Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-05-29
COuntrY YiSifArS.


Solitude Where under trees and sky
shall you find it? The more solitary
the recluse and the more confirmed and
grounded his seclusion, the wider and
more familiar becomes the circle of his
social environment, until at length, like
very dryad of old, the birds build and
sing in his branches and the "wee wild
beasties" nest in his pockets. If he
fails to be aware of the fact, more's the
pity. His desolation is within, not
without, in spite of, not because of, his
surroundings.
Here in my country studio, not her
mitage, It's true, but secluded among
trees, some distance isolated from my
own home and out of sight of any 9th
er, what company! What occasional
"tumultuous privacy" is mine l have
frequently been obliged to step out up
on the porch and requesta meditation
OF hilarlty and more courteous re
spect for my hospitality But this is
evidently entirely a matter of point of
view, and judging from the effects of
my protests at such times, my assumed
superior air of condescension is appar-
emily construed as u huge joke. If the
resultant rejoinder of wild volapuke
and expressive pantomime has any
significance, it is plain that l an desir-
ed to understand that my exact status
is that of a squatter on contested terri
tory.
There are those snickering squirrels,
for instance, At this moment two of
them are having a rollicking game OF
tag on the shingled roof-a pandemoni-
um of scrambling, scratching, squeal-
ing, and growling-ever and anon clam
bering down at the caves to the top of
blind and peeping in at the window
to see how like it.
A wOOdchuck is perambulating my
poreh-he was moment ago-presum-
ably in renewed quest of that favorite
pabulum more delectable than rowen
clover, the splintered cribbings from
the legs of certain pine bench, which,
up to date, he has lowered about three
inches-a process in which he has con-
sidered average rather than symmetry,
or the comfort of the too trusting visi-
tor who happens to be unaware of his
carpentry.
The drone of bees and the carol of
birds are naturally an incessant accom-
paniment to my toll, at least in these
spring and summer months. The tall
straight fiue of the chimney, like the
deep diapason of an organ, is softly
murmurous with the furry of the swifts
in their afternoon or vesper flight.
There is a robins nest close by one
window, vireo's nest on a forked dog
wood within touch of the porch, and con-
tinual reminders of similar snuggeries
of indigo bird, chat. and oriole within
close limits, to say nothing of an ants
nest not far off, whose proximity is soon
manifest as you sit in the grassland
Immediately get up again.
Fancy Wild fox for a daily entertain
ment For several days in succession
last year ] spent half-h hour observing
his risky gambols on the hill side
across the dingle below my porch, as he
jumped apparently for mice in the slop-
ing rowenfield. How quickly he re-
sponded to my slightest interruption.
of voice or football, running to the COW
er of the alders
The little red-headed chippy, the
most familiar and sociable of our birds,
of course pays me his frequent visit.
hopping in at the door and picking up
| don't know what upon the floor. A
barn swallow. occasionally darts in
through the open window and out
again at the door, as though for very
sport, only few days since Swimming
beneath my nose, while its wings fair
ly tipped the pen with which | was
writing. The chipmonk has long made
himself at home, and his scratching
| footsteps on my door sill, or even in my
closet, is a not uncommon episode.
Now and then through the day hear
a soft pat pat on the hard wood floor,
at intervals of few seconds, and realize
that my pet toad, which has voluntarily
| taken up its abode in an old bowl on
the closet floor, is taking his afternoon
outing, and with his always seemingly
| inconsistent lightning tongue is pick
lug up his casual flies at three inches
sight around the base board.
| A mouse. see, has heaped a neat
little pile of seeds upon the top of the
wainscot near hy-cherry pits, poly
gonum and ragweed seeds, and others,
including some small oak gals. which
find have been distracted from boz
of specimens which | had stored in the
closet for safe-keeping. | wonder if il
is the same little fellow that built its
nest in an old shoe in the same closet
last year, and, among other mischief,
removed the white grub in similar
lot of specimen gals which also miss
ed, and subsequently found in the shoe
and scattered on the closet floor?-
From "A Familiar Guest" by William
Hamilton Gibson, in Harper's Maya
zine for June.