Birds of Buzzard's Roost 



"When first the virgin forest heard the ring of woodman's steel, 

 And mighty oaks lay prostrate, the victim of his weal, 

 When bear and deer and bison roamed the prairie wild and free, 

 The blessed old log cabin was a comfort then to see." 



"In the winter when the wild wind howled and snow storms raged 



without, 



The great old fireplace cast a glow, a radiance all about, 

 And many a happy child's sweet face reflected in that light. 

 There a sturdy father grew joyous at the sight, 

 And there a patient mother, too, toiled busy at her loom, 

 For the spirit of the pioneer had yet no thought of gloom." 



There was an abundance of birds and wild animals in the 

 fields and forests about us. In these I was much interested. 

 Since my return to the city I have continued to be interested 

 in outdoor life, and that I might enjoy it have done much 

 tramping. I have not thought it wrong to tramp on the Sab- 

 bath. Indeed, while tramping on this day I have often felt 

 that I was near to God, who ''in the beginning" "created the 

 heaven and earth," and when He had created them, "saw 

 everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good." 

 It was on Saturday, April 17, 1897, the day before Easter, 

 that I took the train for Lawrence, where I found waiting for 

 me Jason M. Wheeler, a pupil of mine in a country school 

 which I taught up in the Fall Creek country when I was a 

 young man. Maly, for that was the name we knew him by, 

 and I have been warm friends since then. I went home with 

 him and spent the night. The drive to his residence was pleas- 

 ant, the day having been a beautiful one. It was good to have 

 a night in the country with a family so delightful as was his. 

 In due time we were served with one of those old-fashioned 

 country suppers like those my mother prepared for us when 

 we lived in the old cabin home. The affectionate regard shown 

 by each member of this family for the other was noticeable. 

 Easter morning we were up by five o'clock and the fields 

 seemed to be alive with robins and meadow larks the robins 

 carolling and the meadow larks singing "spring of the year, 

 spring is here." For breakfast we were served with delicious 

 country ham and eggs fried in the gravy. My word for it, that 

 was good eating. After breakfast Mrs. Wheeler played on the 



