The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-22
HE CALLED HER IN.

That ne'er knew dearth of them-my mother
dead,
Nature had nursed me in her lap insteadi
And had grown dark and eerie child
That rarely smiled,
Save when, shut all alone in grasses high,
Looking straight up in Gods great lonesome sky,
And Goa king mother to smile back on me.
'Twas lying thus, this fair girl suddenly
Came on me, nestled in the fields beside
A pleasan t-seeming home, with doorway wide
The sunshine beating in upon the floor
Like golden rain
o sweet, sweet face above me, turn again
And leave mel had cried, but that an ache
Within my throat gripped it could make
No sound but thick sobbing. Covering SO,
felt her light hand laid
Upon my hair-a touch that ne'er before
Had tanned me thus, all soothed and unafraid-
IT seemed the touch the children used to know
When Christ was here, SO dcarit was-so dear,
AT once loved her as the leaves love dew
in midmost summer when the days are new.
Barely an hour knew her; yet a curl
OF silken sunshine did she clip for me
Out of the bright May morning of her hair,
And bound and gave it to me laughlngly,
And caught my hands and called me "Little
GIRL"
'Tip-toeing as she spoke to kiss me therel
And stood dazed and dumb for very stress
OF my great happiness.
She plucked me by the gown, nor saw how
mean
The raiment-drew mo with her every where:
Shattered her face in tufts of grasses green;
Put up her dainty hands and peeped between
Her fingers at the blossoms-crooned and talked
To them in strange, glad whispers, as we
Walked
Bald this one was her angel mother-this.
Her baby -sister-come back, for kiss,
Clean froin the Good world!-smiled and kissed
them, then
Closed her soft eyes and kissed them DER again.
And so did she beRuile me-so we played
She was the dazzling shine-I, the dark shade,
Ana we did mingle, like to these, and thus,
Together, made
The perfect summer, pure and glorious.
SO bient we, till harsh voice broke upon
Our happness-She. startled as a fawn,
Cried, "Oh. Ills FatherI"-ali tine blossoms gone
From out her cheeks as those from out her
grasp
Harsher the voice came;-she could only gasp
Afrightedly, fGood-bye !-good, byeI-good- pye'
And 10, stood alone, with that harsh cry
Ringing a new and unknown sense of shame
Through soul and frame,
And. with wet eyes. repeating DER and GER
size called her in from me and shut the doorl"
He called her in from me and shut the door!
And went wandering alone again
So ionely-O so very lonely then,
thought no little, sallow star, alone
In all world of twilight, e'er had known
Such utter loneliness. But that 1 wore
Above my heart that cleaning tress of hair
TO tighten up the night of my despair,
1 think might have CROPPED into my grave,
Nor cared to wave
The ferns above it with breath of prayer.
And how hungered for the sweet, sweet face
That bent above me in my hiding-place
That day amid the grasses there beside
Her pleasant home!-"Her pleasant home?"
sighed,
Rsmembering;-t then shut my teeth and feigned
The harsh voice called to me, then clnched my
nails
So deeply in my palms. the sharp wounds panied,
And tossed my face toward heaven, as one who
pales
In splendid martyrdom, with soul serene,
AS near to God as high the gulllotine.
And had envied herr Not that-O mol
But l had IoHged for some sweet haven SOL
Wherein the tempest-beaten heart might ride
Whore those that loved me touched me with
their hands.
And looked upon me with glad eyes. and slipped
Smooth fingers DER my brow, and luled the
strands
OF my wild tresses, as they backward tipped
My yearnng face and kissed it, satisfied!
Then bitterly murmured as before
HHe called her III from me and shut the doorT
BE called her in from me and shnt the door!
After long struggling with my pride and pain
weary while II seemed in which the more
L held myself from her. the greater fain
Was I to look upon her face again
At last-at last-half conscious where my feet
We're faring, 1 stood waist-deep in the sweet
Green grasses there where she
First came to me.
The very blossoms she had plucRed that day,
And, at her fathers voice, had cast away,
Around me lay,
Still bright and blooming in these eyes of mine;
And as gathered each one eagerly,
pressed it to my lips and drank the wine
Her kisses left there for the honey-bee.
Then, after had laid them with the tress
OF her bright hair, with lingering tenderness,
I, turning, crept on to the hedge that bound
Her notwithstanding home-but all around
Was never sign of her! The windows all
We're blinded; and heard no ripping fall
Of her glad laugh, nor any harsh voice calf,
But, clutching to the tangled grasses, caught
sound as though strong man bowed his
head
And sobbed Observation-Disclosures
And then straghtway before
Ny fearless eyes, all wildly, was wrought
vsion that is with me evermore;
little girl that lies asleep, nor hears
Nor heeds not any voice, or fall Of tears
And sit singing DER and DER and o'er,-
"God called her in from him and shut the doorl"
James Whitoomb Riley.
Millionaire and Barefoot.
lis evening, and the round, rec sun sinks slowly