The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-05
AN EDITOR IN ARCADIA.
A Blissful Experience That Only the
Country Editor Knows.
Chicago Post.

Chicago Post.
OF course if you can't believe your news
paper you don't lose much when it fails to
appear.
l spent the last week of June with my
friend, the country editor, down in Indiana;
and he lives in Arcadia. He hasn't any wife.
though | do not know why, for half the
young women in town are in love with him
in gentle deferential fashion, and all of
them approve him thoroughly But he is
wise man III many things, and ii may be
he knows there is no marrying and giving in
marriage in Arcadia. We got up very early
in the morning. when the breeze was still
heavy with dew and carried such royal
treasures of fragrance from the flowers out
side. There was rose bush at the side of
my, window and it kept. leaning forward
and peeping in and sending it's messages,
just as another rose bush did. when, as "a
small boy, L laid in high-post bed and
watched the martins at the caves of the
barn. Somewhere in the fields about Ar
cadia man was whetting scythe. and the
music of it made me think of the ginger
beer and the midforenoon lunch that when
we'll behaved, they once permitted me to
carry. Farther away was the chattering
sound of sickel bar, for the fields were
white with the harvest. The EDITORS mother
spread our breakfast table on the porch at
the house, and gave us a Spanish omeIet
with cup of coffee and brown bread, and
d little saucer full of radishes crisp as
could be. There were screens at the porch,
so the flies did not trouble us, and there
are Ice chests in Arcadia, for the butter was
fine
gingham, and | doubt If another stitch was
on her She wanted a rose, so called
her in and she sat down in the grass at the
end Of the house and made up small posy,
which she gave to the editor man. She had
lost her sunbonnet, she said, and mother had
sent her to find it,, But that didn't trouble
her much. When the posy pleased her she
came up and made a third at breakfast.
eating, with fine confidence. and later ask
dared the editor to go a-ishing. We went
down town and sat moment in the print
ing office. Yes. they had enough copy, and
nothing new had happened to report. A
merchant wanted change in his adver-
tisement and the foreman was puzzling for
well-looking line. The devil had swept
his usual aisle down the middle of the office,
between the press and the stone and was
washing rollers with I've and taking all the
time in the world. big girl sat at a
shaded window setting up late announce
ment OF the ice cream festival, and final
word from the committee on Fourth of
July: She told me in strict confidence she
didn't think IL would be much of a display,
but she was going.
We walked down the river half mile and
were in the woods. There was sharp bend
and high bank and great grove of oak
trees without a suggestion of underground
among them; The grass was thick and fine
ing to fish," asked the man who had dared
II forgot my line" declared the editor man
and he stretched out full length at the foot
of tree. He said 'the groves were Gods
first temples Then he went on in dreamy
yet apprecative fashion with that "Inscrip-
ton at the Entrance of :" In the
middle and without change of he said:
See the crows nest-'the ry-living
crow, and continued.
The birds were silent. but they lew about
always alert, always beautiful and quite de-
void OF fear. They were part of the general
noiseleSSneSs. There was one blueiay-usu-
ally the scolds of the feathered world-and
he wondered what we were doing there He
came very near perching upon us and peck
ing the secrets from our lips. Indeed. he
threatened to do i. then changed his mind
ana FEGStOOninQ the wood Uftb
his flight, said the editor man as the blue
jay went with graceful aerial bounds
that's what Trowbridge calls it." Two wild
ducks padded down a little creek that flows
from q marshy pond. But they saw no
one for the fisher was intent on his line.
And they swan in great content beyond the
metal chatter Of that distant sickle bar
when the harvester came to the hther end
Of the field. but II was far away, and mel
lowed almost to music and when he sought
the farther turn ii was dim as q dream. Two
branches were crossed in a hickory tree
and they moved as the wind blew. grating
out an odd little circumfiex note like Ques-
ton, and another with downward inflec-
ton. like the answer. ''And II has been
rropoundng that riddle and getting II
said the editor man. What's the use Of
you and me trying TO answer questions-to
settle things? Then he was minded to
sing Under the Greenwood Tree. but not
nosily The words were true as the groves
of Arden. ] don't know where he found the
tune. Through II all. II one listened we'll
came the peaceful lullaby the fingers of
midsummer winds were coaxing from KEYS
of green leaves.
Below the dam a lot OF boys were SWIM
ming. their backs red with sunburn their
hair black With wet and their legs all brown
with the riverside sand They had a spring.
boa board and one i, by one went sailing through
might see them. Il guess the paper Is out"
said the editor man, for along the shaded
side OF the street We're restful figures OF