The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Greetings to everyone in western Illinois.
It shore enough seems more like winter now that we've had a dose of cold weather, ice, and snow. I'm a hope'n however, that the weatherman's prediction for this winter to be mild and warm, comes true. What will be will be, we'll just wait and see.
A lot of good comments are yet being made about Stronghurst's Christmas gather'n a while back.
It seems everyone is pleased Stronghurst and La Harpe kept up this tradition whilst some of the larger towns have given it up. Congratulations and many thanks to all those involved for your hard work and preserverance in your efforts for the benefit of many folk young and old alike.
It seems there is yet talk about how hard these times are. There is some poetry by an unknown author which might give solace about your problems:
The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
That stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.
The man who never had to toil
By hand or mind mid lifes turmoil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.
Good timber does not grow in ease;
The stronger wind, the tougher trees.
The farther sky, the greater length;
The rougher storms, the greater strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snows,
In tree or man good timber grows.
Where thickest stands the forest growth
We find the patriarchs of both,
And they both converse with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife-
This is the common law of life.
James W. Foley, who passed on many years ago, wrote the following poem on "Stubbing Your Toes" which can be an encouragement for anyone.
Did ye ever pass a younster "et had gone an' stubbed his toe,
An' was cryin' by th' roadside sort o' lonesome like an' slow,
A-holdin' of his dusty foot, all hard an' brown an' bare,
An' tryin' to keep fr'm his eyes th tears that's gatherin' there?
Ye hear him sort o' sobbin' like an' snuffin' of his nose,
Ye stop an' pat him on th' head an' some way tryt' ease his woes,
Ye treat him sort o' kind like, an' th' first thing that y' know
He's up an' off an' smilin' - clean forgot he stubbed his toe.
"Long th' road o' human life ye see a fellow travelin' slow,
An' like as not ye'll find he's some poor chap that's stubbed his toe
He was makin' swimmin' headway, but he bumped into a stone
An' his friends kep' hurryin' onward an' they left him there alone
He ain't sobbin' er ain't sniffin' - he's too old for tears an' cries
But he's grievin' jest as earnest, ef it only comes in sighs;
An' it does a heap o'good sometimes, to go a little slow,
To say a word o' comfort to th' man that's stubbed his toe.
Ye're never sure yerself, an' th' ain't no earthly way t' know
Jes' when it's goin' t' come yer time t' trip an' stub yer toe;
To-day, ye're smilin', happy in th' bright sun's heat an' glow,
To-morrow ye're a-shiverin' as ye're trudgin' through the snow.
Jest when ye think ye got th' world, th' fastest in yer grip
Is th' very time, ye'll find, "et ye're th' likeliest t' slip;
"N" it's mighty confortin' t' have some fellow stop, I know,
An' speak t' ye an' kind o' help ye when ye've stubbed yer toe.
Well there ya have it then, some thoughts as we move into a new holiday season. The boys and I will be reflectin' on some of these thoughts for the betterment of all.
Keep on Smile'n
Catch ya Later
Barnyard Bruke