The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1886-07-29
A CLOUDY DAWN.
A Story Suggested by the Whistle
Of a Bird.


listen, as the harsh, grating, but most
summer-like Of sounds came clearly
through the warm, still air this June
evening, mingling with the voices of
the children playing in the garden.
Mrs. Hartley listened, too, and a look
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 a buxom
dame, fresh complexioned, with soft,
gray eyes and brown hair; an excellent
housewife. for was not the Mill Farm
renowned for its buffers and cheesesP
Where else were eggs so plentiful, or
honey so deliciousP No wonder
Farmer Hartley was accounted a lucky
man,
/ vas 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-epen latticed windows through
which doated 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; ..the corn
crake? So it is, Miss Nelly; so it is"
Something in her voice struck me.
s.Does it make you sadp" 1 asked. 81
like to hear the bird, though it does
make such a strange noise; it always
reminds me of summer evenings when
YES. that's wben II comes Won
never hear II after tho orsss IL cut r.
ram;nds me n, nv vo1nC dovs Mics
NelIv.n
ssInd ware tbav ..d d.rs Me- H.rL
levpn
.sNot alvavs. Init tho cornoraka
brinos n time q, tronble tn NV mind
Rum awav. Robbv. " as . cnrlv-baaded
red-obaeked Gttla iad mt his baaJ IN a.
the door. ..the narIor 10 not for Won
children. where is vour fatherpS o1
FATHERS in II, barn.
..Very well. Run awaya and tell Sally
to nick ont the brownest eocs for Miss
Carr;no ton -
Rohby d-;sannearad and tbere. mo.
abort s@;}ance broken bv Mrs Bortisv
who said.
Ave. T mind we'll hearing tho oorn.
CRAZE that snmmer when INV motbar
dicd. and T tbonobt the SIM Would never
shine fair on me- AGAIN so fnIl q, tro,bIa
arJ daa.h no. "nuo
600 nnw Mama had H. ;u oam
While and vas n;oh dv;p~. for har J liz
seemed IN oo 40 the erase Draw and we
new she would never hide here fiji the
fall o. the leaf. Father was a game.
keeper and we lived in the ootta%a hy
woods Nc and Tom &c.,
den-he was the blacksmitb at North
OVERHEAD been courtino a lone while
with fathers consent for Tom was well,
TODD. and the forge was h;s own 7
thought q deal Of him. for he was GOOD
to look att and strong. never a lad in
the village could come nigh him for
looks or strength. And wben T 6rst
knew him he was main steady and well
thought of by ali. But there was a bad
lot Of fellows in NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
and suchlike-and. somehow. Tom 0ot
in with 'em. Father. he smoke tn Tom
about it, for he said: dts no oood
thinkin' tina a pla' wi mud. and keen
thy W clothes clean; some on it will
sick for surer,
Tom laughed and told father he copld
take care Of himself. and az for catcb;n
a stray rabbit or bird. it were a bit q
finn on a dark night and M harm in :,
ether.
Saws father:
.sThou'lt not find it a bit O. fun If
catch thee at it,
So thew parted in anger and fatbe,
came home saving I must think NO more
o. Tom. for that he couIdna LET his lass
wed a poacher.
That evening when the dusk was fall.
ing. I sat by mothers bedside tbinkino
of It all. Father was out in the woods
and mother asleep. so tbe bonse was
very still, and all the windows open. for
# was tb;s time ~ yaar And + hsaud
the corncrake in the field nioh the cot.
tape as plain as now. sometimes ouite
ear and sometimes farther away. as 4
ran ahont in the lono grace Prosen.lr
it stopped croaking. as though Some.
thing had startled Il. and then there was
a little rattle by the lattice like bits q
gravel thrown mn. I got nm softly. NO,
to disturb mother. and looked ont and
there stood Tom AGAINST he fence with
a gun in his hand.
AZ thouoht to have seen thee a,
shutdown. Eunice. Lass he said. ..rve
been waitin' this half-hour bv the
brook,
81 couldna leave motber.n 7 saws.
ssshc,s worse and weaker Than a wiki
back. and father is GONE ;nto the
woods. He's main anoered with tbee
Tom
..Ob. aver he savs DTS about III.
birds. bnf it's nauobtn
shook INV hear,
..Father saws he'll not have me- wef
thee if thou dost NOT mend thv ways
and leave going with them poachine
s.Ii..,o &c ~
iciiowe' Wnde uosG tnou WANT VIII
menu Thou eve used to heed sucf