San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-06-29
The Elders Vacation.
ny 4. 7. wORDES.

1uO IiuCE vaSoSsOs"
BYA. I. wORDES.
The Elders books are laid away and locked
his study door.
His manuscript, and skeletons are scattered
on the floor,
His ink Ii slowly drying up ana dust Is over
all,
While spiders weave web across the DOCK
shelf on tho wall.
lie has gone TO hold communion with his
God among the hills,
And An peaceful meditation lose the thought
of natures ills,
That with busy fingers Intervene the silver
In his hair,
Or bend his shoulders downward with heavy
load OF care
Prone he lies on summer hill sides, while the
gentle summer air
Plays about his naked forehead, lifting up
his scunty hair;
Forgotten Is the village bell, while heavy.
laden bees
With drowsy hum his spirits lull among the
signing trees.
Mayhap he threads northern wood, along
some brawling stream,
Forgetting rod and basket for the rivers sill
yer CLEAN,
And catches spirit. voices in the tiny water
fall
That dim his eyes witt, foolish tears and
buried forms recall.
And childish laughter ripples out from ed.
dies mt his feet,
To preach n gospel to his soul-so gentle and
so sweet
That fairy fingers smooth the lines from out
his carcworn face,
Aud give the worn out pulpit back look of
youthful grace.
Anon he loops the gaudy fly to coils of silkcn
line
And drops It into yonder pool, where placid
eddies shine
hand and sure,
Before the greedy trout he draws the mock
ing, painted lure.
Splash See the placid silver pool in sudden
tempest boil;
Taut draws the slken line across the splash
ing and turmoil,
And, see, the Parsons check is red his eyes
arc all alight,
And trembling hands adjust the reel to min.
gle in the fight
O,royal fish now seek the deep, or plunge
through heaps of foam;
Essay to break the singing line that draws
thee from thy home;
Break. break, Alc slender pole that bends be-
fore thy noble strength,
Or supple rod and silkcn line will wear thee
out at length.
Now moves the line in ceascless round, no
longer huns the reel;
No eager plunge or maddened break doth
line or rod now feel;
But worn and gasping on the tide his beau
tcous cOlors CLEAN,
Expiring in the landing.net, the monarch of
the stream.
Now doth the Earson ponder deep the lesson
of the fly,
And Satan's wiles cast on life's stream to
catch the youthful eye,
OF silkcn threads that bind the soul-plungc
madly as 1t may
The ccascless round and giddy death, and
net that lands its prey.
But now the sun sinks in the west, behind |
yon grove of fir;
The night hawk sounds his warning note, the |
evening breczes stir
The dogwood blossoms near the stream and .
odOrs downward shake;
The Elder shoulders rod and net, his home
ward way to take.
o. worn and weary toilers in the dusty ways
of life,
Come out from hooks of study and forget the
useless strife;
Let sunlight lure the tardy blood along the
shrunkcn veins,
And bnlmy spruce and bosky meads drive
out the scent of gains.
Leave books to midcw on the shelf or turn
again TO dust,
As those who wrote them long have done;
forget ambitions lust,
Aud lay the throbbing head once more on Ma.
lures velvet breast;
The moan of streams, and swaying trees shall
bring you trucst rest.
Utica (N. W Observer.
A ROMANTIC Alta CHMENT.