Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

50. girl. And also, one morning the children brought in all the things they had made for her birthday one by one. She exclaimed over them and seemed so pleased – One evening late, with Elmma (sic), Bertha Mary & I in the room, she asked for the old prayer in German starting “Müde bin ich – “ - they all recited it together; Mother K, ­closed her eyes, and it seemed to me then that that was the end, and how beautiful it was to go like that.(However it was not until the following Wednesday evening that she passed away, after we had come back to the Gardenville.)

     For it seemed like the passing of all the remaining hold Ohio had on me. I had grown to love the farm like a second home, and now it too was fading.

Saturday afternoon – took Martha, Catherine & Arthur to see “where I burned a tree down” – we entered at “Posts”, from the Painter road, and got into Pinehollow at the beginning of the ravine. The children I believe expected the remains of the tree to be there yet – I found a burnt stump near the spot which I declared must be the one. This little episode had something of the mystical about it. I could hardly describe how I felt. Somewhat of the strange unreality of a dream. I had not imagined