English: Identifier: bloodforbloodleg00ball

Title: Blood for blood; a legend of the "big elm tree," Year: 1906 (1900s) Authors: Ballard, Granville Mellen Subjects: Publisher: Indianapolis, The Hollenbeck press Contributing Library: The Library of Congress Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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Text Appearing Before Image: andafforded shelter to the red man before the star ofempire had reached this latitude on its march ofcivilization. This grand old tree was admired bythe untutored savage as the monarch of the for-est, and the woodmans ax has spared it as alandmark of the early settlement of this section.Like the famous Charter Oak, it has passed intosong and story. There is a beautiful and romanticIndian legend connected with this grand old elm,which some years ago was made the subject of afine poem by Mr. Granville M. Ballard, one ofour most gifted poets. Since the old elm hascommenced to decay, and is fast traveling theway of all things of earth, we republish the beau-tiful poem by request of our readers. As it is alocal effusion, it should be preserved by all whodherish the associations of the early history ofour city. The Indian, the tepee and the trail disappearedat the advent of the white man, and the Big ElmTree could not withstand the mansion and thepaved street, and it, too, has disappeared.

Text Appearing After Image: 8 BLOOD FOR BLOOD A BALLAD OF THE BIG ELM TREE Red was the sun in autumn, And the sumacs berries were red; The sky had a trace of gray low down,With a blend of blue overhead. The goldenrod was flowerless,The alders leaves were gone, And the crown of the oak and the mapleWere turning yellow and brown. From caverns came the west-wind, Where slept her fairy clan,And over the strings of natures harp Her nimble fingers ran. She played, and the nervous aspenLaughed, while the beech tree slept, And the tulip tree and the walnutIn purple and russet wept. It was a mournful music—A dirge for falling leaves— A solace for saddened hearts that boreThe burden of garnered sheaves. 9

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