Smyrna times., 1875-04-21
mise eIIuX e Ou S .
April and its Offspring.

SHOWS. balmy sunshine. the raw air of
November. April showers. sleet, and now
again Il steady and brisk snow-storln last
lng throughout the day and niglt-these
are the charms Of variety upon which. after
our late escape from March. We have han
iessly fallen. Can trouble cries the poet
least addicted 10 gushing "dwell with April
days: The poet probably had Just gone
through Winter like the last. and was
going out for the first time without his
overcoat or a cold in his head He inhaled
the ethereal mildncss for which the month
iias reputation, saw the alder catkins vel
lowing on the black boughs, and the willows.
;hat all Winter had been drawn in fine stiff
lines OF sepia against the cold sky, sudden
" wave in the sunlight delicate and airy
walls Of green. He fancied thew were the
garments of the invisible Spring, abroad on
her ife-giying journey: in his heated fancy
the black, gummy buds on the trees throb.
ted with al! the splcndor of the Summer;
the occasional chatter of the first pioneer
birds sparrow. woodpcckcr. and cat-bircl,
were the faint echo for him Of June's full
song of praise. How the poet Jared after
his April walk wa, over is NOT told.
but we have little doubt that it came
10 lainc and impotent conclusion in
an att2ck Of lumIago or catarrh. We
confess To settled dstrust of this kissing
traitor of a mouth. be its kisses never 50
Lalmv and warm. 1t i a slander ON every
hlush!ng hone,i littl" girl 10 portray April
q a maiden, arch. qYcct-breathcd and
'iebonair. He i>a Iniddlc-asaI old hum
hug. the color in his cheeks is not ,llin-deep.
his hair i white with wintry SHOWS. his
gayety is cruel. his breath is malaria. If
you trust his fair promises sent through
the fash Of the goldcnwinged woodpecker
IN the air, or the pink flush Of the trailing
arbutu' under the dead grass. or the blue
eyes OF the hcpatlca oIcning behind damp
logs among uncurling fern You will find
these are but deceiving fragments borrowed
IN advance from Summer To hide the linger-
ing disease and discomfort of Winter. Or
II you choose 10 meet April in town, you
are forced to patrol streets gay with pots of
Faster lilies and windows of shinmcring
gauzes and flower-sprinkled muslins. armed
with your Ulster and umbrella, liable at
every turn to a battle with hailstorm or
drenching rain. He can be trusted only
as the fox, who. ne er 50 tame or cherished.
will have a wild trick Of his ancestors"
We might tolerate the fellow durin. his
thirty days life, however, if he did not give
his character to 50 many people whose i'll
luck had dragged them into the world
while he had charge of it. An April day
you can guard against with fire, overshocs,
yourself against an April friend? The man
or woman born in this treacherOIIs month
Is not tickle, with gusty but sincere tits of
affection and prejudice, as we might sup.
pose. They are the sweet sentimentalists
in religion, friendship, or love; the friends
who send you bushels of flowers when
you are i'll, but never sit up with you at
night; who delight in long and frequent
letters of rapturous or despairing effusion,
but who would not stint themselves of ten
dollars to save you from ruin; If you move
out of town they will not remember you for
a day; if you die they will write an
obituary notice or copy of verses which
would bring tears from a stone, and will 60
TO the auction of your affects and brag for