Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1889-06-12
THE GRUMBLER.

while tho other saw a great deal both To-
amusc and interest him. Is a good deal
older than Sandford and Merton, where
most OF us read il In the old DAYS of long
AGO. No doubt, lit Is" as we say, ..as
old rs the hills"-thouSh wise men hay,,
not vet quite settled how old they are
-tnd n true n such proverbs usually
arc For, as general rule. the eve sees
only what II wishes To sce or cares to- see:
and there are none SO blind rs those
VINO won't see" and thcn. pcrvcrscly
enough. try to comfort Themselves with
another old saying. What the eve secs
not, the heart DOESN'T crave
l had been reading an old volume of
Danish proverbs about Eyes and No
Eyes. rs II Glanced, one day I'm October.
Just before setting out for ramblc
through the woods: ami as wandered
on down one of the grassy roads | sud.
'seniy came upon couple Of squirrels at
playa downright game Of frisking
roDp. The carpet under my feet was
soft and thick
Golden AMI rel p,,rplc ard brown.
Lightly the woodland lcave. came down
Flutt~rtng here and whirling, there
All Ina the hs<y. am5irnt air;
so that not a football could be heard. and
could watch the two little merry sprites
by simply getting under the boushs of a
great copper beech and standing still.
without chance of detection.
II WAS n day OF dead suitry calm: and
rs watched and listened. there fell on
me nm air OF intense stiffness and silence
that seemed To fill all the wo,M Right
and left of me. ON every side, were dense
MASSES OF trecs-tall feathery silver birch:
broad spreading bccches. with smooth.
solemn. massive trunks; sturdy knottcd
Vows, looking ~ il they had stood there
Tor centuries: strong mighty oaks. with
gnarled and twisted stems that stretched
across the winding pathway. as if ON
guar'i over the quiet domain. Some of
them knew well. for | had seen them
IL I'll wcatlcrs: and again and again
rounu shelter from rain or sun under
their spreading boughs. They seemed
ike Old friends, who bctray no trust:
evo1 In winter stanci and true, as If
sandinS and waiting In patience and in
hope for the far of but sure DAVIS of
sFr'as. the tli9c Of E2w lifc aai light;
lining ana dying without sufcriny or
sell reproach; and gifted with the divine
gift of silence" which. according to a
hiodcrn sage. Is the most eloquent of all
speech. for those who can hear IL, when
" The Book Of Nature Seticth short of
Saves
B.t however golden" such silence
NY be, and however divine the prophet
Of Cheyne Row, this one OF woodland
voices was, like all other mortal dreams.
brought suddenly to an end. All at
once. not hundred yards away. there
came pounding along over the dead
leaves little old man in q long gray
ccsit: with his hat pulled down over his
-yas. and stout ash plant in his hand.
with which he slashed vigorously right
and left among the briers and nettles
il was old E!zie Iiartle. a strange odd
creature. who lived in lonely cottage
n. the end OF the village. and spent most
OF his time in minding other peoples
business business of his own he seemed
to have none: and the neighbors knew
no more as to who or what he was than
they did when he came among them, a
stranger. twenty Ayears ago. He had
money enough to pay his way and keep
out OF debt: was without encunbranccs
Of any kind, and seemed to have neither
relatives nor friends that ever cared TO
write to or visit him.
Jacob. the posfman. afilrms TO this day
That no letter ever came TO him by post
but a circular from the surveyor of taxes
at the county town. Tho moment | set
eyes on him in the wood went back to
my book Of Danish proverbs, and to one
particular line therein, which said:
Some there arc who see i'll, aid wouldn't
mind seeing worse and there before me
wa3 the very man whom the words fitted
10 T.
We'll, squire" said the old man, ne
lie came up. heres day for October.
regular, swcltering. moldy sort of
day, call 1t; enough to breed fever all
over the place. No wonder there's two
more cases OF measles down at the keep
cr's: not tho two boys that got bitten by
The sheep dog last week. but girls this
time: poor. sickly lot! and 10 wonder,
with such mother"
such a MOTHER said I. "Why.
what's the matter with the .mother?-as
clean. tidy. hard working n woman as
yOn'll find in days march,"
Nonsense, sluire-nOa-s onsc! They
Ell gin, now, up at Dlurridgos the
draper, and II Mrs. Cutters isn't ono OF
bis best customers. my name isn't
iSartle. No. no: l know what | know.
iuire. though don't want it TO 20 any
further"
you had bcttor not let II 20 as far as
hcr husbands ears. Ellie. or no might
tumble you Lsto the horse pond and not
help you out again. It's deep. Bartlc.
and muddy too
No doubt, squire. no doubt: but. ms I
was saying when you interrupted INC. I
know what I know though you needn't
let Il go any further Mrs. Caters il n
good customer NJ Nurridgo's, and Il was
only yesterday ! Jaw hor coming out Of
jas shop with n round bundle under her
arm that looked as much like bottle ms
u could, as ] said to Jane Ripper. when
saw her going down tie street. And
iHss reminds me, squire, Of the nasty
drain ut che corner. They've got it open
again, and I've not met with n worse
stencil for weeks until Just now, before
saw you, ! came upon n poleclt or
weasel or something Of tho sort. lying
dead IN the middle Of lie path. and
enough to poison the whole wood"
We'll, Elzie, said I, they must orco
tic drain to clear IL out. and ~ for the
polccat, no must die somewhere. and as
lle has got no relations Ia burg him ho