Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-08-31

While we we're resting at the inn in the
shade Of the temporary birch grove, my COM
panion lot fall, quite oarelessly and as If by
chance, this sentence "The younger mem
bers of the community while away the long
twilight with dances around the richly-dressed
May poles" 1t had a suspicious sound a
Baedeker rhythm, to it, couldn't help think
ing had heard it somewhere before but his
placid countenance betrayed no sign, and
charged my suspicious to oYer-sensitiveness
on the guide book question. and credited the
rolling sentence TO a sudden fash of literary
fire. But that sentence proved to be our tor
ment, for it began to ride us the moment it
was uttered. We inquired Of the landlord if
there was any twilight festival that evening.
He had heard there was to be. The boys and
girls usually trimmed the May-pole, and be
believed they danced around it at night. For
his part, he never sat up all night he always
turned in at IL o'clock, summer and winter.
The possibility of pastoral festival at the
romantic hour when the golden hues of dawn
meet and mingle with the sunset red was too
tempting for us to resist, and instead of ex-
perimenting with sleep we strolled village
ward from the inn at about eleven clock.
The sun had disappeared behind the trees an
hour or more, but there seemed to be no dim
mutton of his light The glare was gone, but
not the illuminating power. In the west a
line of red and orange clouds, recalling the
splendors of q Venetian sunset, changed slow
ly in form, but never lost its brilliancy of col
oring. strong diffused light casting no
shadow, came from the whole dome of the
heavens, giving an unnatural color to grass
and foliage. The strangeness of the effect
seemed almost portentous as if some great
convulsion Of nature were about to take place.
1t was like that glow of late sunset which in
other climates is rare and always evanescent.
No dew had fallen, but across the meadows
rose thin mist, floating lightly on the breath
of the evening, drifting into fantastic, ghost
like shapes.
Across the valley the distant hilsides were
harmonized by the softness of the light into
broad masses against the sky but still all de-
tails were visible as in the delicate haze Of an
afternoon in Indian summer. There were no
signs Of night in the village Doors and win
dows we're open, and children were playing
AROUND the PROSTATE May-pole. Perched on
the fences sat rows of men and boys, quietly
chatting. We sat on the fence also, and, in
order to feel more at home, began to whittle
little sticks like some of the men, and tried to
look as careless and contented as they did.
We sat there half hour or more, then chang
ed to a fence of another shape and sat anoth-
er half-hour, and still nothing particular took
place. Then we began to think it was only
kind of open air watch party to welcome the
midsummer sun on St. Johns Day. But while
we were meditating return to the hotel there
was a stir in the street and a party of stout
girls appeared upon the scene, bearing great
bundles of birch boughs, grass aud field flow
ers. Throwing these in fragrant heap upon
the steps of a house, they all set to work in a
busy crowd, and in a short time had woven
wreaths and garlands and were decorating the
striped pole. No loud words were spoken,
scarcely a laugh broke the stiffness of the
niobf I ya GOlannp alu1ncf rali0iOna
emony. From the red of the sunset sky del
icate rosy reflection touched the white sleeves
aud kerchiefs and harmonized the harsh col
ors of the caps and aprons. Even the crude
ly painted architecture was modified into un-
obtrusive quality of tone by the soft light.
One by one the busy workers ceased their la
bors as the ugly pole grew into graceful shape,
and spread long arms with trailing wreaths
aud tufts of flowers. The men watched on in
silence, the tired children stopped their whs-
pers and sat in ranks on the ourb.stone. Now
the cool draught of night only stirred the
leaves at intervals, the mist settled low upon
the meadows, and the wierd forms melted
away. A new light from some mysterious
quarter gradually spread itself over the land
scape, and even while scarcely visible chang
ed the general tone. The rosy reflection from
the west lost its delicate quality, faded into a
cooler light then changed to the faintest
tinge of gold II was the charm of sunset
changing to the beauty of sunrise. Slowly,
almost imperceptibly, came the transforma-
ton. The glory of the east rivalled for a
while the splendor of the west until the first
rays of the sun shot across the sky aud it was
day again. At that moment the pole was put
in its place by the strong arms of a score of
men, aud fastened to the post where it stands
the season long, shedding its dried leaves and
grasses with every wind that blows. As if by
magic the crowd disappeared. and we were
left alone. September Hdrpers.