The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1927-09-22
I9riftvood from
the River of Life
by f. Z. CONME ELL
THE TOURIST
Continued

Home! There may be words as
sweet, words as tender, words more
resonant but within our language
there is no other word SO all-embrae-
ing as that simple word, home. Sac
red recollections, it awakens and ten
der memories cling about it as ivy
cIings to ruined places. Memories OF
innocent childhood, of happy boyhood,
of budding manhood when all the
world seemed bright and fair and
glory strobe the sunbeam.
Whether it be the hunter from the
hills or the hero from the wars;
whet'4r we come with laurels crown
e. u lent with anguish and sorrow
ana failure, the prodigal along with
II vietor-often in his dreams, yet
always in his hopes-at sometime or
other turns him to the old home.
But few of the cid neighbors re-
main. Their sons now till the soil,
ance pressed by the feet of those inn
mortal ones who, whether they lived
IA cottage or a palace, always kept
the lateh-string on the outer side;
those pioneers who shrank from no
danger. no toll. no sacrifice to erect
shrine to faithful hearts and hal
lowed memories; those members of a
sturdy race whose unfailing purposes
were to live uprightly, serve their
country and raise their children to a
condition better than their own.
What sacred memories ever cling
about the old home The little ceme-
terry on the hill with its green aisles
and its sentinels of marble and gran
tie bring reeollections that almost
sufficate and the old house with its
familiar rooms are now but the relic
of days that have long since faded
into the realm of vanished years. It
was there in the days of budding
spring or in the dreamy days of au-
tumnal glory. when the gold was on
the forest and the mellow sun poured
amber on the russell fields, that I
have watched my mother as she went
about her homework with song on
her lips. happy in the self sacrifice
she made for her children. 1t was
there as each autumn came and went
that I saw new silver in her hair and
new lines of coming age in her beau
tiful face, and her lovelit eyes grow
dim and fade from the scenes of the
earth and they buried her on the hill,
and my father, too, is sleeping there.
Iowa is a vast corn field. The same
may be said of Missouri which I in
vaded for distance of so miles at
two places. Northern Missouri is
building good roads and some of them
are already paved. I didn't see a sim
gle hayseed over there nor a single
shovel plow The country is some
what rough and billy but the people
aren't. They are progressive and in
telligent just like other folks. In
Mercer county I visited a mineral
spring that has been made into a
health resort of some renown. A fell
low runs it who has imagination. A
few years ago when the gland theory
was at it's height the proprietor of
these springs advertised, and truth
fully too, that his medicinal springs
would affect regeneration just the
same as would be affected by an
operation. Many flocked there to drink
the water and also to smell them
selves into health and youth. The
story is told that an elderly man who
was there taking regeneration treat
ments began showing real results
After takingthe treatments for a
week or so he suddenly awoke one
morning to observe that the hand of
the bedroom clock was pointing to
eight. Good Lord" he cried, as he
leaped out of bed, 81 shall be late for
school,"
| drank some of the water but it
didn't seem to affect me much. They
say that the proprietor had some Of
it which he claimed was four years
old which was pretty good. I didn't
sample it.
A visit to the old home and the old
home neighborhood is always a dis
appointment in a way. There you will
meet little Henry Bender for instance
Henry was headed for the peniten
tiary when you used to sit together
at school but when you meet him now
he is one of Iowa's most prosperous
farmers. And then there is homely
little Mary Jones. At about the age
of ten little Mary was a sight to be
hold. She wasn't pretty, Mary wasn't
but when you meet her now she ha'
Lillian Gish backed off the MAJ
when it comes to beauty and charm.
But why sermonize or indulge il
Renaissance Tomorrow we were t.
start on our long journey back tt
Montana and by way of farewell
again stood on the lawn of the oil
home where often in years agone
stood in the dying glory of beauti
full Iowa sunset and dreamed tn
dreams of youth, and realized hoy
few, alas how very few of life's hope
and ambitions had been realized am
how few of youths questions an
lonoinp,s had been answered.