The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-10-06

" AA IN
suspicion OF deceit, away she went, sing
ing Ike a lark, across the moor in the
direction indicated. She went as the
crow flies, whereas the cart had to go
on a track that followed a valley and
then turned round a. long shoulder of
down strewn with hut circles belonging
to an ancient settlement in a prehistoric
age. She had full three miles to walk
before she could expect to ca.ca up with
the cart and the gray mare.
As she walked, wading through the
heather, in every flush from carmine to
palest lake, she sang for very joy of
heart and yet joy mingled with an in
describable yearning:
/ would / were a sparrow,
To light on every tree;
AT eve, at night, and morning,
I'd futter, love, to thee.
And as the ship went sailing,
So lightly / would fly,
And perch me on the m
My true love thence to spy.
She stopped; at her feet was a clump
OF white heath, and she picked some
and put 1t in her bosom. To find white
heath betokens luck, it is said. Having
arranged her little posy, she wen, on
singing:
/ would I were a flower.
And In a garden grew,
AT eve, at night, and morning,
Whenever my love passed through,
And if you plucked and wore me,
Upon your heart I'd lie.
And breathing forth my fragrance,
Upon your heart I'd die.
She sang to a %plaintive minor air-an
air that was in itself full of tears, and
as she sang the sad words Of the sad
melody took the brightness from her
mood and. left a longing inarticulate
therein. She surmOunted the hill and
saw the white mare CLEAN in the sun
/ and the fash Of the scythe of the reaper
who was TO cut the rushes Who he
was she could not discern, as he was on
the further side of the cart.
She FASTENED her steps. She ceased
singing, as she had not the breath for
it now. Presently she came up with the
cart, and, still not seeing who was on
the further side, said: Joe has gone to
the fair. and I've told him-little monkey
I'D take his place. Is that you, Simon
Jeffries?"
Then Tom looked up and across the
cart, and Jenny started back In dismay;
but SO also did Tom.
Tom was angry; hi thought a trick
had been played on him. Jenny was
ashamed; she thought Tom would con-
slider her pert, forward.
So they walked along, one on each
side Of the cart. neither speaking.
That was a long, tedious journey.
The cart bounced abou like a boat in
a ~chopping sea. OF road there was alb
solutely none. The wheel on this side
UOuIlCCu ONtI d 6lCdl. SlOllc, lIcu lid
on the other was heaved up over a hum
mock Of turf. Wretched as the track
was, it was an old one. AS Tom walked
along with his eyes on the ground he
saw something, stopped and picked up
a flint arrow head-a thunderbolt he re-
garded it-and put it in his pocket. To
find a thunderbolt is as sure a prog
nostic OF good luck as to discover white
heath.
At length at noon the great desolate
dark waste was reached where the
rushes were to be cut. Before Begin
horse. and then returning to a nodule
of dry peat at some little distance to
the right Of the stationary cart, pulled
out his lunch, sat down and began to
eat.
Jenny had not brought any food with
her. In the hurry of starting she had
forgotten to provide herself. She with
drew TO some little distance to the left
of the cart, found. a tuft of rushes and
sat down on that n folded her hands.
Tom had eaten the greater part OF his
pastry before he looked in her direction.
The cart was between them, but by
leaning backwards he could just see her
across the back of the cart wheels.
Then he observed that she was fasting.
He got up, went to the cart, and, TAX
ing out a little white bag, carried 1t to
her and said: Here's Joe Leaman's
dinner; eat that" Then hastily he re-
tired to his former place, not position,
for he altered the latter. Instead of Sit
ting sideways, he turned his back on the
cart. and of course thereby turned his
back also o Jenny.
So he munched on. In the great DESC
late swamp at the spring head of the
river was no pure, no portable water,
but Tom had brought with him a flask
of cold tea. II he had not taken this
with him what would he have done?
IJox- could ha have or,1nod 6nwn his drv
pastry?
Now, turning his head over his Shout
der, he looked to see what Jenny was
doing for lack of water. He couldn't
see, because the cart was In the way.
SO he came up to the cart and peeped
cautiously from behind 1t, and saw that
she was quite unable to proceed with a
very dry hunch of saffron cake. After
some hesitation he took up a piece or
feathery moss, wiped the mouth of his
bottle and went over to the girl. handed
IL to her with a There; pull away; tits
tea," and then turned and fed. Ten
minutes later he stretched himself, took
his scythe and began to reap dow
green rushes, and as he reaped he sang:
Don't y SO a-rushing. maids in May.
Don't y SO a-rushing, maids, l say.
Don't y go a rushing:
Or you'll get a hrushing;
Gather up your rushes and 90 away.
He sang d~efiantly. to show that he
was not thinking OF Jenny OF OF any
one else.
After he had been engaged some time
in cutting. Jenny came and bound VI
in bundles the green rushes he had cut,
but always at a considerable distance
from Kim. and ever as he went ahead
he sang out:
Don't go a-ruShing,
Or you'll get a ~brushing;
Gather up your ruslcs and so away!
with great emphasis OF the go away.
At last sufficient had been cut and
bound to fill the cart, and then Tom
harnessed the gray mare and put her
in between the shafts, and drove her
along TO where lay the little bundles.
Then with a jerk OF the chin and a
sign with his thumb Tom indicated to
Jenny to get into the cart, which she
would not do till she had restored to
him his bottle OF cold tea, in which was
some still left: and Of this Tom at once
took a pull without wiring the mouth
with moss, and then blushed up to the