plum thicket. The speckle-
bleastod thrush comes again az ev-
entide and sings her sweet duet, and
the uncultured blue jay still takes
his old time Friday tours. Bob
White" stands ON the golden crown
I'd wheat shock and pipes to his
neighbor In the next field. and he
red bird and the "Go-ree" do picket
duty down the fence row In the win
ter time The big-eyed owl comes
al sunset TO relieve the marauding
hawk that kept watch over the chick
ems during the day. and the bare
footed boy returning from the pas
lures in the dusky twilight wishes
for the wings OF an eagle that he
might fly from the lonesome sound
OF the innocent little screech owl
that haunts his pathway home.
The cows wait at the bars TO be
turned into the lot once more. and
the horses whinny at the stable for
their evening allowance OF fodder
The squcaling pigs still beg for corn.
and the cackling geese continue their
silly gable until darkness closes in
the night, leaving them 10 keep
time through the silent hours with
the accompanying potrack. potrack,
potrack' OF the speckled guinea hen.
The early bloom OF the May apple
opens its folds and looks softly up
20 the swelling red bud. while the
violet and the crocus coQuet with the
peach blossoms that quietly come 70
bid goodby to the drifted snow
Then the plum and the peach and
the apple with all their delicate unts
shading into higher colors. and along
with them the dewberries. and the
strawberries. and the raspbeuies
and the mulberries. and blackberries
and the huckleberries. and the goose
berries. and the grapes. and the mus
cadines. and the pinks. and the ros
-. and the pansy. and the calumus
and the chamomile. and the dock
and the horse-radish. and the old
fashioned garden teeming with its a
bundance OF vegetables. Oh, the old
home garden with the wild apricot
vine hanging its rich drapery all a
round, after n fashion that mans
hand viii never improved
These and a thousand other rich
blessings are a part OF the early
home life OF every country boy. I'm.
appreciated in childhood. in after life
they spread their beauties out be,
fore the man In dazzling panorama.
Beneath the tall spires OF great
cities he dreams Of them. In clois.
tered cathedrals they haunt him.
Turning the corners OF strange street
he stops 20 catch a glimpse OF tree
tops that he vainly strains his eyes
to see and as he rises on the burst
ing pillows OF a storm-tossed sea
the familiar silhoutte OF his old home
beckons him back across the wave.
In childhood the boy looks out into
life with hope for better home, but
In old age he realizes that the early
country home wRs the best the world
had TO give him. God made the coun
try and man made the town, and for
that reason IL may be that the ooun-
try home is most like the one that
shall be given in the new land to
which man Journeys. Blossoms and
birds are more than spires and domes
and trees and vines have in them
more beauty than festooned buntings
In the weary worrying days and
nights that grind away the life and
weaken the soul powers of man, give
me the old country home on which
to rest my tired memory. When the
burning daydriyes me feverishiy into
the lonesome night then let me UNI
pinion my fettered soul and steal
sweetly back and lay my fainting
heart down to rest In the midst of
birds and bees and blossoms that
live together in such sweet harmony
around my old country home.-Cum-
berland Presbyterian.