The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1922-03-02

the family, for II he saw no deer, II
was never difficult to find plenty Of
squirrels. On other days he sat on
the sunny bank Of the river and
fished. and the fish we're 80 abund.
ant, and the fishers so few, that he
seldom failed to carry home a plenty
for all the family.
As for work. there was not great
deal Of il TO be done when Frank was
boy, and as he was the youngest
Of eleven children. he did not have
to do much Of what was done The
thinly settled country was covered
by a virgin forest Of noble oaks,
beeches, and other trees. The mast
from the trees fattened the hogs. and
so when the family tired Of game.
there was pork TO be had. Cattle and
horses ran loose in the woods and
found their own feed most Of the
year. Bringing in these animals and
running errands were the most ardu.
Gus forms Of labor that fell TO Frank
He passed most Of his youth in the
woods, and he loved them as ardent
~ as did ever dusky saeage, but
his boyhood passed without his hav-
ing learned to work.
The time finally came when Frank
had become a man, and had family
to support. His country was chang
ing rapidly-had already changed
greatly. No longer could he be GER
tain Of obtaining food with his rifle
or his rod The deer were becoming
scarce and very wild. 1t was not so
easy to find squirrels. The large
fish. which had formerly been so
plentiful, were now seen but rarely.
The smaller ones were more wary,
The hills were becoming more thickly
peopled. The great oaks were being
rapidly cut and foated away to mar
ket The hogs no longer found
plenty of mast on which 10 fatten.
The time had come when a family
could be supported only by work, and
Frank had never learned to work.
His family struggled along as well
as it could. His wife got him TO
work occasionally and blamed him for
his lack of diligence. She did not
realize that he was as much a child
of nature as was any Indian, and as
poorly fitted for life in a white mans
community where every one must live
by toll The children grew up. some
how, tho often hungry. As soon as
they were large enough they helped
their mother in the garden and the
field. Their father worked little
and hunted much, but now he usually
came back from his hunt empty.
handed
He was mutely unhappy. He felt
that life had somehow been unfair to
him. In his boyhood he had been
able to ramble over the leaf-carpeted
floor of the forest. and at the same
time do his part toward supplying the
family needs. Now he still liked to
wander over the hills and among the
trees The tw;ttering of the birds:
the distant tinkle Of the bells Of cat
tie and sheep; the hammering of
woodpeckers on the trunks Of dead
trees; the whisper of breezes in the
foliage Of the forest-all these things
spoke the language that his soul un-
derstood. But now the happiness
which he felt in the wild woods was
tinged with guilty feeling, for food
was no longer to be found there. and
he had children at home TO be fed.
The children are all grown now,
and Frank Blevins is an old man.
He is generally regarded as a failure
for he has not provided well for his
family. But no one knows what has
gone on in his heart. The stream
of life has left him stranded out
Of place. Conditions have cruelty
changed about him, but he cannot
seem to understand the difference.
In his eyes there is a wistful sadness.
His thoughts seem always far away.
No one understands, no one sympa-
thzes with him, but deep in his
heart he is living again the scenes of
long ago; he is longing for the far
off days of his happy boyhood.