Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-06-26

Peleg, but man is accountable for the
exercise of his common sense. Prove
all things, the wise man said. Science
is not science, and logic is not logic, un-
less you're sure.n
Peleg and Sophia went to the June
meeting. On the morning before Peleg
started for this gathering of excellent,
thrifty, well ordered people, which was
appointed to take place in little white
church on the green Of neighboring
town, he walked proudly over the corn
field, which had become like rippling
sea of green. The thrushes were sing
ing in the woods. and the robins in the
orchards and dooryard trees.
"There is music everywhere" said
Pc leg.
A dreadful discord broke upon, OF
rather into, the choral harmonies of the
woods and orchards and ancestral trees.
young crows, do believe, said Pc.
leg. "a whole family of them. Almost
grown up, too. How lucky am to
have q scarecrow like thatw
The June meeting proved delightful
to Peleg and Sophia. There was nothing
selfish In Peleg's soul, and he related Ia
several farmers who were delegates the
achievements of science as illustrated by
his wonderful scarecrow.
The day of his return was rainy. He
remarked to Sophia that they had need
of the umbrella which was protecting the
giant in the corn-feld. The latter Ger
tainly stood in no danger of rheumatism
or catarrh.
Never mind, Peleg," said Sophia
''it is doin' great service where it is"
Immediately on his return, Peleg visi-
ted the corn field. He stopped at tine
bars. The crow did not greet him from
the tree tous, but, could it be2 there
was black gulf in the sea of green. II
was near the wonderful giant, who wai
still holding the open umbrella boldly
above his head. The crow had surely
been at work there.
Farmer Tolley walked slowly toward
the desert in the late beautiful expansc
1t was raining very hard.
AS he approached the vacant space
his feet were arrested by sound that
made his lower jaw fall and his knee
tremble. 1t came from the umbrella.
"Caw, cav, caw!"
Could it be9
Out from under the umbrella darted o
dreadful object with wings like night
wildly calculating, cav, cav, cav"
The farmer paused.
81 never!"
There was commingling of Pluton
ian sounds inside of the umbrella,
wall as from an orphan asylum. Pres
emily out flew young crow.
Then another!
And anotherl
And fourth!
They followed their mother, makingi
long, solemn procession through the
windy, watery air. The poor things had
lost their umbrella, but not their mother
Farmer Toley stood like one petrifed
The collapse Of science and logic anG
theory all in moment as it were,
seemed to him like the blowing away OF
the world on which his feet offaith were
planted. But he had not been gaining
will power during the June meeting
to fall into passion on the very day of
his return. He recalled, too, what his
prudent parson had said about not be
ing over confident in a theory unless you
are sure that all the premises are correci
and we'll proved.
He only said mildly
'rl tell Sophia of that
And he added philosophically-
"When one plan does not work we'll
I've always noticed that the best way is
to try another"
The next day the farmer removed the
giant and the tall umbrella from the
corn field.
On the morning after the disappear
ance of the airy knight, very innocent
looking scarecrow appeared upon the
identical rock where science had met
such a signal defeat. To the outward
eye it was the figure of a man holding
; in his two hands gun after the mannej
of soldier presenting arms. Only
Sophia knew the terrible secret con
tanned in the immobile- looking figure.
The crow was up betimes on tha'
morning, and beat its way through tn,
sea of gray mist mingled with sunbeam'
to the 1.-the birch tree in the corner o
the field.
"Caw, cav, cawW
The figure stood like statue.
The brains of birds, like all brains
have their limitations; and to the crow'r
limited philosophy, that figure could no
be man. Corvus swung up and down
on the tree-tOp in the billowy mist, anc
now and then added its base notes to tn,
sweet choruses of birds that encircled tn,
field. Then he gl;ded gently down OF
level wings into the middle of the field.
"Bang !"
Did ever scarecrow fire a gun be
: fore
If ever there was an astonished mem
Der of the raven family, it was that one!
asst )nished not cnly that scarecrow
should fire gun, but that the effect
should be so harmless. 1t took the lucky
bird but moment to recover its wings,
and the way the latter propelled break
fastless body through space was some
thing remarkable in the achievements OF
aerial velocity. The beguiled bird left
the field in the dim distance before the
3 echoes of the gun had ceased to die away
aplong the pines.
Then the scarecrow walked toward the
/. farm house, and had talk with Sophia
The summer came, and autumn pow
l dered the autumn leaves, burned to gold
The purple swallows left the caves: tn,
partridge fluttered about the walls of thu
1 corn lands, and at last the wild gees,
again crossed the changing sky. Thu
farmer raised a noble crop of corn tha
: year.
The parson came to the husking. Peles
recited the history of the crop over th'
roast chickens, baked apples and pump
kin pies.
"Parson, !" said he, 'the premises o.
that last scarecrow theory were all cor
v rnnt rrnrn thnu NOT 2O