St Johns College - Yearbook (Annapolis, MD)

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.if ii i s fi Wt li oughfare. There was not even a sound of life, save the whistling of birds and the barking of squirrels in the woods, with the silence broken now and then by the loud cawing of crows flying overhead. I permitted the dog to wander where he would, and sat for a long time musing, when at length I heard a rus- tling among the leaves, and then I espied on my left the sparrows along abroken-down fence ily away, as if fright- ened by the approach of something or someone, and it was not long before I saw emerge into View among the tall weeds a little old man, who seemed to have a pecu- liar interest in the scenes I had been enjoying. The iiight of time had left its traces in the furrowed, care- worn Visage of the stranger, and he sadly shook his head, as if from the force of peculiar experiences, or at least, strange recollections grouped about this hallowed spot. I He had not yet noticed me, but as soon as he heard my dog thrashing about in the underbrush, he looked up as if startled. This expression, however, was only mo- mentary, and as soon as he saw me his cheery f'Good morning l caused me to feel that whatever of care or sorrow had left its sting upon his life, he yet possessed the most kindly feelings towards his fellow men. I ap- proached him, and after a little preliminary talk, our conversation turned to the panorama spread out before us. I was rejoiced to find that he was not only willing to talk upon the subject, but as might be surmised from his mysterious head-shaking, he was also possessed of 150 an accurate knowledge of the circumstances which had transformed the old homestead into an utter wilderness. Said he, H I love to wander about this site, for every breath I breathe upon these dreary hills seems to be laden with recollections from the history of a sad and misspent life, yet recollections which bring to me many a lesson 5 for I have not been untouched by the hand of sorrow, and it is always a help and comfort to me to think that my lot in life is easy as compared with that of other poor suffering mortals. I think it is bad discipline to be con- tinually bemoaning one's own hard lot, without thinking of the trials of human creatures besides one's self, and I also think that what has proved to be such a benefit to me might equally prove a source of benefit to others 3 so if you are inclined to listen, I will try to relate the prin- cipal incidents connected with the history of the ruin be- fore us. Of course I jumped at the proposal, and after seating ourselves upon a log by the edge of the woods, there in the heart of nature herself, uninterrupted by the noise of busy occupation, and with a chipmunk on the fence as our only observer, he related such a tale of human yicis- situdes and woes, yet withal blooming with rich moral blossoms, that I have ever looked upon that beautiful November 11101'Ill11g as furnishing one of the richest ex- periences of my life. The substance of the story, told as nearly as possible in his own words, is as follows :- I think it was in the Summer of i 52 when my

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Gbe Mb lbomeateab. T XV.-XS a bright morning in early November. I had started out immediately after breakfast for a tramp across the country, taking with me gun and dog, in the prospect of seeing game. I had met with my usual ill success at gunning, but Was not in the least dis- heartened. The reason will be apparent to all lovers of nature. I inhaled with exuberant spirits the clear, blue air. cool and crisp with the frostg and the rugged scenery of the country through which I was passing made me oblivious to the discomforts of jumping branches, climb- ing fences and forcing my way through tangled briars. In fact. I did not care much Whether game was abundant or scarce, as I had plenty to occupy my attention and to prevent me from becoming weary. I found pleasure in the rustling of the forest leaves and the tinkling of covv- bells in a distant meadow g and then I enjoyed Watching the frisl-:ing of the small birds and squirrels among the branches of a gigantic oak. Vnder such circumstances as these, with nature at her best, I could easily imagine the sentiment which prompted Cowper to sigh, O, for a lodge in 501116 vast I Wilderness! But there was more yet to be seen. I soon arrived at a spot which, for its picturesque scenery as Well as for the signs of desolation and desertion exist- ing there, might well have been sufficient to inspire a Goldsmith to write his Deserted Village. I sat upon the fence-top in order more fully to absorb the scene. I was on a hill overlooking a narrow, irregular valley, hemnied in on all sides by a thick belt of Woodland. What once might have been a prosperous farm was be- fore my eyes, but it was novv naught but ruin and deso- lation. Coarse weeds, waist high, had taken the place of the golden Wheat and corn, and briars with their sharp thorns clutched at the passer-by, and seemed to warn the intruder from the sacred sight of the old home- stead. The barn was now simply a pile of rotted logs fallen upon its stone foundation, and of the house scarcely a vestige was left save a dilapidated portion of the stone chimney. Down the hill from the house was a rippling brooklet, issuing from a spring beneath the roots of an enormous maple, and there Was also a slight trace of a Wagon road leading in the direction of the public thor-

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father first moved in this vicinity, and although my home is many miles from here now, I always manage to pay occasional visits to my former home, and whenever pos- sible, to commune with my thoughts in this secluded spot. At the time of our arrival this farm was owned and cultivated by a highly respectable family answering to the name of Hielt. Of this family there were only three sur- viving members,-the father and mother, and a son john sixteen years old, about the same age as myself. john had an impulsive, somewhat poetic nature, but was, alas, too easily influenced by circumstances, which fact often led him into serious blunders. Furthermore, I may state that he was very fond of his parents, and seemed to delight in fulfilling their wishes. This feeling of love was returned by them 3 so that the three formed as happy a family as it has been my lot to look upon. t'There was a public school about a mile from this place which we both attended, and as the road to it ran through my father's farm, john used to stop for me in the morning, and in the afternoon, after the session of the day was over, we invariably strolled homeward together. Often times when I was at leisure I would accompany him to his home and help him with his odd- ends of work, while at other times he would return the same favor. So we lived peacefully and happily in each other's company, while the neighbors were wont to aver that when either of us were seen, the other could not be far behind. 1 151 How I remember the holiday tramps we used to take through the green fields, and amongst the huge trunks of the forests ! Never so happy were we as when, the days chores being completed, we found ourselves in each otherls company, to delve into the haunts of Nature and pry into her secrets. John was naturally bright, and also studious, and it was not unnatural that, under the influence of his pict- uresque surroundings, he should develop a taste for natural science. He borrowed several small works on botany and read them, and collected quite a number of botanical specimens. He acquired such a love for the study of nature that he had almost determined to lead the life of a naturalist, when a single incident, seemingly of the most trivial character, was sufhcient to turn the bent of his inclinations towards a profession which calls into practice not so much the sympathetic, loving investiga- tion of the lower orders of God's creations, but rather a cold, critical study of human nature itself. I mean the law profession, and the fatal incident was this: 'Une day at school after a particularly interesting lesson in Grecian History, the teacher asked john a question which had for its object the testing of his judgment as to cause and effect. His answer, though not remarkably brilliant, was good, and elicited the remark from the teacher: ' john, you ought to be a lawyerf This remark, though said in a joke, preyed upon his mind, and from thence forth he ceased to take so much interest in his botanical . F