The Ordway new era., 1921-12-30

snoul1 1t all be shut up in booksT" ut is so, /"
said my father. God made the world and he
put the flowers here well the potatoes. !
have patience with those who do not follow
God TO be sure" said my little mother land
the weeds are here to teach us diligence and pa
uence-' But the quack,' said my father, that
might as well be left out" And the burdocks
said she, ARE excellent for beer and the leaves
are good for draughts." perhaps, If we could
see it." said he, "all things good" '"ris for
US to make the best of everything said she Ana
as our Jim up, she put her hand on his
arm and on mine and then said slowly: Ills a
world in which we make beautiful boys ana
girls-if first we ourselves are right. What more
could we ask"
And the birds, ah but you should have seen how
they nested about that house. "They will eat all
the cherries, said my Uncle George, and he raped
his cane Justify on the floor of the porch. But our
father smiled and said, Let us count them all
into our family. and plant for them also when we
plant" So he put in a few rows of peas more
and said. They for the orioles" And dozen
cherry down by the ferfce for the robins
and for the cedar birds who have cherry tooth.
Then he went up to the woods edge, nearby the
big beeches, where there wild cherries, and
into these he put scons of finer sorts; 'for the
birds. my boys" So the robins. and the bluebirds.
and the wrens, and indigo birds, and the gold
fnches. and the catbirds. and all other sorts OF
thrushes and fnches, and can't tell you how many
more. came to US and they filed the trees with
nests, and ehey paid for all they took in song and
helpful labor. And a robin built its nest in the
window seat of his bedroom and sang to him In
the morning. while he lay In his bed All, yes,
they worked well together. my father and the
birds.
The barn was not far away "'Tis not decent"
said the little mother. There should be shade
for the and the pigs and the hens" "You
are right. little mother" said my father and he
brought a load of willow sticks; and he planted
them all the way around the barn and its yard.
And these grew and throve nightly, and at last
they were great grove. that hung all the
barn and hid 1t. The little mother said, did l
not tell you?"-and then she drew the breath cooly
through one corner of her mouth. as she surveyed
the transformation Indeed, you did. little moth
er-you said it-and would have done It,
had you not" And the hens cackled their delight
and the at night lay down facing the moon
as 1t sifted in between the leaves, and all day they
were nicely comforted from the sun. And when
old Daisy went to the tub to drink she would look
up between sips, If to say, "The Lord be praised
for this shady yard" true barnyard is n de-
iightful place. full of peace and love. Lilah, the
collie, comes and puts her head through the gate
once hour and surveying matters says yes
all is 1t should be; all Is correct" then she goes
back to along where Jim and 1 and our father
are at work In the orchard. Or IL 1t be-and 1t
really is-or 1t ought to be. New Years day. she
looks In at the kitchen window. and waits till we
open the door that she may curl up by the fire.
But George III gets up on his hind feet to the
let him in. A true cat is half human. All. IL
buff they could once get articulation what
would of lit 1t Is well that they cannot
for they would rout out and dispossess half or
more Of the human sort. So with quack and
thistles, and talking cats. and collie dogs. we
should be made either wiser or killed or
"Come," said my uncle George 'let US make our
New Years CALI" In those days 1t was not vet
forgotten to be neighborly, and once year we nil
expected to look in each other, and break
bread, at least cut cake. And we sat down to a
bit Of gossip and exchanged news; and when 1,
was over everybody knew all about everybody
else. and there was need at all to print It. But
shall tell you nothing at all about 1t. 1t was our
own business and we were simple folks, and you
who live today have your big notions and you,
new ways and you laugh too easily. So our New
Years day went by In its own honely way. and VIZ
had our calls; and went home at night ant
rubbed our hands and our stomachs and were CON
tent Not one Of us envied your telephones ant
teIesraphs and other knick-knacks--or ever. gav.
Z them Z thought Bless the Lord, enough Il enough
and Il Il not likely you have any more Idea d
what WIN Be about hundred years from now
In6eed ! fhink they win call you savases Ptsh
1T What a.worId Of coucelt Il b. = /