The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1942-09-10
Turning Over An
Old Leaf
By Phillip A. Gladheim

] There were faces to remember in the
Valley of the Shadow;
! There were faces unrcgarded, there
were faces to forget;
| There were fires of grief and fear
that are a few forgotten ashes;
There were sparks Of recognition
that are not forgotten yet"
One of the places of my childhood's
tender memories is Crooks Crest
AS the fall season came with the
warm, calm September days, the
chestnut burrs would open. Crooks
Crest was a rendezvous for us as chill
dren | can still see Leah Sincell (now
Mrs. Carlton McComas), Mary Sin
cell Roberts, Dudley King Cloth de-
ceased)with salt sacks that gave every
evidence that the salt had hurredly
been dumped into kitchen bowl.
Immediately after school was out
we would ascend Crooks Crest with
our salt sacks and in a short time pick
chestnuts from under the large trees
that grew there. Often we would have
to pry them out of the sticky burrs.
i 1t was customary to ask permits
son; sometimes we did and at other
times we preferred the excitement of
the owner coming after us.
Among those who live don Crooks
/ Crest in the Chestnut Age lit seems
now as remote as the Glacial Age),
were the Bush's. Thirty-fve years ago
( this family moved from Eglon, West
! Va, and until within the past few
years operated a summer boarding
house that became very popular from
the start Mr.. Louis Bush was very
kindly gentleman, and he was always
willing to grant permission, but adj
monished us to exercise carefulness,
! and not to damage property by
: crawling over fences and making
ones self PERSONA non grata by
breaking off branches or climbing to
the top of trees in order to shake the
chestnuts to the ground Mr.. Bush
died several years ago, and the large
| house, which was the original summer
boarding place, burned to the ground.
In spite of the loss of her husband,
the destruction of the large house,
and the care of an afflicted daughter,
! Mrs. Bush with her intrepid spirit
rose triumphantly over all reverses.
Four years ago she and her daughter
| Ora were in car accident. Their lives
were spared, but their BODIES were
wrecked. Between the care of doctors,
nurses in the hospital and the Great
Physician at work in their souls, the
mother and daughter, by their mighty
faith and perseverance, achieved an
other spiritual triumph.
If you have visited them you can
see in their faces and by the general
appearance Of both the interior and
exterior of their home, that in spite of
| their crippled condition, all is immac-
ulatc and in order. OF the two Miss
! Ora received the worst injuries. Ad-
ded to her chronic affliction one would
expect such suffering to crush the
spirit But when in the presence of
Miss Ora you arc not in the presence
of a sufferer She reflects a sense of
health and well-being, just like her
devoted mother, that reminds one of a
spiritual fact: miracles still happen
where there is faith
Mother and daughter, handicapped
with bodily limitations, have done
their own housc-work and besides
have tended to their garden and lawn.
In order for the daughter to go up or
down stairs it is necessary for her to
sit down and by use Of her arms rest
ing on the palms of her hands, lift
herself slowly step by step. 1t is be-
lieved she will walk again without the
use of crutches.
Now after thirty-fve years Crooks
Crest will see another change. The
chestnuts have been gone these many
years, and now the Bush's leave. They
have sold their property to Mr.. and
Mrs Robert Hoffman and most of
their household effects have been sold