Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1898-08-12
I'VE TOOK THE cows"

lightly dressed men ana WOMEN, VINO
sat at round tables and slipped at some
thing that was served them In long
glasses by white aproned walters, was
left behind, and before us opened a
long stretch of country road, as smooth
as pavement and as level with wide,
spreading fields and yards on either
side, green with the greenness born OF
spring, a color man has never made
in pigment. Now and then row of
willows of the crying kind would
fringe the road and the sun shining
through their slender branches made
fantastic traceries in the dust, like
shadows on a cathedral window. A
cinder path, 1--WE feet in width, ran
along the fence to the right, to dart at
irregular intervals, zig-zag across the
road and back, when ditch would bar
its straight-away progress.
Shall we take the path?" 1 said to
Phyllis.
mo-" she answered. II would rather
shun all works of man and stick to ma
ture on this occasion. You don't find
much nature in a crowded, bustling
city, human or otherwise, so when it
is observable, l prefer 1t to artificial
ity." Phyllis always was more or less
Of a philosopher. We chung to the
center of the road.
Past the Water Works park-with its
Arabian array of flowers and foliage
designs and its gateway, as chaste a
bit of monumental architecture as one
may see in half weeks journey in
Europe-we sped.
The air was soft. and though the sun
shone brightly. warmly, the breeze
from the north, blowing across fields
and farmyards, was so filled with the
odor Of spring and flowers and growing
things that in deep inhalations of the
fragrance we forgot the heat and rode
on and on, oblivious to it.
II wonder how many persons there
are in Detroit" remarked Phyllis as
we slipped by farmyard at whose
gate, mere opening in the hedge,
grew a great lilac bush in full bloom
that threw kisses Of sweetest odor to
US as We passed-"who know how to
ride a bicycle?"
II have understood that there are
10000" I said.
She looked at me strangely for an
instant, as though trying to determine
the manner Of my answer, and then
she said, II do not mean that. l mean
how many are there who get all the
good that can be gotten out of riding.
There are those, l am sure, who would
never think Of whirling into the coun-
try as we are doing, between fields Of
waving grain. over road as good for
tires and muscles as their pavements,
and into the very heart of peace and
happiness. They think CT their wheels
merely as ccntrivanccs to hurry them
to and from their business. They do
not know them as little winged gods
who in trice can take them out of
their sordid and commonplace world
into the dearer, sweeter world OF
dreams and country life. The country
TO tnem Is q SOTI OF lnulStlnCt lanu
where the women wear calico and sun
bonnets and the men blue jeans and
heavy cow-hide boots, and all have
chores to do. They forget the fra
GRANGE of the flowers, the beauty Of the
fields and the tranquility of life itself.
They know nothing of the wild things,
the bleating of the peaceful sheep, and
the far away lowing Of cattle that
stand all day knee deep in some cool
running stream beneath the dropping
branches of a gently-waving willow,
and contentedly chew their cuds and
whfsk at flies. What an education it
would be to many city men and wom-
en-, tired with the noise Of the town,
yet bearing up under 1t by sheer ex-
erted will, to come out here in the
quiet open country and spin along
awheel as we are doing"
When Phyllis had ceased her rhap-
sody, to which I agreed in every point,
she said, falling to the commonplace
with the gentle art of a true poet.
There are some cows over In that
strsam. Why don't you take them?"