Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-02
Written for The Evening Star.

written Tor The Evening Star.
The Old Rail Fence.
Close in the wake of winter, the spring was coming
fast;
You could hear stir in the forest, wherever her
footsteps passed.
The sap was flowing upward-you could almost
hear it sing;
And when three times the hylas piped We knew it
was fairly spring.
All winter in the clearing was busy mauling rails,
And little cared for driving snow, for billiards
and blasts and gales;
Before the orchard trees should bloom into rosy
sea,
l hoped and planned to have home for Polly Ann
and me.
And now you could see on the hill top, whenever
the sun was low,
A cottage lined on the evening sky, as clear as
cameo;
And while in perfumed pillows the smoke ned blue
and dense
Away from hundred clearing nres, I laid the
''worm" of the fence.
never knew what music there was in jaybird's
note
Till then, nor the merry sweetness that came from
peewee's throat;
I'd lose myself In watching the flight Of blue
birds wing,
And I'd stop my work and whistle the song that
heard him sing.
And long before the setting sun poured aams in
the budding boughs,
Would Polly strike the clearing, on her way to
We'd lean on the fresh. new, fragrant rails until
the day was late,
And both of thought it better far than leaning
on the gate.
Low down in the marshy meadows, along in the
edge Of night,
When the full spring moon was showing globe of
And slender golden javelins among the brush heaps
played,
We heard the the frogs shrin voices in lively
serenade.
And Polly SAID she loved them-shs said it seemed
As If they were . laughing; and possibly they
To see US moving of at last, SO leisurely and slow,
While the COWS she had started out TO hunt were
home an hour ago.
Time that Polly's garden bloomed with pinks and
hollyhocks,
Ny cornfeld was wilderness of green and grace
full stalks,
And high their pointed spears above the strong,
straight fence rails grew,
And out of their misty tassels nlm of gold-dust
blew.
But the web of summer was done at last and of of
her needles slipped,
And next, the tallest hickory tree with q golden
fame was tipped;
The wahoo blazed in the hollow, where We heard
the hylas pipe,
And where / had cleft the oaken rails the yellow
corn was ripe.
Then into the ranks Of winter the autumn's march
was slow;
TIL the wind uprose, impatient, at the soundless
tread OF the snow.
At last faint. faint breath of spring from sun
stepped lands it brought,
And thus was the plan Of a twelvemonth In Q won
derful pattern wrought
And over and over and over the varying strands
were crossed
In the merry gold Of the sunshine and silver white
Of the frost;
The vines grew thick at the cornnelds edge as the
seasons flight they traced,
And in among the old gray rails their curling
threads were laced.
The years have given unto me . frosty silver
crown,
And left a few light, scattered pearls In Polly's
bands Of brown;
line or two of thoughtfulness her placid forehead
shows,
But from her cheek no paler tint has swept away
the rose
We've learned the lesson given u, Of faith and
I trust and love,
To make our earthly dwelling fair, and look for
one above
Far fairer and far happier, when ssrth-light
groweth dim,
And the Father sends the summons which shall call
But every spring when nylaa pipe in hollows moist
and low,
And from the sun-steeped lands the breath of
spring begins to blow,
When up from all the clearing nres the smoke rolls
brings to me that springtims when built the old
HATTIE warrxsY.
No. 1857 Arsenal street, st. Louis.
MIRA Mann-''Oh you mon, you msni Ton
are crazy after woman until you get her, and
then You care next to nothing for her."
Mr.. Msnn-"My dear. I saw q man fishing the
s sa. dr He 60: bite Ss and he ". great.
He pulled in his line with eaeerness, but when
he had landed his fish he was glum enough.
Instead Of the cod he had expected, il was only
sculpin. OF course this has nothing 70 do
with What you we're saying. e only happensd
TO occur to me; that's all"-Boaon Tras-
Script
BucKMeHAl's DYE yos su wHmKnns + the
beat, handicst safest. suress, cleaneat mogt eco.
nOmic., and sst,.iasscv DYE ever invsassA ish
f.