Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-05-05
urHO AND THE FERRY.

oliver! I was but seven. and he was
,o c1ssdia at me poutins and rosy. I blushed
r,.o, T Sad told US to play in the orchard (and I
.,s o1i su sst' at the farm; but he said: ooh.
wSh fis and went, he went over the
50 stile to the wood, ~
.,o on,i in the dark London smoke 1 had not
Al found it out. ~
81, near-trecs looked on IN tnelr Whlte, ana
hue h,ne-p too, We're angry as Oliver. Were
A"' they eleven! ,,. ra.
}" eleven!
Oliver went, but the cowslips were tall at
,,a All the white orchard with fast falling
naosso nnd over the branches those little
,,,;o hhansing head downward they scolded
pec"uAsc very great pity. One should be
mt soon was happy, the smell of the world
~ was so sweet,
ohor ! Knew! For I peeped, and 1 felt it was
" right they should cold!
rrrs small and eggs many. cOr guinness L
ind then some one clse-oh. how softly!-
came after, came AFTER,
With lnlghter-with laughter came after.
And no one was near US to utter that sweet
That soon very tired SAM low with a mystical
fall.
Nh nothing so likely; the voice might have
come from it even.
Light, blossom and piping, and flashing of
Not at ali. No. But one little bird was an
She pceped. She drew near as I moved from
w. her domicile small,
Then flashed down her hole like a dart-like a
dart from the culver.
And wuded atween the long grasses and felt
it was bliss.
So this was the country; clear dazzle of azure
And whisper of Of leaves and a humming all
White branches, a humming of bees. And 1
came to the wall
a little low wall-and looked over, inc there
The lane that led on to the village, md then
the sweet river,
Clear shining and slow, she had fur, far to go,
from her snow;
But each rush cleaned a sword in the sunlight
to guard her long flow,
And she murmur'd, %methOught, with a speech
very soft-very low;
1.-THE ways will be long, but the days will be
long" quoth the river,
ITO me, a long liver, long, long!" quoth tho
r%iver-the river.
1drcamed of the country that night, of the or
The voice that had Knocked, coming after and
over and under.
But at laSt-in a day or two namely-Eleven
We're very fast friends-and to him I conaded
the wonder.
He said that was Echo. "Was Echo a wise
kind of bee
That had learned how to laugh? could it laugh
in ones ear, and then fly
And laugh again yonder?" "No; Echo"-he
whispered it low
lM no one could find; and he did not believe
IL, Not he;
held us asunder.
Yeti that had money-a shilling, a whole sill
We might cross if I thought I would spend it"
"Oh yes, l was willing
And we ran hand in hand, we ran down to the
ferry, the ferry,
And we heard how She Knocked at the folk with
a voice clear and merry,
When they called for the ferry; but OH! she
Swift footed: She spoke and was gone; and
49, when Oliver cried:
"Hic over! hic over! you man of the ferry-
the ferry!'
By the still waters side she was heard far and
Wide-she replied,
And she Knocked in her voice sweet and mer-
ry: You man of the ferry,
You man of-you man Of the ferry!"
"Hic Overt" he shouted. The ferryman came
at his calling.
Across the clear ~reed-border'd river he ferried
us fast;
Such a chase! Hand in hand, foot to foot, we
=, ran on; it surpassed
All measure her doubling-so close. Their go
nv far away falling,
linen gone, and no more. Oh! to see her but
once
And the mouth that had Knocked, but we might
NOT yet sure she was THEREBY
NOR behold her wild eyes, and her mystical
- countcnancc fair.
We sought in the wood, and we found the
wOod-wren in her stead;
1hlhe Held. and we found but the cuckoo that
talked Overhead;
ny the brook, and we found the r~eed-sparrow
deep-nested, in brown
Not Echo, fair Echo! for Echo, sweet Echo!
was flown.
80 We came to the place where the lead peo-
rho PIE wait till God calls.
~ church was among them, gray moss over
very silent, so low; And we stood on a green
grassy mound,
AND looked DC E in at q window, for Echo, perhaps,
S'isnt have come in to hide there. But no;
IT,, every oak-carven seat
d empty, We saw the great Bible-old, old,
very old,
ana Inc parsons great Praycr-book beside it;
Of we heard the slow beat
" 'ne pendulum swing in the tower; we saw
0s thc clear gold
VIA sunbeam float down to the aisle. md then
r.. ~avcr and play
q, Oliver said:
LOOK Katie! look. Katie! when Lettice came
sbo mere to be wed,
II STOOD where that sunbeam drops down,
An, ana all white was her gown;
anu she stepped upon flowers they strew'd for
"sb,u Then quoth small Seven:
Am to walk upon, ever?"
A"ooubtful: ct takes a long time to grow
"y, up quoth Eleven;
Y re SO little, you know, n the church is
Joss, soolu, 1t can never
N"'' On I'LL you're tall" And in whispers
Ana because it was old
"Aa molly and fraught with strange meaning,
Fru lalf felt, but not told,
10'o VI old parsons prayers, who were dead,
Nc;,,o VI Old days, of old folk,
NE'ner heard nor beheld, but about us, in
Thop Whispers we spoke.
-"ea we went from it softly and ran hand in
Viii, hand to the strand,
mt bicating OF tiocks and birds piping
And EHaaade sweeter the land.
"' , Iho came back, cen as Oliver drew to
70 Kaiio !SF'! 70 katie!" "come on, then!'
M EOlllC ON. fhnnI w stFnr Gna