The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-03-26
A CLOUDY DAWN
A Story Suggested by the
Mournful Whistle of a Bird.
Household Words. ]

harsh, grating, but most summertime 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 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 COM
plexioned, with soft gray eyes and brewn
hair: an excellent housewife, for was not the
Mill Farm renowned for its butter and
cheeses? Where else were eggs so plentiful
or honey so delicious? No wonder Farmer
Hartley was accounted lucky man.
was sitting in the old-fashioned parlor,
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 the 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 corncrake
So II is, Miss Nelly; so it is"
Something in her voice struck me.
"Does it make you sad?" Iasked. 81 like
to hear the bird, though it does make such a
strange noise; it always reminds me of sum-
mer evenings when the grass is long"
eyes; that's when it comes. You never
hear it after the grass is cut. 1t reminds me
O. my young days, Miss Nelly"
''And we're they sad days. Mrs. Hartley?"
mot always; but the corncrake brings a
time o. trouble to my mind. Run away,
Bobby" as a curly-headed, red-cheeked
little lad put his head in at the door; "the
your father?"
Fathers in tn barn"
'Very well. Run and tell Sally to pick
out the brownest eggs for Miss Darlington"
Bobby disappeared, and there was short
silence, broken by Mrs. Hartley, who said +:
''Aye, mind well hearing the corncrake
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 long year ago now. Mother had
been i'll a long 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 wa. game
keeper and we lived in that cottage by
Northover woods. Me and Tom Marsden-
he was the blacksmith of Northover-had
been counting a long while, with fathers
consent, for Tom was well-to-do, and the
forge was his own. / thought deal of him
for he was good to look at, and strong
never a lad in the village could come
nigh him for looks or strength. And when
/ first knew him he was main steady, and
well thought of by all. But there was bad
lot O. fellows in Northover, and somehow,
Tom got in with 'em. Father he spoke to
Tom about il, for he said: It's no good
thinkin' tina can pla' VII mud, and keep thy
own clothes clean; some on it will stick, for
surep
''Tom laughed and told father he could
take care of himself, and as for catching a
stray rabbit or bird, it were bit o. fun on a
dark night, and no harm in it either.
'Says father:
"'Thou'lt not find it bit o. fun if / catch
thee at it,
$50 they parted in anger, and father came
home saying must think no more O. Tom
for that he couldna let his lass wed a
poacher.
"That evening when the dusk was falling,
sat by mothers bedside, thinking of it ALL
Father was out in the woods and mother
asleep, so the house was very still, and all the
windows open, for it was at this time o. year
And heard the corncrake in the field nigh
the cottage as plain as now, sometime quite
near, and sometimes farther away, as it ran
about in the long grass. Presently it stopped
croaking, as though something had startled
it, and then there was little rattle by the
lattice, like bits O. gravel thrown up. | goi
up softly, not to disturb mother, and looked
out, and there stood Tom against the fence
with gun in his hand.
"'l thought to have seen thee at shutdown
Eunlce, lass he said; I've been waitin
this half-hour by the brook
"T couldna leave mother says: shes
worse and weaker than while back, ant
father has gone into the woods. He's mail
angered with thee. Tom.'
"'Oh, aye he says, it's about the birds
but it's naught.'
81 shook my head
Father says he'll not have me wed thee
if thon dost not mend thy ways and leave
going with them poaching fellows. What
dOSL LnOu Wdnb Will JHtug lHOu bOfOi
used to need such like
"''Tis 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 are you doing with a gun?'
asked him.
may lass, thou art getting too curious.
Maybe I'm going shooting fiitter-mice,' he
says, laughing.
'Thou'lt break my heart, Tom,' / says.
What with my mother nigh to death, and
father angered with thee, and thou going on
this gait
"I'm sorry thy mother is no better, Eu.
nice, he says, but as for the rest there's
naught to fret about I'll come and see thee
tomorrow
Sand he went off smiling and waving hi
han0 as he turned down by the copse Ther
the corlcrake began again, croak, croak, al
round the meadow, and l sat and watches
neither with heavy heart till the stars cam
ont. and a young moon lying on her bach
which was an i'll sign, for you know tn
saying: M hoo.
There is trouble aloat.
.sPut hoped it might not be for me. TIL
cOrncrake nad gone anu Inere WAS hausht
he heard save the rustling o. the grass an
trees The wind had turned little chill, s
7 closed the lattice and lay ME down b.
mother awhile. / had been asleep som
time for the moon was low in the sky an
tbe dawn breaking, when / awoke wit
hearing trampling o. feet coming down tn
Inc. listened, and the trampling cam
naoyar and sounded heavy like, as il the
moro oayyving something. 1t stopped at tn
gate. and then heard the click O tne la'cl
Mothers room was at the back, so 1t was n
use to look out o. the lattice. ! was CREEP
ing softly down stairs when mother awoK
and asked if father had come In.
g 4 think he's coming now, mother,
said. I'll fetch thee cup o. tea and