An allegorical tale about an eccentric nurseryman and his apple trees. |
"Strewn Apple Seeds" Composing the day for an allegorical tale; barefoot and disheveled in coarse attire, an elderly man with a muslin sack thrown casually over his tawny back assured a giggling lad safely down from an apple tree. Upon second glance, the young chap offered thanks with glee to the renown applejack. With a wrinkled wink and a cheery chuckle, the small lanky gent offered the lad a sweet delicacy from his greengrocer's basket. Mutual singing blended 'tween the two, as they happily danced down corridors of the shady orchard. Sunshine and merriment were pronounced in kind, as the elder roamed hilly lands and country gardens; from Colonial New England states and across the Mid-western wilderness. Praised for his generous ways, charity and altruism, many a countryman, woman and child knew this jaunty wanderer as a friend of farmers, merchants, Indians, and a companion of all animals. Conservation respected, stories shared, seeds strewn, nurseries planted, and shrewd bartering by trade; John Chapman was hailed by another name. Known as an eccentric nurseryman toting a sack and a pot, Johnny Appleseed was America's folk hero; sharing cheer and planting apple trees became his fame. line count:26 Dedicated to the Stan and Pat Needles family, Findlay, Ohio. |