The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-04-30
SPRING In CITY AND COUNTRY

| spring. as well as the people who reside in
/ the country, no matter how much the
weather man may strive to destroy our be-
lief with predictions of belated cold waves.
| For instance, We know spring has come
when the crocus enlivens the lawns; when
the tulip, hyacinth ard narcissus burst into
gorgeous bloom or shed their fragrance.
| only to be raped by the envious hoodlum or
ruthless vandal; when the succulent aspara-
gus shoots tender sprouts out of its winter
| bed and is sold by the gardener at a cent
| sprOut; when old women and children are
seen, with baskets on arms and knives in
hands. searching the byways and vacant
| lots for dandelions TO be cooked as
greens" when the familiar little punches
of sassafras root make their annual appear
ance in the corner grocery, and the house
| cat begins to haunt the place where the
strong-scented catmint or catnip grew last
year.
We also know spring has come or is due
| when We see moving vans in the street;
when the rental agent is busy taking down
| or putting up signs. when the whack OF the
| stick on the carpet Is heard in the back
| yard; when 'Rastus, with his mop, soap
| suds and buster. is in demand; when the
| head of the house stays away all day and
| says naughty things at night If his foot
| comes In contact with stray carpet tack:
| when the wall paper man is making
| ''muss' with his scrapings and clippings
| and the painter Is giving the outside Of the
house a new coat.
Again. We know surely spring has come
when the street-railway company gets out
us summer cars. couples three together ana
| starts them eastward toward the ball park;
| when tenants of houses near the ball
grounds rent their roofs or upper stories TO
people too mean to legitmately patronZe
/ the game; when the active small boy pa
| tently waits outside the grounds until re-
warded with foul admission; when
Il - s,.f1
/ the people two squares away that the home
| team has Tailed, and when the ''what's-th
score-man?'' awakes from his winter hiber
nation and begins to keep the newspaper
| telephone hot.
| still. again. we of the city have evidence
| of spring when we see the bicycle taken
| from its winter stable; when policemen be
gin chasing the 'scorcher' or the license
| dodger; when the girl with long dress at
| tempts 10 ride her wheel on windy day,
| gives II up and vows she will wear boomers
and short skirts next time; when the music
| OF falling waters is heard about Monument
Place; when the sizz or the soda-water
fount greets the ear Of the passerby; when
| the hog" fisherman grumbles at the new
| law and goes out every day, hoping TO
begins; when the same hog" wishes he
| could stretch six inches out TO nine so he
| wouldn't have TO put back part of his catch,
and when the man with a seine takes out
| license to do openly what he has done pre-
yiously by stealth.
| But the best sign of all is the spring girl.
| She is due at Easter, but as Easter is some
| times cold and raw she does not blossom into
bewitching LONELINESS until 1t is warm
| enough TO throw off outside wraps. When
| the mercury climbs to the seventies she re-
moves her wraps and appears in raiment
Of many colors. Her hat is veritable
| flower garden and her shirt waist, dress and
sunshade would make a first-class rainbow
envious. If the tailor's saying. Clothes
make the man" be true. the modiste might
makes the spring girl" So. when you get
| glimpses of red, blue, pink, yellow green
and purple shirt waists on the streets or in
| the stores you can feel sure spring has come
| in the city and that il is time to walk up
to the treasurer's office and pay taxes.
In the country the signs of spring are less
artificial While many of the city evil
dences of a change of seasons are also APP
parent in rural or suburban communities,
the latter have signs of spring distinctly
| their own. Last Sunday the Stroller took
| trolley car ride on the Irvington line, out
past John Il. Brush's bowlder-founded cas-
| tie and Hilton L. Browns airily perched
nome, got on at Kipling, Shakespeare, Haw
| thorne, Lowell or some such literary named
| street and walked north toward Pleasant
run, one OF the prettlest streams In the
/ county-that is, where il has not been de-
| filed with old tin Gems, WORKOUT boots and
shoes and other reminders of civilization.
On one side of the street was a fenceless
vacant lot or two, with a cow tethered i'm
the center 0ethered because Irvington has
| a marshal and pound) and a calf frolick-
4
SO was the dark green grass the COW was
| cropping. Alongside the cement walk was
a row OF North Carolina poplars with tiny
leaves more glossy with natural varnish
than the hand or man could make; another
| sign OF spring.
Standing on the bridge that spans Pleas
| north a rolling meadow covered with as
| green bluegrass as ever seen on WELL
| water OF the creek as 1t came coursing to-
| wards the bridge; to the south the classic
| suburb OF Irvington. with the college build
/ pretty piece OF woods, almost swarrang
with children and few grown people
gathering wild flowers This was another
| never falling sign or spring. In the water
below the bridge were suckers moving about
| as IL hungry-another sign of spring-for
yances and can be seen I'm small schools In
| summer resting almost motionless few
inches above the bottom;
| On the right side OF the creek leading TO
| the woods were pussy" willows and red
buds, pretty enough TO send high school
girl lrI student OF botany into raptures. Far
| 10 obey the dictates of nature by swelling
their buds. Across the fence in the woods
| last years beechnuts-those that fell TO the
| ground and escaped the small boys the
/ birds and the chlpmunks-were sprouting
and sending out tender leaves. Close to the
| parent beech tree was a slippery elm peeled
| almost TO death. All around. the ground
was carpeted with Johnny jumpups." anem-
ones, spring beauties, dutchman's beech
1
| other wild howers-and every one proclai i'm
| ing silently that spring had come. Up I'm the
| trees an occasional robin bluejay or yellow
hammer told the same story but In noisy
/ way. The trees themselves were just be-
ginning TO arouse from their winter sleep.
a little green showing az the top. where the
| spring sun had coaNed the sap and caused
| the buds 10 break into little leaves. Alto
/ gether. II was scene that would have
| pleased Thoreau.
| At the edge OF the literary suburb there
| were other evidences OF spring. In garden
| paragus and vegetables Here resident
| ess' descanted on the beauties OF lrvngton
| and its pretty surroundings. over there,
| she said. pointing to the banks OF Pleasant
run, IT. G. Steele, r. Il. Gruelle, Will For
| syth. Otto Stark. Brant Steele. Harry Will
sic Hendricks and other artists and sketch
ers have found abundant material for pretty
| pictures. some OF which have won praise 1t
| exhibitions"
Another sign OF spring peculiar 10 Irving
ton. Is the town election. More interest Is
place or literary clubs and Bostonian affec-
tatior OF culture than any other town the
Stroller knows. Ii gives the head of the
family an excuse to stay away from Sunday
school. II he happens 10 be on either ticket.
for he must see this or that man. and the
on Sunday than on week days. At the drug
StoreS-there are two In lrvington. and no
SalOons-little groups may be seen quietly
discussing the situation. The arguments
never grow so warm that the services of The
marshal are needed. but the interest Is deep
rooted, especially this year. when the main
Issue Is shall we pay for our brick street.
or throw Ii back on the contractors hands?"
The street In question is q decided improve
ment over the former mud road. but some OF