The National tribune., 1896-09-10
The Bdtttsl-Halff..

- t5H
CANTON, PA. September the Fifth day
We are here again in Canton" the Ladye"
and I-among the blue hills onco more. This
dear world of misty mpuntRins and green valleys
is just donning the glorious colors Of Autumn.
The scarlet is beginning to fash in the naples,
the willow leaves are sill turning pale yellow
and fluttcring down, the goldenrod mods oy
the gray fences, and. Queen Anne's lace Is
whitening Ger the fields.
The people roundabout are inclined to think
as supremeIy lazy because we neither put up
plums," nor do we make calls. 1t IS busy
season for the housewives-what with piums
and catsup to put up, crab-apples hardly out OF
the way. and grapes coming, and the fruit has
been so good and plentiful this year. In such
busy days wc seem particularly lazy, and yet
we are up aud doing all the time. we spena
our DAYS much after this fashion: After break
fast is over we get the mail and do the market
ing: then we take u long drive over the hills
making frequent excursions into by-paths and
hedges to hunt up tree-characterstics. for
we are studying tree-lore in hals-scientihc
fashion; that is. we are only interested III the
botany as it gives us hints how to recognize
the various kinds of trees by the leaves and
bark. We keep clear of all the minute, tech
meal descriptions We drive and walk about
until noon; then we have our luncheon ana
afterwards devote hslfhour or so to resting
near the candy-box and to gossip about people
or gowns or books or trees. We read some
Al. uf.o diccu lDcl
of the way, in Walter Pater's beautiful essay
on "Marias the Epicurean." Ii we grow Die
weary of reading evening comes on we uri'
about in our talk, callers come. and the talk
runs to and fro of matters lig and little; then
there is romping kitten to anchor US In
optimism-for a froicking kitten is happiness
emb0died-and then it comes time 10 dlne.
We doG our shirtuaisis and pretty pretty
ourselves, and then dine. After dinner we 60
for the mail. aud usually take little walk to-
ward the sunset, and home again--to the bright
home-where the lamps and fires are ut, and
where we have an hour or SO OF reading OF
music, aud of talk of stories and writer's and
music. We are in bed betimes-in the hope
of catching beauty sleep-and the day IS aone
Whether or 10 it is wasted only The Giver Of
the Day can judge.
We have another industry. Some days We
go over the hills and away for long walk
taking with us sketch books and wafer c0lors
We choose some wayside flower. study it's pretty
parts, and when we find pleasant leafy spot
We sketch it. When We 70 home We look VI
the posy in our botany book and If We have
any dainty description of it in prose or poem
we quote that also on the page My sketch
book is q secret delight to me- not because o
the poor drawing-I am no artist-but because
every time / try to sketch flower or fern
find new beauties in it in the fnely.crimped
petals, the prettily-b balanced seeds. the quain
markings and colorings. Every scrutiny o
the flower, while it max esfmy work seem more
and more hopelessly crude, shows the blossom
ing world more exquisite, and SO bless m,
little book. e Il
Now, inasmuch as "The Ladyc's" book is
great success, am surely warranted in describ
ing more fully the working details of our sketch
books that perhaps someone else may find ais
! the delight that comes of this work. lis true
..The Ladye" is an art student. and it's not S.
much wonder that her books are filled witt
dainty pages, blossomiDg with flowers from til
| field and garden. The sketch books are small
about 5 by IL inches, Of good paper and boun
| in gray linen There Is no order about til
sketches, except that they are according t
season. Flowers from the garden aud roadsid
are put in just as the fancy strikes us. In m
book marigolds from quaint old garden follo'
wild sunfowers from the dusty roadside. w
try 10 sketch the flower characteristics--th
sweet peas should Hutter. the marigolds foreve
nod, the ferns sway and always bear deaf
brown fronds among the fresh, living greer
But we can't always make our sketches sho
this, though we try for it. The pose OF Howe
is so much part of its character. The colder
rod has a sway ing poise that is yet stately
honest, sturdy iashion-kut to return to I'll
book. We only do one or two flowers Of or
kind on each page. We also date every pas
aud print tho flowers name or nsmes-as man
as we can discover for tin fine letters
:. the bottom of the page.
Sc
One Of our chief delights here is quail
garden; tangled glowing mass of oldfas
toned blossoms; modest verbenas, tall dahla
taller than "Tho Ladye," who is tall, the me
riest of coreyopsis-" marigo,ds," we call the
-nasturtinms pale and nasturtiums brigh
Haunting petunias, asters as gay and ragged
any chrysanthemum and in all the shades
lavender and yellow. The well-loved ger
NUNS are there, and gossiping pansies, ar
heavy lunches of hydrangeas, just beginnii
. to pink themselves in the early frosts.
The asters are not 30 gloriously purple I'll
r year as usual. Perhaps the dry season b
duled their dyes. The goldenrod is no wi
discouraged by thirst and dust, but shines
9 the sunlight as bright as the sunshine its'
almost.
The apple season here has been very go6
and we three "the Ladye," Bcss--the go
@ horse-and l, sample every orchard. Ha
:, Winter apples, mellow Summer sweets" F
! pippins, crab apples-apples little or big
{ all three must have every time we ventu
forth. Bess has gotten so that she stops
every orchard, Of her own free will and int
tion cramps" the carriage for me to get o
and whinneys when call out that the fruit
all right.
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