Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1916-03-24
tons" said Marktree.

TONS" said Marktree.
During the day, while Hunter
John was assisting his mother in
preparing fresh food for camp, and
in digging worms for fish bait, the
partners took a stroll up back into
the woods around, and again visited
Stark hill, Marktree desiring his
partner to see the poverty-stricken
home. This time they found the
parents at home. The mother was
bent over wash tub in front of
the door and the father was at work 4,
planting little patch of new stony
land among the stumps. Two of
the children, boy and girl, were
trudging up the hill from the brook
that ran below with pail of water.
One little girl was with her father
in the planting patch dropping
beans, another sat by the window
holding baby, and a wee little girl
was tottering about with rag doll
in her arms. This was the picture
that appeared to our visitors as they
came into the small mountain clear
ing. They lifted their hats as they
approached, and addressing the
mother, Marktree spoke thus: John
Hunter and called quite early this
morning to see if we could get one
of your little boys to go to the vile
with some letters. John assured
me that your consent might be taken
as granted, finding you absent. so
he engaged the boys to go as one
did not want to go without the
other"
That's all very we'll, Mister. The
other children told me they'd gone
to the vile with letters for gentle
men,"
You are in pretty wild spot up
here all by Jour selves, aren't
your" said hardwood.
"Oh, yes. Mister, poor folk have
t live way back We know. We're
pioneers in the mountains, m very
preventive as we see. And did We
never veesit the Green Mountains
afore?" she asked.
No." replied hardwood, this is
our first excursion into the Green
Mountains" Her husband, seeing
the visitors in the dooryard, and
pacing along up to them with his
hoe in his hand, accosted them thus:
"Howdy do strangers? Glad to see
ye! | am Ebenezer Libertree, a
tiller of the sile.
Then hardwood, taking him by
J the hand said, All honor to the
man with the hoe. Liberty is en-
throned upon his brow bowed earth
ward in humble diligence. Oft has
it been seen that the diligent and
faithful use of this implement of in
dustry has been the Alpine staff to
its user unto the higher service of
liberty. Many of our countrys'
greatest and grandest men have
been the men with the hoe. He is
not the slave of humble toll, but the
liberator of the wealth of soil, it's
honest producer by the sweat of his
brow, causing the edible products of
the earth to spring forth to feed and
clothe mankind. The blessings of
Heaven shower upon his humble
toll, and the wisdom and all the
learning of the schools are enhanced
and uplifted by it. Birds light
among the blossoms and flowers of
his humble diligence and sing their
anthems of praise. A man may be
simply a cog or a spoke in the
wheel, but if he is true steel or
sound timber. he is filling a vital
part in the great system of the
worlds enterprise, the grand ma
chinery of human progress. Be-
cause he is the man with the hoe he
is none the less necessary to the well
fare of mankind, than the man who
fills the more responsible positions
which would not be attainable nor
supportable were it not for the man