Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1924-05-22

/ EN~NAAtL
some of my brothers in the edge Of a
clover field while my mother talked
to us about robbing birds nests. Mem
DRY does not tell me whether my older
brothers had been guilty Of this Of
Tense OF not but the admonitions Of
+ my mother have remained with me
through life. In less than two years
that mother had gone to her reward,
leaving another memory Of a long box
supported on the backs Of two chairs
Z in the front room and after that there
are no more memories Of mother
Somehow or other in sort Of heed
less, carefree existence that memory
stuck out and its influence remained
unimpaired so that might say that
even the magpie's nest has been safe
from my marauding hands.
Michigan was settled up later than
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois because Of
the fact that it had many low malarial
lands where fever'n aeer abounded
and which the first corners intuitively
Stunned The whole country was COW
cred with heavy growth Of hard
wood: oak, elm, hickory, birch, maple,
walnut, butternut. cherry, with a
small amount Of poplar, box wood, !
and white wood. There were,Of course, ]
a few oak openings, places where for ,
some reason or other there were not :
trees and which were eagerly sougbk J
by the pioneers. Land was cheap at J
this time and with the remnants Of his i,
my father bought for
t2400 two hundred and forty acres Of Il
virgin forest and had small oak OPP !,
sning enlarged until he had clearing :
If about ten acres upon which to raise
,rOps and build q home. Preaching y
when ones teeth had ali been extract i
d was not possible and so my father !,
etired to the seclusion Of this prime :,
'al forest to await the time when his i
mouth should be In condition to ac- ~
ommodate a set Of atore-teeth. The \,
DAD TO this paradise had been cut !,
trough the heavy timber and wound
! and out among stumps and bouId- !
RS. Soft stretches of road, which =
'ere quite numerous, were covered
18th logs laid cross-wiseb innocent Of :
overing and so when on Sundax 4
forming the family rose at daylight
nd hurried through breakfast and 20
he process Of putting on their other 70
lothes it was necessary to start full
iree hours before church time Ia or 4
or that the family might not be dis x 4.
raced by being late. y
Little feet could not reach the floor -
the carryall and so clinging to the 3.
at with might and main, now up, -
Nv down, jerk, jerk, bump. the jour q
" to the church was an adventure ~
itself. Father meditatinR on the e.
ms Of mankind paid small attention "a
little folks and not much more to ar
q Dobbin who threaded his way Mu
rough the meandering road with !
ore thought for his own comfort ida
an for that Of the occupants of the aid
rriage behind him. A wonder # was for
At little heads were not snapped off \
len the wheels Of the buggy rose Asr
er an unusually high log only to ers
scend on the farther side with a ~,
mp that stopped with bump when
wheel encountered the next log.
Older brothers assisted in keeping :. -
J small ones safe in the seat yet - ~
netimes an obstacle was met unex- u,
,tedly and one Of the little folks : :
his seat suddenly to land in the i~t
t black mud of the road. Small Y
m was done because the road was cre'
I and hickory shirts and Jeans ing
users could be washed. The spank Dan
the unfortunate child received for a
earelessness was undoubtedly wee
mpted b ythe fact that the fathers For
had been disturbed and r
progress on the road to church de- mad
ed rather than the fact that the cons
her had to make the small boy pre- N
table for church. Hickory shirts GFs'
e like iron except the lower half Mrs
the sleeves. They were always D.
ie at home Of size suitable for Silv'
eldest and then as they shrunk relai
e handed down to the successors =.
he firstborn Of whom there were in G
'ral so that when they descended ~
ne, the fifth, they were often as rests
egated in color as Joseph's coat back
'use when . sleeve wore out the ssho'
piece inserted was usually Of a A.
b brighter color and often Of and
srent pattern. week
yeralla were unknown. In place. Mr.
hese when occasion demanded aIhome
Of jeans was bought and from this they
were fashioned the neither gar Al
b Of the boy members Of the FAM 20 n
WEnk Et1mG "a