The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-07-09

the green breadth of their pads, where
the water-spiders, the red lady-bugs,
the ebony-laced coccincllide come to
breathe a moment and make bubble?
Where are the beautiful yellow flowers,
dipping in the water, and the libcllu-
lida with azure or emerald wings,
which come to rest thereon? And the
tall grass blades whose too heavy heads
the wind gently sways to and fro?
And amid the shadow ofthc brooksidc,
at the waters level, beneath overhang-
ing branches in the dark realm where
into you have never penetrated, where
are the big, tranquil eyes of the green
frog, or the tadpolcs with their wrig-
Cling tails, or the wild little ecls, or
the silvery trails Of the drowsy slugs?
Where is the water-rat's cave, deep
and dark, the cave from which one
draws away when passing by, and in
front of which one tremblingly whisp-
ers! Have you ever even seen the
monster, with his white teeth, come
forth from his lair, stick out his head,
gaze about him, and then dash into the
water? Have you seen his robust back
floating above the surface, while his
long gray tail comes following after?
Have you seen the lovely green water
snake traversing the current and I'M
coiling her rings? Have YOU beheld
her +, ach the little harbor that she
conceals in the grass, and there extend
herself gently, with her head in the
sunshine, and her tail in the water.
Have you behcld her brilliant scales or
the delicate markings that adorn her
little head? Have you beheld her
yawn as she protrudes her tongue
snaps up a fly, and then goes to sleep!
Have you ever even lifted water-lily
leaf to study what lies underneath!
You pretend to reproduce nature, my
friend; yet you have not the least idea
of that nature which you look at with
out seeing; scarcely have you contcm-
plated its semblancc, while | have
searched into it deeply"
"But permit me, my duck, to say
that my sight exceeds yours (here the
duck burst out laughmg); | behold the
ensemble, ! discover the horizon, | con.
slider the trees in their entircness.'
"What do | care for your horizon,
interrupted the duck, "whcn | descry
Il whole world between Il couple OF
reeds; when, in plunging my head into
the stream, perceive immense valleys
forests of limitlcss extent, an entire
vegetation glittcring like gold, and
myriads of beings more beautiful than
either you are L.
"Iou look at things on their smaller
side, my duck, most assuredly."
"Do you believe your sight to be
more extended than mine, then? BY
looking at things from a greater height
than | can look, do You believe You
see them better or enjoy them more!
Regard the universe upon clear even
ing and tell me frankly what part you
play therein, my poor little man! |
4 lvisc you to vaunt the immenstv of
Your vision. because you can embrace
two leagues of country at a glance.
You are quite duck-like, after your
fashion, my dear! Only you do not
make your browsing place a brooklet
while | am content to 10 so. and know
besides how to find infinite endowment
therein"
| felt myself blushing slightly; the
fowls philosophy wellnigh scared me-
Your artistic joys are few in num-
ber," my comrade went on to say, after
running his bill through his plumage
for while; ''in fact, so few are they
that you make a business of them
Our artistic joys, on the contrary, are
never ceasing; neither lifr's worries or
the necessities of existence can draw
us away from them; our life is merely
one long idling, incomprchcnsible tc
you, because you are so differently
constituted from us. The happiness
of an alway s-comtortablc digestion per
petually predisposcs us for the delight
of seeing things, and, whcnour satisfied
mind also wishes to digest what it has
received, we drop into Il little nap, re-
sembling an ecstasy, in the hollow OF
some ancient trce-trunk Yonr poets
are poets, my dear sir, only in so fal
as they have, for few moments in
their lives, become ducks: only in st
far as they have allowed themselves tt
swell in natures presence, amid masses
of greenery, by some hrookside beneath
the elongated shadows of trembling
poplars, permitting mind and heart tc
steep themselves, sponge-lille, in til,
calm, full centre oftranquil enjoyment
And just this, and nothing else, is what
we ducks are all the time doin .: and
hlving more of the poet in lis THAI
you, we do not grow weary Of it
Have you ever seen duck yawn!'
"Alas! you have hrrdly time fol
that, my poor friend" | interrupted
| ''yOur existence is So swiftly cut
Off" Here stopped short feel
ne that had gone too far. My friend
grew visibly paler.
"Iou awaken sorrowful rccollec