The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-08-06
A CLOUDY DAWN.
A Story Suggested by the Whistle
of Bird.

usUen, as the narSn, grazing, DIT mos
summer-lke of sounds came clearly
through the warm, still air this june
evening, mingling with the voices o.
the children playing in the garden.
Mrs. Hartley listened, too, and lool
came into her eyes as though she saw
some other scene than the sunny
garden and fair. green fields beyond
and the frightening shadows cast by
the elms. their leaves glancing golden
in the setting sun. She was buxOm
dame, fresh complexioned, with soft,
gray eyes and brown hair; an excellen,
housewife, for was not the Mill Farm
renowned for its buffers and cheeses?
Where else were eggs so plentiful, OF
honey SO delicious? No wonder
Farmer Hartley was accounted lucky
man
Twas sitting in the old-fashioned par
Tor. with its heavy oak beams across the
ceiling, its dark. polished furniture, and
old china bowls full of dried rose-leaves.
and wide-open latticed windows through
which fioated the scent of mignonette
and pinks, while Mrs. Hartley brought
out the sweet homemade cake and
frothing new milk in a quaint mug OF
old china
AYE" said Mrs. Hartley; 1.-THE corn
erake? So it is. Miss Nelly; SO it is. -
Something in her voice struck me.
'.DOes it make you sad?' 1 asked. 81
like TO hear the bird, though it does
make such a strange noise; it always
reminds me of summer evenings when
the grass is long"
''Yes; that's when it comes. You
never hear it after the grass is cut II
reminds me O my young days, Miss
Nelly"
land were they sad days, Mrs. Hart
leya''
'.Not always: but the corncrake
brings time o trouble to nv mind.
Run away. Bobby" as a curly-headed,
red-cheeked little lad put his head in al
the door; 1.-THE parlor is not for you
children. Where is your father?''
Fathers in tn barn"
''Very well Run away and tell Sally
TO pick out the brownest eggs for Miss
Darlington
Bobby disappeared. and there was a
short silence, broken by Mrs. Hartley,
who said:
Aye, 1 mind well hearing the corn.
crake that summer when my mother
died, and thought the sun would never
shine fair on me again, so full o. trouble
and death was it-many a long veal
ago now. Mother had been ill lone
while, and was nigh dying; for her life
seemed to 60 as the grass grew, and We
knew she would never bide here till the
fall o. the leaf Father was a game.
keeper and we lived in the cottage BY
Northover woods. Me and Tom Mars.
den-he was the blacksmith at North.
OVERHEAD been counting a long while
with father consent, for Tom was we'll
TODD, and the forge was his own.
thought deal of b, m, for he was GOOD
to look at, and strong; never lad in
the village could come nigh him fol-
looks or strength. And when / frs
knew him he was main steady and vel
thought of by all. But there was baG
lot Of fellows in ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
and suchlike-and. somehow, Tom 90
in with EN-. Father, he spoke to Ton
about it, for he said: ..lt's no goot
thinkin' tina can pla' wi mud, and keey
thy own clothes clean; some on it vii
stick for sure!'
Tom laughed and told father he coult
take care of himself, and as for catchin.
q stray rabbit or bird, it were bit o
fun on a dark night, and no harm in i
either.
Saws father:
''Thou'lt not find it a bit O. fun if
catch thee at it.
So they parted in anger. and father
came home saying / must think no mort
o Tom. for that he couldna let his las.
wed a poacher.
That evening when the dusk was fall
ing. sat by mothers bedside thinking
of it all. Father was out in the wood,
and mother asleep, SO the house was
very still. and all the windows open, fol
it was this time O year. And ! heard
the corncrake in the field nigh the cot
fage as plain as now, sonnet mes quite
near and sometimes farther away, as il
ran about in the long grass. Presently
1t stopped crOaking. as though some.
thing had startled It. and then there was
. little rattle by the lattice like bits O
gravel thrown up. got up softly, no,
to disturb mother, and looked out, and
there stood Tom against the fence with
a gun in his hand.
81 thought to have seen thee 81
shutdown, Eunice. lass" he said; 1--we
been waitin' this haif-hour BY the
brook.
Il couldna leave mother,' l SAYS;
<-she's worse and weaker than q while
back. and father is gone into the
woods. He's main angered with thee.
Tom"
.'Oh. ave-" he SAYS. .it's about the
birds; but it's naught"
/ shook my head.
Father says he'll not have me wed
thee if thou dOst not mend thy WAYS,
and leave going with them p,aching
fellows. What dost thou want with
them? Thou never used to heed such
Hike"
Its naught to fret about, lass;
they're none SO bad as thy father
thinks. I'll get shut on 'em when we re
we'd"
What art thou doing with a guna''
asked him.
NAY. lass. thou art getting too curl.
Oas. Maybe I'm going shooting filter
10 &C." he says, laughing.
..Thou'lt break my heart. Tom,"
ssys. What with mother nigh t.