The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1894-10-18

whisper and perchcd on disra>.s :e zee
posts. the mated ouails. claiming the
! weather prophets skill. are announc-
| ing the prospect Of more wet. The
prairie chicken drums and drums. and
fancies be noise sonr.w lille the cooling
doves. visiting pairs. make most plain
tiff waiiings. as though mourning and
loving We're to them the same. The
owl. awakening from his all-dag
sleep. stretches out his neck from be-
meath his wings. and beats a warnin.
to his prey. The golden-rod. the wild
sun-hower. the broad expan,e of prairie
blossoms fresh from their sun baths,
nod in the gentlest of gentle breezes.
and open their invisible mouths to
catch the dews OF ni :ht. The beauti-
ful daisy and the pretty morning glory
have gone to sleep until the rising sun
shall bid them awake. The whippoor-
will sits on the branch OF an old oak
tree near the water ) edge. and tells
all the world within hearing that ho
i, a whipporwill and must be listened
to. The blue bird and the wren hop
from limb to limb. twitter ard chatter.
and go to sleep chattering. The COWS
file along the narrow patch by the side
| of the bluff. chewing their cud locking
so dem,,rely out of their great brown
eyes. bowling Familiarity to every bush
and shrub. Fastening to reach home
before night-fall.
ON the brow OF Wonder bluff. where
| the Ia. of the sun are lingering and
! dcDar. ne. it is sid an Indian maiden
| threw herself INFO the waters below
! rather than wed a-r;siil,t her will.
| The SKY. too. j. fall of the glory of
God. and lovers are both deaf and
! blind ii they find no time for the ad
| iniration OF such grandeur. Wonder.
almost in the zenith. is jupiter shin
| ing so brightly and looking SO proud
! because he j.; king of the heavens even
| for Il brief hour. ann now the great.
round. red moon breaks the horizon
and climbs mySt"riously up the clear
| sky. the big bright stars. and the dim
| little ones. all hide their heads. and
even jupiter himself fades away. and
| the shadows come again and cover the
| borders of the lake with phantoms of
| various shapes. a1fording the imagina-
ton an easy opportunity to
can design or desire. Light breczcs
joining high up above the waters of
! the lake. the winds that swept from
the distant prairie. seem like dismal
murmurings and harsh mutterings
coming from human voices above the
clouds: or it may be those strange.
Wicrd noises are voices of spirits from
| the tomb> of the mound-builders hold
| ing converse with the spirits from the
/, graves OF the lOnghuricu Indians.
| These mysterious noises come from
| the darkness. and go only with the
| light of the morning.
| The moon is now we'll on its Journey
| across the sky. The fields and river
and lake and farm houses are as plainly
! visible us at noon-,lay. The symlletri-
cal stacks of grain stand out boldly as
! if saying I'VE are the staff of life for
man and beast The hay has been
harvested and the long racks mean
! that wcll-fcd cattle shall reward Il ne
! husiandman for his labor.
Tie fields and meadows have been
! s',Orn of their wealth of food. except
| the broad acres of Indian corn whose
! luXuriant growth makes the farmer
! smile as he dream, of fat herds and Il
! fat purse. That Swapping. cracking.
| rlstling noise which is the only sound
| that breaks upon the stiffness of the
| night. is the growing corn. 1t is push
| ing. driving. and crowdiny itself out of
| the golden tasscl into the ear. return
| ing to the plowman sixty and even
| ninety fold of increase. the reward
promised him for his labor and his
| faith.
The lights in the farm houses have
| long since been cxtinguishcd The
! stiffness of the night becomes opprcs-
sive. Strange that the bosom of the
lake should be undisturbed by even Il
ripple, while high up in the sky the
| elements should be at war. The herd
mans dog gives out an occasional bark
! to lei his master known that he is an
/ honest dog. Now and then dismal
| howl. though III perfect concert. comes
! from some providing mongrel.
Save these lnfreGucnt dlsturbers of
natures stiffness. and the ever presc Mt
commingling of those slpcrnal voices
in the upper air. all Ovcrthc broad sur
face of the lake. and all over the fields
and through the forest. as far aS an eye
/ can see or ear can hear. there reignS
the quiet of the church-yard at the
mid night hour.
Some people would think it no time
Or place for youth and maiden of flies h
and blood to talk of love. But lovers
are on the lake Louis and Mary are
there-;nd they have been telling
over and over again the story OF their
love. OF all this chapter rccountS rot
Il thing have they seen or heard. Mary
appears unusually me lancholly. per-
haps because this WAS their first meet
ing on the lake since her father :
death
J IT. BE CONTINUED.
Another Kind OF &. WaShintOn.
'Traveling men are Just As truthful
=, } Io Il