The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-17
JOY SQUARE SKETCHES.



that ever trembled along velvety lawns
and waved-not rustled-the light foliage
of the naples quivered up the square from
the south and shivered back again. 1t
was natures sigh of relief that another
sultry day had gone and that gentle-fin-
gered. soft-voiced night was coming. 1t
was the very blessedest time of day, when
the children have their shoes taken off and
romp barefooted in the damp grass, while
the parents sit and rest and watch the
little ones.
The dusk was just settling down. and
the firefies were beginning to bestir them
selves and get ready for their stingless
and silent pyrotechnical display. Up from
the hindering grass they fiuttered as fast
as they could disengage themselves from
the blades and from the leaves of the white
clover, and blinked their yelowish, phos-
phorescent lights as they struggled with
the barriers that interposed.
And the children watched them, fasci-
mated First the little red-headed baby
ran after one and caught it in his hand.
He held it for a moment and let it fly
away. Ralph tried it and was successful.
Marjorie followed suit-and fell down be-
cause she could not trust her bare baby
feet in the cool, wet grass after they had
worn shoes all day. The little girl tried
again timidly, and, watching the insects
arise from the grass, she followed them up
with her inverted palm, straight toward
the heavens, making a frantic grab for
each as it passed out of reach, and Won
dering why they all escaped. In vain did
the boys try to teach her how to catch
the winking little creatures; and when, by
accident, she did lay hold on one at last,
she was as happy as if she had conquered
the world-yes, and happier-and ran,
laughing, with it to her father, who cried
"Bravo!" and kissed the little girl be-
cause, being girl, she was not afraid of
creeping things.
Then the fun grew more hilarious, in a
mild and subdued way, all in keeping with
the spirit of the gloaming-for the evening
was mistress of the situation and had laid
her spell upon every one. Hubert put a
FREELY ON the flaming topknot of the red
headed baby, and the others laughed glee-
fully The rest of the children then put
the flies in each others hair, and all en-
joyed it to the full.
Meanwhile the lights in the grass grew
more numerous and more brilliant, until it
seemed that the sky, with its multitudes of
stars, had loosed it's hold of the stellar
gems, and, in fit of benevolent Incidence,
had dropped them to the earth, that the
little ones of this world might see them
and handle them for moment. Now the
sky had called her children of light back
again, and they were obeying as rapidly
as they could bid the earth goodbye.
1t was darker now, and the red-headed
baby could not be told from Ralph or Mar
jorie, except by the parents of all three.
III I.,o
tors parlor across the street, and mumbled
and muffied porch conversations were in
progress at every house on the square
Two big girls and one big boy We're dis
GUESSING the seasons tennis, and the occa-
sional rise in their tones would indicate
that the setting sun had not taken all his
heat with him. oh, but it was pleasant
out on the lawns! A drowsiness began to
enter into everything, saturating people
and things with the subtlety and the i'm
partial persistency of perfume. The lit
tie children were so intensely, so happily
and so consciously alive that the drowsi-
ness affected them last, and they fought
it off as a man fights death But when
one after another of the toddlers had been
called in the loneliness of The lawn en-
tered into a conspiracy with the spirit of
slumber, and the dual force had the de-
sired effect.
Marjorie was the last to succumb as she
had had a long nap in the afternoon but
at length heavy handful of the sand
mans goods sent her Keeling and stagger-
ing to the arms of her father. who sat and
watched the progress of her battle with
sleepiness.
Doe in chair-bye baby" came her usual
pleading.
Her father complied. He had sung to
her everything he knew, and he was tired
of all the old songs. Why not improvise
something while the spirit of inspiration
came on the cool, mysterious twilight
breath? The inspiration was there; so the
new lullaby song came fresh from the ten
der heart of the time and the place. 1t
ran like this:
THE NEW LULLABY.
Bye baby bye babe;
May some angels kiss
Cure thy hurts IN the sumber world
As ours cure in this.
Bye baby, bye o babe;
Through the years 10 come
May no sorrow. dreamed or real,
Turn thy heart from home
When the hreflies-bye babe
r4ash above lawn,
Then we know sweet night has come
Wait for the dawn.
Then we know the Fathers hand
Keeping safe His little ones
Till the morrows birth.
o the tender little ones!
Not the babes alone
Are Fathers little ones:
Others. older grown,
Are as helpless the babes,
In our Fathers sight
lie who gave also take
In single night.
Sleep, my babe. o slumher sweet;
Dream OF love and life
Dream OF life that lives TO love
Love that conQuers strife
Sleep. my babe. your perfect trust
IN n fathers
Wins me back to Him each night
Melts my heart in prayer.