The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-08-07

How quiet was the farm that after
nooni Everything nodded and dozed
I'm the sun or rested in the shade How
the sun streamed down on meadow and
field! The corn-blaies dropped and
wilted. La the old hill field could see
the men in the wheat, their arms sway
ing in perfect rhythm with the swing
ing cradles And how like silver the
bright blades flashed az they turnedi
The bees droned aud drummed lazily
about the old-fashioned cypress" uu-
der the sitting-room windows, We al
ways called it "cyprus," you know, be-
cause that wasn't the name Of it; and
they buzzed in vagrant fashion up and
down the long rows of flowers that lined
the path to the front gate. The morn
ing-glories had closed their bright eyes
of blue and pink, but a forest of A
o'clocks were getting ready to wake up;
the holl hooks stood mp like blo ssom-
ing beanpoles. always used to think
that Aaron's rod, when il brought
forth buds and bloomed blossoms"
looked like hollyhock; it YIELDED al-
monds, but it looked like hollyhock,
I know. The breath OF the old-fash-
ionel pinks-no, dear, they were not
carnations; he had no carnations then;
they were just pinks-came sweetly on
the air; and the fpowsy bush of "oId
man" Mt the corner looked old and wilted
indeed in the bla ing heat tall group
of suntowers stood mp like n cluster Of
hospitable umbrellas; the big bunch of
"ribbon-grass" looked rs seasonable as
n strired summer SAX, with the lark
spurs dropping over 1t on one side, and
on the other group OF rugged rob-
ms" standing up, cherry and blue as the
skies. As though it was not sensibly
warm enough to sight as well as feel
ing, colony of peoples stood blazing
away above their pale leaves, while the
coxcomb and Prince of Wales feather
added an unnecessary touch of warmth
to the paterre. And here,
there, everywhere - and trying
TO get somewhere else - the
Bouncing Bets" swarned all over the
garden, crept through the garden
fence. and ran right along in the cor
ners AID right 10y the. dusty roadside,
among the disreputable dog fennel and
plebeian rag-weed, clear down to where
lllb SAOuBD poSNo Vic lOat.
under the big Morcllo clbe ry tree by
the new we'll the one near the honse,
you remember, seventy-eight feet deep,
and yielded the coolest, clearest water
in America--and lazily Watched tow
struggling. feecy clouds sailing aim
lessly across the blue skies, as though
they had lost their reckoning, and were
only waiting to be picked up and set
right. 1 could hear thu old clock tick
solemnly away in the sitting room. 1t
limped little on its way around the
dial, and always licked loudest on the
lett hand swing OF the pendulum and
it had n startl ng way of going OFF at
une pected TINES in funny sort OF
noise that sounded like cough or
chuckle. whichever won d scare you
most. The girls had gone to town.
Grandma sat III the open sitting-room
door sewing. Grandlath stood in
the cool shade at the long workbench
at the end of tho kitchen, making
new singletree for the light wagon.
They could not see each other. l doubt
if they heard, or at any rate observed,
each others voices; but / could yer,
plainly see and hear each one, and /
forgot my book listening to them, and
trying to guess their thoughts from
their dis ,ointed. changing, abrupt frag-
ments of song. And the occasional
futter of leaves stirred b wandering
breath of wind, the sha lows dimpling
the second growth of red clover, the
stray ng note of "a restless bird, the
long, dusty road. stretching far away
past the woods to the high prairie,
the flash of butteriy's wings-how it
all harmonized with the broken songs
that fell almost unconsciously at times
from the old lips, while "the singers
were over with the business of the
house," while the whole earth is at
rest, and is quiet, they break forth into
nging. - robert j. BardeGe, IN
BrOOklu1l Edgie.